M. Gilbert-Ross, PhD (they / them)

Research Program

Cell and Molecular Biology
Phone Number

404-712-8370
Email Address

mmgilbe@emory.edu

Biography

M. Gilbert-Ross, PhD, (they/them) is an associate professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. They joined the faculty in 2012. Dr. Gilbert-Ross is scientific director of the Cancer Animal Models Shared Resource, which assists Winship Cancer Institute members in the development, characterization and analysis of animal models for cancer research. They are also a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute.

Education

Dr. Gilbert-Ross earned their bachelor's degree in Genetics from The University of Georgia in Athens, and their PhD in Genetics from Stony Brook University in New York. They then went on to complete a productive postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Cell Biology at the Emory University School of Medicine.

Titles & Roles

Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology

Emory University School of Medicine
Scientific Director, Cancer Animal Models Shared Resource

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Research

Dr. Gilbert-Ross is ultimately interested in the molecular and cell biologic mechanisms that drive lung cancer tumor progression and metastasis. Mutations in the tumor suppressor LKB1 are present in up to 30% of patients, and collaborate with mutations in KRAS to produce aggressive lung tumors that are refractory to both standard and targeted therapies. In order to study how KRAS LKB1-mutant cells gain a metastatic advantage in the tumor microenvironment, they are applying their expertise in tissue-specific mosaic analysis to fluorescently mark KRASG12D Lkb1fl/fl mutant cells in vivo in a mouse model of non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, Dr. Gilbert-Ross is combining their expertise in Drosophila genetics and their training in mammalian lung cancer biology to test the central hypothesis that LKB1 restricts metastasis via a dual role in restricting both EMT and the plasticity of cell migration: both via its conserved role as a master regulator of cell polarity.

They have collaborated with Drs. Wei Zhou and Adam Marcus to redevelop a mutant KRAS, Lkb1 genetically engineered mouse model of non-small cell lung cancer. Currently, the KRAS, Lkb1 GEMM is being used in pre-clinical studies to test anti-metastatic therapies.

Publications

Dr. Gilbert-Ross' postdoctoral work resulted in multiple first-author publications, two competitive Clinical LRP awards and a Ruth L. Kirchstein NRSA.

Title/Journal	Authors	Publication Date
High PER1 expression is associated with STK11 mutation and clinical biomarkers of immunotherapy resistance in lung adenocarcinoma. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology	RE Parker, L McSwain, W Zhou, AI Marcus, H Fu, SS Ramalingam, S Zhang, M Gilbert-Ross	07/26/2025
Nanoparticle delivery of a prodrug-activating bacterial enzyme leads to anti-tumor responses. Nature communications	SG Huayamares, L Lian, R Rab, Y Hou, A Radmand, H Kim, R Zenhausern, BR Achyut, M Gilbert Ross, MP Lokugamage, D Loughrey, HE Peck, ES Echeverri, AJ Da Silva Sanchez, A Shajii, A Li, KE Tiegreen, PJ Santangelo, EJ Sorscher, JE Dahlman	04/12/2025
Live-Cell Invasive Phenotyping Uncovers ALK2 as a Therapeutic Target in LKB1-Mutant Lung Cancer. Cancer research	J Koo, CS Seong, RE Parker, A Herrera, B Dwivedi, RA Arthur, AR Dinasarapu, HR Johnston, H Claussen, C Tucker-Burden, SS Ramalingam, H Fu, W Zhou, AI Marcus, M Gilbert-Ross	11/15/2024
Intra-tumoral YAP and TAZ heterogeneity drives collective NSCLC invasion that is targeted by SUMOylation inhibitor TAK-981. iScience	R Sharma, S Sharma, P Shriwas, L Mehta, AH Vu, JK Mouw, J Koo, C Huang, VY Matsuk, C Tucker-Burden, G Joseph, M Behera, SY Sun, MA Roy, M Gilbert-Ross, T Leal, AI Marcus, M Shanmugam	11/15/2024
Tenascin-C in the early lung cancer tumor microenvironment promotes progression through integrin αvβ1 and FAK. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	SC Samson, A Rojas, RG Zitnay, KR Carney, W Hettinga, MC Schaelling, D Sicard, W Zhang, M Gilbert-Ross, GK Dy, MJ Cavnar, M Furqan, RF Browning, AR Naqash, BP Schneider, A Tarhini, DJ Tschumperlin, A Venosa, AI Marcus, LL Emerson, BT Spike, BS Knudsen, MC Mendoza	09/21/2024
Live-cell invasive phenotyping uncovers the ALK2/BMP6 iron homeostasis pathway as a therapeutic vulnerability in LKB1-mutant lung cancer. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	J Koo, CS Seong, RE Parker, B Dwivedi, RA Arthur, AR Dinasarapu, HR Johnston, H Claussen, C Tucker-Burden, SS Ramalingam, H Fu, W Zhou, AI Marcus, M Gilbert-Ross	06/14/2023
Evaluating antitumor activity of Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase against head and neck patient-derived xenografts. Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.)	R Rab, A Ehrhardt, BR Achyut, D Joshi, M Gilbert-Ross, C Huang, K Floyd, AV Borovjagin, WB Parker, EJ Sorscher, JS Hong	02/01/2023
Loss of the endocytic tumor suppressor HD-PTP phenocopies LKB1 and promotes RAS-driven oncogenesis. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	CS Seong, C Huang, AC Boese, Y Hou, J Koo, JK Mouw, M Rupji, G Joseph, HR Johnston, H Claussen, JM Switchenko, M Behera, M Churchman, JM Kolesar, SM Arnold, K Kerrigan, W Akerley, H Colman, MA Johns, C Arciero, W Zhou, AI Marcus, SS Ramalingam, H Fu, M Gilbert-Ross	01/27/2023
YAP1 Expression in SCLC Defines a Distinct Subtype With T-cell-Inflamed Phenotype. Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer	TK Owonikoko, B Dwivedi, Z Chen, C Zhang, B Barwick, V Ernani, G Zhang, M Gilbert-Ross, J Carlisle, FR Khuri, WJ Curran, AA Ivanov, H Fu, S Lonial, SS Ramalingam, SY Sun, EK Waller, GL Sica	03/01/2021
Leflunomide Suppresses the Growth of LKB1-Inactivated Tumors in the Immune-Competent Host and Attenuates Distant Cancer Metastasis. Molecular cancer therapeutics	R Jin, B Liu, X Liu, Y Fan, W Peng, C Huang, A Marcus, G Sica, M Gilbert-Ross, Y Liu, W Zhou	02/01/2021
The level of oncogenic Ras determines the malignant transformation of Lkb1 mutant tissue in vivo. Communications biology	B Rackley, CS Seong, E Kiely, RE Parker, M Rupji, B Dwivedi, JM Heddleston, W Giang, N Anthony, TL Chew, M Gilbert-Ross	01/29/2021
The conditional growth suppressor E7.25d.7 is an allele of the sterile-20 kinase misshapen. microPublication biology	E Kiely, M Gilbert-Ross	01/01/2021
Oncogenic Ras cooperates with knockdown of the tumor suppressor Lkb1 by RNAi to override organ size limits in Drosophila wing tissue. microPublication biology	BB Rackley, E Kiely, CS Seong, M Rupji, M Gilbert-Ross	03/03/2020
The use of Trichomonas vaginalis purine nucleoside phosphorylase to activate fludarabine in the treatment of solid tumors. Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology	WB Parker, PW Allan, WR Waud, J Hong, M Gilbert-Ross, BR Achyut, D Joshi, T Behbahani, R Rab, SE Ealick, EJ Sorscher	03/01/2020
Vimentin Is Required for Lung Adenocarcinoma Metastasis via Heterotypic Tumor Cell-Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Interactions during Collective Invasion. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research	AM Richardson, LS Havel, AE Koyen, JM Konen, J Shupe, WG Wiles, WD Martin, HE Grossniklaus, G Sica, M Gilbert-Ross, AI Marcus	01/15/2018
Modulation of Bax and mTOR for Cancer Therapeutics. Cancer research	R Li, C Ding, J Zhang, M Xie, D Park, Y Ding, G Chen, G Zhang, M Gilbert-Ross, W Zhou, AI Marcus, SY Sun, ZG Chen, GL Sica, SS Ramalingam, AT Magis, H Fu, FR Khuri, WJ Curran, TK Owonikoko, DM Shin, J Zhou, X Deng	06/01/2017
Targeting adhesion signaling in KRAS, LKB1 mutant lung adenocarcinoma. JCI insight	M Gilbert-Ross, J Konen, J Koo, J Shupe, BS Robinson, WG Wiles, C Huang, WD Martin, M Behera, GH Smith, CE Hill, MR Rossi, GL Sica, M Rupji, Z Chen, J Kowalski, AL Kasinski, SS Ramalingam, H Fu, FR Khuri, W Zhou, AI Marcus	03/09/2017
RhoA, a novel tumor suppressor or oncogene as a therapeutic target? Genes & diseases	M Gilbert-Ross, AI Marcus, W Zhou	03/01/2015
A screen for conditional growth suppressor genes identifies the Drosophila homolog of HD-PTP as a regulator of the oncoprotein Yorkie. Developmental cell	MM Gilbert, M Tipping, A Veraksa, KH Moberg	05/17/2011
The archipelago tumor suppressor gene limits rb/e2f-regulated apoptosis in developing Drosophila tissues. Current biology : CB	SC Nicholson, MM Gilbert, BN Nicolay, MV Frolov, KH Moberg	09/29/2009
Functional interactions between the erupted/tsg101 growth suppressor gene and the DaPKC and rbf1 genes in Drosophila imaginal disc tumors. PloS one	MM Gilbert, BS Robinson, KH Moberg	09/29/2009
Genetic interactions between the Drosophila tumor suppressor gene ept and the stat92E transcription factor. PloS one	MM Gilbert, CK Beam, BS Robinson, KH Moberg	09/29/2009

Awards

In 2013, Dr. Gilbert-Ross was awarded an Emory University Research Committee (URC) grant to develop an independent research program that uses a combination of Drosophila and mouse genetics to elucidate how LKB1 mutations drive metastasis in vivo.

They have also received the following grants and awards:

NCI Clinical Research LRP: "A Drosophila melanogaster model of mammalian HD-PTP and its role in FAK dephosphorylation", 2010-2012
NIH NRSA 1F32 GM077898 "Drosophila Tsg101: Coordination of growth control and epithelial polarity", 2006-2008
NIH Clinical Research LRP: "Tsg101: novel insights into a proposed mammalian tumor suppressor", 2006-2008
NCI Predoctoral Training Grant Recipient, 2000-2002
Howard Hughes Travel Award for Presentation of Undergraduate Research, 1997