Eneda Toska, MS, PhD

Primary Academic Title

Assistant Professor of Oncology

Contact for Research Inquiries

1650 Orleans Street
CRB1
Baltimore, MD 21287

etoska1@jhmi.edu

Research Interests

Breast Cancer, Cell Signaling, Epigenetics, Genetics, Genomics and Gene Regulation

Lab Website

Toska Lab - Lab Website

Research Summary

Our research focus is centered on elucidating the role that transcriptional and epigenetic regulators play in normal and cancer development, and therapeutic response. We are passionate about asking clinically relevant questions and translating basic laboratory findings into therapeutic applications to benefit cancer patients while at the same time providing new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of how epigenetic regulators regulate transcription and dictate cell identity. To achieve these goals, the Toska lab aims to undertake a multidisciplinary approach integrating biochemistry, cell signaling, genomics, and epigenomics at bulk and single-cell level, organoid technology, and mouse genetics to study the fundamental processes by which epigenetic regulators regulate transcription, cross-talk with signaling pathways, and have the ability to drive transformation and dictate therapeutic response in nuclear receptor-dependent cancers. Our laboratory will be comprised of scientists from different fields who are driven to study epigenetic regulation in normal and cancer development and to identify new therapeutic opportunities.

Selected Publications

• Blawski R, Vokshi B, Guo X, Kittane S, Sallaku M, Chen W, Gjyzari M, Cheung T, Zhang Y, Simpkins C, Zhou W, Zhao P, Meihan W, Shivashankar P, Prioleau T, Razavi P, Koche P, Rebecca V, de Stanchina E, Castel P, Chan H.M, Scaltriti M, Cocco E, Ji H, Luo M, Toska E. SMYD2-mediated methylation of KMT2D contributes to therapeutic response in breast cancer. Cell Reports. 2024. In Press.
• Ladewig E^†, Flavia M†, Jhaveri K†^, Castel P, Carmona J, Fairchild L, Zuniga G, Arruabarrena-Aristorena A, Cocco E, Blawski R, Kittane S, Yuhan Z, Sallaku M, Baldino L, Hristidis V, Chandarlapaty S, Abdel-Wahab O, Leslie C*, Scaltriti M*, Toska E. The oncogenic PI3K-induced transcriptomic landscape reveals key functions in splicing and gene expression regulation. *Cancer Research. 2022; 82(12):2269-2280. *Corresponding
• Xu G†, Chhangawala S†, Cocco E, Razavi P, Casi Y, Otto J, Ferrando L, Selenica P, Chan C, Ladewig E, Da Cruz Paula A, Witkin M, Cheng Y, Park J, Serna-Tamayo C, Zhao H, Wu F, Sallaku M, Qu X, Zhao A, Collings C, D’Avino AR, Jhavery K, Koche R, Levine RL, Reis-Filho JS, Kadoch C, Scaltriti M, Leslie CS*, Baselga J*, Toska E*. ARID1A determines luminal identity and therapeutic response in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Nature Genetics. 2020; 52(2):198-207 †Equal contribution, *Corresponding
• Arruabarrena-Aristorena A, Maag J, Kittane S, Cai Y, Karthaus W, Park J, Razavi P, Ferrando L, Kannan S, Selenica P, Cocco E, Ho S, Tan D, Sallaku M, Witkin M, Sawyers C, Reis-Filho J, Verma CS, Jauch R, Koche R, Baselga J, Toska E*, Scaltriti M*. FOXA1 mutations reveal distinct chromatin profiles and influences therapeutic response in breast cancer. Cancer Cell. 2020; S1535-6108(20)30414-1 *Corresponding
• Toska E, Osmanbeyoglu H, Castel P, Chan C, Hendrickson RC, Elkabets M, Dickler M, Scaltriti M, Leslie CS, Armstrong SA, Baselga. PI3K pathway regulates ER-dependent transcription in breast cancer through the epigenetic regulator KMT2D. Science. 2017; 355(6331):134-1330

Honors

• Breast Cancer Research Alliance Young Investigator Award
• Innovation in Cancer Informatics Award
• Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy
• K22 NCI Transition to Independence Award
• AACR Cancer Research Early Career Award, 1/1/23
• AACR NextGen Star Award, 1/1/21

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Pathobiology department, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) department, Johns Hopkins Blomberg School of Public Health

Memberships

• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)