Skip to Main Content

INFORMATION FOR

    Anna Arnal Estape, PhD, BS

    Director, Office of Team Science
    DownloadHi-Res Photo

    Education

    PhD
    Universitat de Barcelona, Biomedicine (2011)


    BS
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Biology (2006)


    About

    Titles

    Director, Office of Team Science

    Biography

    Dr. Arnal Estapé is responsible for supporting YSM’s scientific research mission by coordinating large multi-project grant applications, fostering collaborative research teams, managing pilot funding, advising on strategies, and overseeing grant submissions.

    Dr. Arnal Estapé is a dedicated cancer biologist with a passion for science and research. She has held multiple academic and professional roles at Yale for the last 11 years, bringing extensive institutional knowledge that encompasses Yale’s research, facilities, culture, and grant opportunities. Most recently, she held the position of associate research scientist for the Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, supporting the Yale Cancer Center (YCC). In this role, she led efforts to foster and support six translational science teams and has worked closely with pre-/post-award teams, Yale Ventures, Office of Development, and YCC Administration to identify grant opportunities and match suitable investigators to them.

    Dr. Arnal Estapé is looking forward to continuing to contribute to the Yale community's scientific growth and interdisciplinary prospects.

    Appointments

    • Medical Oncology and Hematology

      Associate Research Scientist
      Primary

    Other Departments & Organizations

    Education & Training

    Associate Research Scientist
    Yale University (2025)
    Associate Research Scientist
    Yale University (2022)
    Postdoctoral Associate
    Yale University (2018)
    Postdoctoral Associate
    Albert Einstein School of Medicine (2014)
    PhD
    Universitat de Barcelona, Biomedicine (2011)
    BS
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Biology (2006)

    Research

    Overview

    Cancer cells disobey signaling networks that control cell division and differentiation during tumor progression and metastasis. My early work during my PhD focused on the role of a breast cancer oncogenic signal, ERBB2, in the evasion of two tumor suppressor mechanisms in breast cancer cells, namely TGFb cytostasis and oncogene-induced senescence. We identified C/EBPb as the molecular link between ERBB2 oncogenic signal and the evasion of these two potent suppressive functions in tumor cells. Despite improvement in primary tumor targeted, metastasis accounts for 90% of solid tumors-related death. We performed an in vivo screen that identified mediators of bone metastasis in breast cancer cells. We validated Noggin and Maf as key effectors of bone metastasis. These publications report the need for stratification of breast cancer patients to determine those with increased risk of bone relapse that will benefit from the therapeutic targeting of these pathways.

    In my postdoctoral training at Albert Einstein, I acquired expertise in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of prostate cancer and microenvironmental cues that promotes tumor progression and metastasis such as angiogenesis and the autonomous nervous system. We identified that adrenergic signaling is responsible for a metabolic switch on endothelial cells that allow prostate progression from PIN stage to adenocarcinoma.

    In 2014 I joined the laboratory of Don Nguyen in the Pathology department to continue my studies of tumor biology and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). We are interested in determining the function of a transcriptional network, which normally controls epithelial differentiation in the airways, in different NSCLC subtypes. We found that this transcriptional network correlates with poor outcome in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a distinct subtype of NSCLC. To this end, we have developed several GEMMs of LUAD to interrogate the requirements of the metastasis suppressors Hopx and Gata6 in tumor initiation.

    I believe science requires a collaborative environment for success. During my PhD and postdoctoral training, I developed my research in tight collaboration with different coworkers within the laboratory as well as researchers from different institutions. From these fruitful collaborations, several projects were published in high impact journals within our field.

    Research at a Glance

    Yale Co-Authors

    Frequent collaborators of Anna Arnal Estape's published research.

    Publications

    2024

    2023

    2022

    2021

    Get In Touch

    Contacts

    Academic Office Number

    Locations

    • BCMM 110D

      Academic Office

      Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine

      295 Congress Avenue, Fl 1st floor

      New Haven, CT 06510