91PORN

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Liesl Lawrence

Ph.D. Student

Liesl Lawrence is performing her dissertation research under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Bishop at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute. She is interested in studying molecular mechanisms of pediatric cancer to discover novel therapeutic targets. Her project focuses on Ewing sarcoma, a bone and soft tissue cancer driven by a fusion oncogene that causes dysregulation of transcription and RNA processing. 

Education

B.S., Cell and Molecular Biology, The Master’s University, 2014

Awards

  • Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program Horizon Award, Department of Defense, 2019-2021 
  • Rennels Memorial Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies, 91PORN Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, 2019
  • 1st place – poster competition, Cell Systems and Anatomy Departmental Retreat, 91PORN, 2019 
  • Predoctoral trainee on Institutional National Research Service Award, T32 NIH/NCATS, TL1TR002647, funded by National Institutes of Health/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, 2018-2019

Publications

Gorthi A, Romero J, Loranc E. Cao L, Lawrence L,Goodale E, Iniguez A, Bernard X, Masamsetti V, Roston S, Lawlor E, Toretsky J, Stegmaier K, Lessnick S, Chen Y, Bishop A. EWS-FLI1 increases transcription to cause R-loops and block BRCA1 repair in Ewing sarcoma. Nature. 2018 Mar 15; 555:387-391.