Eleanor G Rogan, PhD

Professor and Chair

Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
College of Public Health
Professor 
Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Professional Summary

• 2011-present Professor, Dept. of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health, Eppley Institute and Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE
• 2007-present Chair, Dept. of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health, UNMC, Omaha, NE
• 1990-2011 Professor, Eppley Institute and Dept. of Pharm. Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE
• 1989  Academic tenure
• 1980-1990 Associate Professor, Eppley Institute and Dept. of Pharm. Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE
• 1976-1980 Assistant Professor, Eppley Institute and Dept. of Pharm. Sciences, UNMC, Omaha, NE
• 1973-1976 Research Associate with E. Cavalieri, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, Univ. of NE Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, NE
• 1971-1973 Research Associate with J.H. Coggin, Jr., Dept. of Microbiology, Univ. of TN
• 1969-1971 Post-doctoral Fellow with K.J. Monty, Dept. of Biochem., Univ. of TN, Knoxville, TN
• 1968-1969 Lecturer, Department of Biology, Goucher College, Towson, MD
• 1965-1968 USPHS Predoctoral Fellow, The Johns Hopkins University

Education

• PhD, Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD, 1968
• Post-Doc, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 1969-71
• AB, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, 1963 

Honors

• 2006 The Twelfth Linus Pauling Functional Medicine Award, The Institute for Functional Medicine
• 2007 Distinguished Scientist Award, University of Nebraska Medical Center
• 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Public Health, UNMC

Research Interests & Projects

My research centers around elucidating mechanisms of activation of carcinogens, identifying carcinogen-DNA adducts, and correlating adducts with oncogenic mutations. From our previous study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolism and DNA adducts, we have demonstrated that the predominant adducts are lost by depurination, leaving mutagenic apurinic sites in the DNA. This research involved identification and quantitation of PAH-DNA adducts and correlation of the adducts with Harvey-ras mutations in mouse skin papillomas induced by the PAH. We have extended our studies to endogenous catechol estrogen metabolites and found that the carcinogenic metabolites form depurinating N3Ade and N7Gua adducts in DNA. We hypothesize that this is the pathway of initiation for human breast, prostate and other cancers. Studies in test tubes, laboratory animal models, cell culture models and human subjects have demonstrated the validity of this hypothesis. Now we are working on the early detection of cancer risk and prevention of cancer by selected natural compounds.

Selected Publications

• Cavalieri, E. and Rogan, E. Unbalanced metabolism of endogenous estrogens in the etiology and prevention of human cancer. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol., 125: 169-180 (2011).
• M. Zahid, M. Saeed, C. Beseler, E.G. Rogan and E.L. Cavalieri. Resveratrol and N-acetylcysteine block the cancer-initiating step in MCF-10F cells.  Free Radic. Biol. Med., 50: 78-85 (2011).
• M. Zahid, M. Saeed, M.F. Ali, E.G. Rogan, and E.L. Cavalieri. N-acetylcysteine blocks formation of cancer-initiating estrogen-DNA adducts in cells.  Free Radic. Biol. Med., 49: 392-400 (2010).  PMCID: PMC2900421
• E.L. Cavalieri and E.G. Rogan. The etiology and prevention of breast and other human cancers.  Future Oncology, 6: 75-91 (2010).
• L. Yang, N. Gaikwad, J. Meza, E. Cavalieri, P. Muti, B. Trock and E. Rogan.  Novel biomarkers for risk of prostate cancer.  Results from a case-control study.  Prostate, 69: 41-48 (2009). PMCID2588647
• M. Saeed, E. Rogan and E. Cavalieri.  Mechanism of metabolic activation and DNA adduct formation by the human carcinogen diethylstilbestrol:  The defining link to natural estrogens.  Int. J. Cancer, 124: 1276-1284 (2009). PMCID2814601
• M. Zahid, N.W. Gaikwad, M.F. Ali, F. Lu, M. Saeed, L. Yang, E.G. Rogan and E.L. Cavalieri. Prevention of estrogen-DNA adduct formation in MCF-10F cells by resveratrol.  Free Radic. Biol. Med., 45: 136-145 (2008). PMCID2494714
• D. Venugopal, M. Zahid, P.C. Mailander, J.L. Meza, E.G. Rogan, E.L. Cavalieri and D. Chakravarti.  Reduction of estrogen-induced transformation of mouse mammary epithelial cells by N-acetylcysteine.  J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol., 109: 22-30 (2008). PMCID2722841
• N.W. Gaikwad, L. Yang, M. Zahid, S. Pruthi, J. Ingle, P. Muti, J. Meza, E.G. Rogan and E.L. Cavalieri. The molecular etiology of breast cancer: Evidence from biomarkers of risk.  Int. J. Cancer, 122: 1949-1957 (2008).
• N.W. Gaikwad, L Yang, S. Pruthi, J.N. Ingle, N. Sandhu, E. Rogan and E. Cavalieri.  Urine biomarkers of risk in the molecular etiology of breast cancer.  Breast Cancer: Basic & Clinical Research, 3: 1-8 (2008).
• F. Lu, M. Zahid, C. Wang, M. Saeed, E.L. Cavalieri and E.G. Rogan. Resveratrol prevents estrogen-DNA adduct formation and neoplastic transformation in MCF-10F cells.  Cancer Prev. Res., 1: 135-145 (2008).
• M. Zahid, N. Gaikwad, E.G. Rogan and E.L. Cavalieri.  Inhibition of depurinating estrogen-DNA adducts formation by natural compounds.  Chem. Res. Toxicol., 20: 1947-1953 (2007).
• Y. Markushin, N. Gaikwad, H. Zhang, E. Rogan, E. Cavalieri, B. Trock, C. Pavlovich, and R. Jankowiak.  Potential biomarker for early risk assessment of prostate cancer, Prostate, 66: 1565-1571 (2006).
• E.G. Rogan, A.F. Badawi, P.D. Devanesan, J.L. Meza, J.A. Edney, W.W. West, S.M. Higginbotham, and E.L. Cavalieri.  Relative imbalances in estrogen metabolism and conjugation in breast tissue of women with carcinoma:  Potential biomarkers of susceptibility to cancer.  Carcinogenesis, 24: 697-702 (2003).
• D. Chakravarti, P. Mailander, K.-M. Li, S. Higginbotham, H. Zhang, M.L. Gross, E. Cavalieri, and E. Rogan.  Evidence that a burst of DNA depurination in SENCAR mouse skin induces error-prone repair and form mutations in the H-ras gene.  Oncogene, 20: 7945-7953 (2001).

Professional Affiliations  

• American Public Health Association
• Society of Toxicology