Contact Information

Biography

Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Duquesne University and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh. She received a PhD from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in the Department of Pharmacology. Dr. Cavanaugh conducted her postdoctoral training at the University of Washington where she investigated the role of intracellular signaling pathways in neuronal cell death and survival. She is currently funded by a Career Award (K-01) from the National Institute on Aging to conduct research focused on the role of these pathways in neurodegenerative diseases and cell death that occurs with normal brain aging. She is also funded by an internal Faculty Development Fund grant from Duquesne University to study breast cancer and aging. Dr. Cavanaugh is an active member of the Society for Neuroscience and has presented her research at the national meetings of this organization. In addition to directing a research laboratory, Dr. Cavanaugh instructs pharmacy students in the Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry and CNS Disorders courses. She is also course director and instructor for Human Physiology and Pathology for the PharmD program and Methods of Evaluation of Drug Action and Toxicity and Oral/Written Presentation Skills in Pharmacology/Toxicology for the graduate program.

Education

  • Ph.D., Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, 1997
  • B.A., Chemistry, Franklin & Marshall, 1992

Research Interests or Expertise

My research interests are in the neurobiology and cancer biology of aging. Specifically, we study signaling pathways that may be altered with age to either promote cell proliferation or decrease cell survival. Furthermore, we are interested in exploring interventions that may alter these pathways in such a way as to inhibit these pathologies.

School

Grants/Contracts

Title: Solid Particulate Intranasal Administration of L-Dopa for Direct to CNS Delivery
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: Internal, Duquesne University
Type: Hunkele Dreaded Diseases
Project Period: 06/01/12 - 05/31/14
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $1750
The goal of this project is to formulate L-Dopa for nasal delivery as a means to decrease the dyskinesia side effects.

Title: Natural compounds for the treatment of age-related motor deficits
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: Internal, Duquesne University
Type: Duquesne University Faculty Development Fund
Project Period: 05/01/12 - 04/30/14
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $5000
The goal of this project is to elucidate a role for resveratrol and blueberries in the alleviation of age-related motor deficits.

Completed

Title: Neuroprotection from β-Amyloid Mediated Apoptosis: Role of the ERK5 Pathway
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease
Type: Internal
Project Period: 01/01/04- 01/01/06
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $20,000
The goal of this project is to understand the intracellular signaling cascades involved in neuroprotection from Aβ-mediated toxicity and provide new clinical approaches to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Title: Scientist/Teacher Partnership at the University of Pittsburgh (STEP UP)
Principal Investigators: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.; SuJean Choi, Ph.D., Edda Thiels, Ph.D.
Agency: Society for Neuroscience
Type: Educational
Project Period: 01/01/05- 01/01/06
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $1,500
The goal of this project is to form partnerships between science educators in the Pittsburgh public schools and scientists at the University of Pittsburgh.
Title: Neurotoxin-induced DA Neurodegeneration: Assessment of Mobility and ERK5
Signaling with Aging, PI
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: University of Pittsburgh, Pepper Center for Aging Research Pilot Award
Type: Internal
Project Period: 07/01/05- 06/30/07
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $55,000
The goal of this project is to test the hypothesis that chronic exposure to a neurotoxin produces motor deficits and DA neuronal death are greater in old versus young animals due, in part, to a decrease in ERK5 expression and activity.
Title: Neuroprotection and Early Detection in PD, Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Michael J. Zigmond, Ph.D.
Agency: NINDS
Type: Program Project Grant, P50 NS019608
Project Period: 05/01/06-04/30/07
The goal of this project is to identify biomarker for PD to aid in early detection and intervention.
Title: In Vivo Imaging of Serotonin Transporter in the Aging Brain, Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Joan M. Lakoski, Ph.D.
Agency: University of Pittsburgh, CMRF
Type: Internal
Project Period: 07/01/04-6/30/07
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $25,000
The goal of this project is to examine regulation of the SERT with age and chronic SSRI treatment using in vivo PET imaging.
Title: ERK5 Signaling in Aging Dopamine Neurons
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: NIA
Type: K-Award; K01 AG025848
Project Period: 09/01/05 - 8/30/10
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $100,000
The goal of this project is to elucidate the role of ERK5 in dopaminergic neuronal survival following injury with 6-OHDA in vivo.
Title: Roles of the ERK1, 2 and 5 Signaling Pathways in Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation With Age
Principal Investigator: Jane E. Cavanaugh, Ph.D.
Agency: Internal, Duquesne University
Type: Duquesne University Faculty Development Fund
Project Period: 05/01/09 - 04/30/11
Total Annual Costs (Direct Costs): $5000
The goal of this project is to elucidate the role of ERK1/2 andERK5 in breast cancer cell proliferation using in vitro and in vivo models of aging.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • J.N. Spencer, J.E. Mihalick, T.J. Nicholson, P.A. Cortina, J.L. Rinehimer, J.E. Smith, Xiaoming Ke, Qing He, S.E. Daniels, S. Puppala, J.L. Ealy, L.J. Fenton, W.J. Nicholson, I.M. Paul, C.H. Yoder. Comparison of Macrocyclic Effect for Ether Hosts in Aqueous and Organic Solvents. J. Phys. Chem. 97:10509 -10512, 1993.
  • J.E. Smith, J.M. Lakoski. Electrophysiological effects of fluoxetine and duloxetine in the dorsal raphe nucleus and hippocampus. Eur. J. Pharm. 323: 69 - 73, 1997.
  • J.E. Smith, J.M. Lakoski. An electrophysiological study of the effects of the reuptake inhibitor duloxetine on serotonergic responses in the aging hippocampus, Pharmacology. 55: 66 - 77, 1997.
  • J.E. Smith, J.M. Lakoski. Cellular electrophysiological effects of chronic fluoxetine and duloxetine administration on serotonergic responses in aging hippocampus. Synapse, 30: 318 - 328, 1998.
  • L.W. Maines, B.J. Keck, J.E. Smith, J.M. Lakoski. Corticosterone regulation of serotonin transporter and 5-HT1A receptor expression in the aging brain. Synapse, 32: 58 - 66, 1999.
  • M. Hetman, K. Kanning, J. E. Cavanaugh, Z. Xia. Neuroprotection by brain-derived neurotrophic factor is mediated by extracellular signal-related kinase and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. J. Biol. Chem., 274: 22569-22580, 1999.
  • M. Hetman, J. E. Cavanaugh, D. Kimelman, Z. Xia. Role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 in neuronal apoptosis induced by trophic withdrawal. J. Neurosci., 20(7): 2567-2574, 2000.
  • J.E. Cavanaugh, J. Ham, M. Hetman, S. Poser, C. Yan, Z. Xia. Differential regulation of mitogen activated protein kinases ERK1/2 and ERK5 by neurotrophins, neuronal activity and cAMP in neurons. J. Neurosci., 21(2): 434-443, 2001.
  • L. Liu=, J.E. Cavanaugh=, Y. Wang, H. Sakagami, Z. Moa, Z. Xia. ERK activation of MEF2-mediated gene expression plays a critical role in BDNF-mediated survival of developing but not mature cortical neurons. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 100(14): 8532-8537, 2003. =these authors contributed equally
  • J.E. Cavanaugh, J.D. Jaumotte, J.M. Lakoski, M.J. Zigmond. Neuroprotective role of ERK1/2 and ERK5 in dopaminergic cells under basal conditions and in response to oxidative stress. J. Neurosci. Res., 84(6): 1367-1375, 2006.
  • E. Lin, J.E. Cavanaugh, R.K. Leak, R.G. Perez, M.J. Zigmond. Rapid activation of ERK by 6-hydroxydopamine promotes survival of a dopaminergic cell. J. Neurosci. Res., 86: 108-117, 2008.
  • P.T Flaherty, I. Chopra, P. Jain, S. Yi, E. Allen, J. Cavanaugh. Identification of benzimidazole-based inhibitors of the mitogen activated kinase-5 signaling pathway. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 20: 2892-2896, 2010. PMID: 20382528
  • P.T Flaherty, I. Chopra, P. Jain, D. Monlish, J. Cavanaugh. Structure-activity relationships of benzimidazole-based selective inhibitors of the mitogen activated kinase-5 signaling pathway. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 15: 8054-8060, 2010. PMID: 20965737.
  • E. N. Allen, K.M. Carlson, M.J. Zigmond, J.E. Cavanaugh. L-DOPA reverses motor deficits
  • associated with normal aging in mice. Neurosci. Lett., 489: 1-4, 2011. PMID: 21111775
Invited Chapters & Reviews
  • J.E. Cavanaugh. Role of extracellular signal regulated kinase 5 in neuronal survival. Eur. J. Biochem., 271(11): 2056-2059, 2004.
  • J. E. Cavanaugh, P.A. Witt-Enderby. Mini-review: CNS Melatonin Receptors and Signaling:
  • focus on aging-related diseases and future perspectives. 2009

Presentations

  • "Neurotoxin-induced DA Neurodegeneration: Assessment of Mobility and Intracellular Signaling with Aging," Claude D. Pepper Center for Aging, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, April 2006.
  • "Behavioral and Immunohistochemical Assessment of Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in an MPTP Model of Parkinson's Disease," Departments of Biology and Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, April 2006.
  • "Studies of MAP Kinases in Aging and Oxidative Stress," Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, May 2006.
  • "ERK1/2 and ERK5 Signaling Pathways: Differential Roles in Neuronal Survival," School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, August 2006.
  • PHBMS 356: Human Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology II
  • PHBMS 355: Human Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology I; Coursemaster
  • PHBMS 430: Biomedical Science and Therapeutics IX
  • GPHSC 572: Methods of Evaluation of Drug Action and Toxicity
  • GPHSC 694: Oral/Written Presentation Skills in Pharmacology and Toxicology; Coursemaster
  • Graduate Student Commencement Speaker
    Pennsylvania State College of Medicine
  • National Institute on Aging
    2003 Summer Institute on Aging Research, Participant
  • Travel Award Fellowship
    37th Winter Conference on Brain Research
  • Molecular Biology of Aging Course Participant
    Marine Biological Laboratories, Woods Hole, MA