EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences
University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX
Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology
Concentration: Microbiology and Immunology

B.S. in Biology
Emory University, Atlanta, GA

APPOINTMENTS AND POSITIONS
August 2007 – Present
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Texas Christian University

August 2005 – May 2007
Visiting Assistant Professor
Biology Department
Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, TX

January 2002 – August 2006
Adjunct Faculty
Natural Sciences Department
Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, TX

July 2003 – January 2005
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Cell Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
August 2007 – Present
Immunology (Biol. 40253), Microbiology (Biol. 30303)
Department of Biology, Texas Christian University

August 2005 – May 2007
Microbiology, Contemporary Biology, Infection and Immunity, Mind and Body Laboratory, Senior Research in Biology, Research Methods in Biology
Biology Department, Texas Wesleyan University

January 2002 – August 2006
Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology
Tarrant County College

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
2006 The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Grant Review Committee

2005 Adjunct Faculty Advisor Committee, Tarrant County College, Northeast Campus

2004 – 2005 American Association for Cancer Research, Associate Member

2004 – 2005 American Association for Cancer Research – Women in Cancer Research, Member

SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS ATTENDED
November 2004 The Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer Research, AACR Special Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 3-7, 2004

February 2004 Targeted Therapies for the Treatment of Lung Cancer Investigators’ Meeting, San Diego, CA, February 19-21, 2004

May 2003 AAI, Immunology 2003, Denver, CO, May 6-10, 2003

April 2002 FASEB, Experimental Biology 2002, New Orleans, LA, April 20-24, 2002

January 2002 Fourth International Symposium on Anti-angiogenic Agents Dallas, TX, January 11-13, 2002

GRANTS FUNDED
2006 Sam Taylor Fellowship Award, Texas Wesleyan University
Grant title: Changes in MMP Expression Following uPAR Crosslinking in NK Cells.

2006 Bass Faculty Development Grant, Texas Wesleyan University
Grant title: Changes in MMP Expression in Human Cancer Cells Following Telomerase Inhibition.

2005 Bass Faculty Development Grant, Texas Wesleyan University
Grant title: Analysis of MMP Regulation by uPAR in NK Cells for the Treatment of Cancer.

INVITED SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS
Breast Cancer Awareness. Resident Program, Texas Wesleyan University, October 18, 2006

Academic Teaching. Quest for Career Seminar Series, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, May 18, 2006

Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR) Interaction and Regulation of Integrins on the Surface of NK Cells. Research Appreciation Day, University of North Texas Health Science Center, April 4, 2003

Modulation of NK Cell Integrins by Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR).
FASEB, Experimental Biology 2002, New Orleans, LA, April 20-24, 2002

Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR) Regulation of Integrins Involved in Natural Killer Cell Extracellular Matrix Degradation and Migration. Research Appreciation Day, University of North Texas Health Science Center, April 5, 2002

ABSTRACTS
Dikmen Z.G., Gellert G.C., Yoon H., Lee Y.B., Dogan P., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. In vivo and in vitro effects of Hif-1a inhibitor, RX0047. FEBS, Budapest, Hungary, July 2-7, 2005.

Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. GRN163L: A Potent Telomerase Inhibitor. The Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer, AACR Special Conference, San Francisco, CA. November 3-7, 2004.

Dikmen Z.G., Gellert G.C., Gryaznov S., Dogan P., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. The In Vitro and In Vivo Effects of the Telomerase Inhibitor, GRN163L. The Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Cancer, AACR Special Conference, San Francisco, CA. November 3-7, 2004.

Richer E., Slavine N., Lewis M.A., Tsyganov E., Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Bhagwandin V., Shay J.W., Mason R.P., Antich P.P. Three Dimensional Light Emission Tomography using Multiple Rotating CCD Cameras. The Third Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Imaging, St. Louis, MO. September 9-12, 2004.

Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Herbert B.-H., DeBrabander J.K., Shay J.W. Effects of a Novel Vacuolar-ATPase Inhibitor as a Potential Chemotherapeutic Agent. Targeted Therapies for the Treatment of Lung Cancer Investigators’ Meeting, San Diego, CA. February 19-21, 2004.

Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Herbert B.-H., DeBrabander J.K., Shay J.W. Effects of a Novel Vacuolar-ATPase Inhibitor as a Potential Chemotherapeutic Agent. 2003 Postdoctoral Symposium and Poster Session, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. December 3, 2003.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR) Signaling and Physical Association with Integrins on the Surface of NK Cells. AAI, Immunology 2003, Denver, CO. May 6-10, 2003.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Modulation of NK Cell Integrins by Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR). FASEB, Experimental Biology 2002, New Orleans, LA. April 20-24, 2002.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Role of Integrins in Modulation of Natural Killer Cell Proteolytic Enzymes in Invasion and Migration. Research Appreciation Day, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX. March 23, 2001.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Integrins Regulate Natural Killer Cell Proteolytic Enzymes in Modulation of Natural Killer Cell Invasion and Migration. Research Appreciation Day, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX. March 29, 2000.

PUBLICATIONS
Dikmen Z.G., Gellert G.C., Dogan P., Yoon H., Lee Y.B., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. Bioluminescence Imaging to Test the Anticancer Effects of a HIF-1alpha Inhibitor, RX0047. 2006. Submitted.

Richer E., Slavine N., Lewis M.A., Tsyganov Z., Shay J.W., Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Mason R.P., Antich P.P. Light Emission Tomography (LET): Visualizing Small Animal Biology in Three-Dimensions. 2006. Nature Biotechnology. Re-submitted, final revisions.

Gellert G.C., Jackson S.R., Dikmen Z.G., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. Telomerase as a Therapeutic Target in Cancer. 2005. Drug Discovery Today: Disease Mechanisms. 2 (2): 159-164.

Gellert G.C., Dikmen Z.G., Wright W.E., Gryaznov S., Shay J.W. Effects of a Novel Telomerase Inhibitor, GRN163L, in Human Breast Cancer. 2005. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 96 (1): 73-81.

Dikmen Z.G., Gellert G.C., Jackson S., Gryaznov S., Tressler R., Dogan P., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. Effects of GRN163L, a Novel Telomerase Inhibitor, on Human Lung Cancer (A549-Luc) Cells. 2005. Cancer Research. 65 (17): 7866-73.

Herbert B.-S., Gellert G.C., Hochreiter A., Pongracz K., Wright W.E., Zielinska D., Chin A.C., Harley C., Shay J.W., Gryaznov S.M. Lipid Modification of GRN163, an N3’_P5’ – thio-Phosphoramidate Oligonucleotide, Enhances the Potency of Telomerase Inhibition. 2005. Oncogene. 24 (33): 5262-8.

Dikmen Z.G., Gellert G., Dogan P., Mason R., Antich P., Richer E., Wright W.E., Shay J.W. A New Diagnostic System in Cancer Research: Bioluminescent Imaging (BLI). 2004. Turkish Journal of Medical Science. 35: 65-70.

Gellert G.C., Goldfarb R.H., Kitson R.P. Physical Association of uPAR with the aV Integrin on the Surface of Human NK Cells. 2003. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 315 (4): 1025-1032.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor Crosslinking in an NK Cell Line Increases Integrin Expression by the MAP Kinase/ERK 1/2 Signaling Pathway. 2003. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 82 (2): 279-288.

Gellert G.C., Kitson R.P., Goldfarb R.H. Modulation of NK Cell Integrins by Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR). 2002. FASEB J. 16: A1212.