Caitlin M O'Connor

 Caitlin O'connor
Research Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Medical School
Email:
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Caitlin M O'Connor
Caitlin O'connor
Research Assistant Professor
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    • About

    Caitlin O'Connor, PhD is an Assistant Professor on the Research Track in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Genetic Medicine. Dr. O'Connor studies Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and its role in cancer development. While PP2A's role in tumor development has been extensively studied in cell models, mouse models modulating PP2A have not been extensively explored. She has a strong interest in the development of novel mouse models that more closely represent human disease. Working with Dr. Goutham Narla, she has developed multiple new mouse models, including models of breast cancer and high-grade uterine cancer.

    Dr. O'Connor has been awarded multiple independent research grants from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) from the Department of Defense, and the Foundation for Women's Cancer. She has been working in the PP2A field for over 10 years, has over 20 peer-reviewed publications, and is the inventor on one patent.

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    Qualifications
    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow
      University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
      2019 - 2022
    • PhD, Pharmacology
      Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States
      2013 - 2019
    • BA, Biochemistry and Biophysics
      Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona, United States
      2010

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Rogel Cancer Center

    Recent Publications

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    • Journal Article
      Stabilization of the PP2A-B56α complex overcomes venetoclax-azacitidine resistance by impairing OXPHOS in AML
      Romero-Murillo S, Peris I, Lucianò AM, Marcotegui N, Vicente C, Tran B, Barrie K, O’Connor CM, Torres-López A, Mateos MC, Cayuela ML, Mulero V, Fernández-Irigoyen J, Santamaría E, Odero MD, Narla G. Jci Insight, 2026 Oct 22; 11 (20): DOI:10.1172/jci.insight.205218
      PMID: 42742967
    • Journal Article
      Restoration of PP2A AαB56αC trimer formation by RPT04402 molecular glue in high-grade uterine cancer
      Peris I, Haanen TJ, Day A, Hu J, Callahan C, Hodges-Onishi G, Zawacki KP, Tran B, Harold A, Dowdican A, Nino CA, Huang W, Leonard D, Hinderman M, Barrie K, Raines B, Sangodkar J, Boock S, Shankar V, Giambi M, Romero-Murillo S, Arbitman L, Shenolikar S, Trainor G, Cachoux F, Rabal O, Gherbovet O, Fourmois L, Brautigan DL, Difeo AV, Taylor DJ, O'connor CM, Narla G. Science Translational Medicine, 2026 Oct 14; 18 (871): DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.ady4852
      PMID: 42873895
    • Preprint
      Protein Phosphatase 2A Activation Attenuates Acute Myocardial Injury in Takotsubo Syndrome by Modulating Ferroptosis and Mitochondrial Injury in Cardiomyocytes.
      Wang T, Xu Q, Sun J, Ferreira Neto HC, Dong F, Stomberski C, O'Connor CM, Narla G, Wang D, Lin Z. 2026 Jul 28; DOI:10.64898/2026.07.27.740349
      PMID: 42619918
    • Journal Article
      Characterizing spatial gene expression patterns in a novel mouse model of high-grade endometrial cancer
      O'Connor C, Barrie K, Zawacki K, Bergin I, Narla G. Gynecologic Oncology, 2026 Apr 26; 208: s380 - s381. DOI:10.1016/j.ygyno.2026.01.657
    • Journal Article
      The protein phosphatase 2A-B56α complex regulates N-Myc degradation in neuroblastoma
      Tran BD, Peris I, Wurman E, Huang A, Hodges Onishi G, Hu J, Avelar RA, Newman EA, DiFeo A, O’Connor CM, Narla G. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2026 Apr 1; 302 (4): DOI:10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111298
      PMID: 41707997
    • Journal Article
      Abstract PR014: A PP2A molecular glue overcomes RAS/MAPK inhibitor resistance in KRAS-mutant non–small cell lung cancer
      Narla G, Raines B, O'Connor CM. Cancer Research, 2026 Mar 7; 86 (5_Supplement_1): pr014 - pr014. DOI:10.1158/1538-7445.rasoncother26-pr014
    • Journal Article
      A PP2A molecular glue overcomes RAS/MAPK inhibitor resistance in KRAS-mutant non–small cell lung cancer
      Raines B, Tseng-Rogenski S, Dowdican AC, Peris I, Hinderman M, Zawacki KP, Barrie K, Onishi GH, Dymond AM, Luther TK, Musser S, Majchrowski BK, Brenner JC, Ahmed A, Taylor DJ, O’Connor CM, Narla G. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2025 Dec 1; 135 (23): DOI:10.1172/JCI193790
      PMID: 41086023
    • Additional Scholarship
      Fig. S1 from Small-Molecule–Mediated Stabilization of PP2A Modulates the Homologous Recombination Pathway and Potentiates DNA Damage-Induced Cell Death
      Avelar RA, Armstrong AJ, Carvette G, Gupta R, Puleo N, Colina JA, Joseph P, Sobeck AM, O'Connor CM, Raines B, Gandhi A, Dziubinski ML, S. D, Resnick K, Singh S, Zanotti K, Nagel C, Waggoner S, Thomas DG, Skala SL, Zhang J, Narla G, DiFeo A. 2025 Nov 29; DOI:10.1158/1535-7163.30733869