Our Research is Made Possible by
Esther A. Peterson Peguero, Ph.D
Principal InvestigatorBIOGRAPHY
Dr. Peterson, born and raised in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, has 15 years of experience in cell biology, molecular biology, and cancer biology with a focus on breast cancer. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. After graduation, she pursued graduate studies at the prestigious University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, from where she graduated with a doctorate with a specialty in Human Genetics. She then wanted to focus on signaling pathways associated with breast cancer and transferred to Albert Einstein College of Medicine for postgraduate training. Her dream was always to return to her alma mater, the University of Puerto Rico, and contribute to breast cancer research. In 2016, her dream became a reality. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at UPR-Río Piedras.
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PIONEER
Characterization of the role of SEPTIN9 in genomic instability and its relevance in cancer
ACHIEVEMENTS
NIH-R21 grant and two FIPI application awards
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WHY INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER?
Dr. Peterson has worked in the field of cancer research since her inception as a graduate student. During her post-doctorate, she gained additional experience using three-dimensional cell culture models, tumor microenvironment, and mouse models to address important questions about the molecular mechanism of breast cancer development and progression. She decided to study Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) given the high mortality rate compared to other subtypes of breast cancer.
Graduate Students
Gabriel Acevedo, B.S. |
Rose Neijchma Verly, M.D. |
Undergraduate Students
Dalissa Negrón FigueroaCellular-Molecular Biology
RISE Program Targeting estrogen non-genomic signaling in a three-dimensional (3D) in vitro model of Inflammatory Breast Cancer [email protected] |
Ayeisha N. Colón OrtizCellular-Molecular Biology
RISE Program Understanding the effects of coumestrol through the upregulation of TIPARP in TN-IBC [email protected] |
Jesus M. Rosario RiveraCellular-Molecular Biology
Determining the active role of SEPT9_v1 in Inflammatory Breast Cancer [email protected] |
Adrián J. Rivera LópezCellular-Molecular Biology
The potential role of ERα36 in the estrogen signaling in TN-IBC [email protected] |
Verónica Fuxa Rey |
Yuliana Diaz |
Mayra S. Haedo CruzCellular-Molecular Biology
ID GeNe Program Gene Knockdown of the BNC1 Gene on Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells via siRNA [email protected] |
Bibiana Torres ColónCellular-Molecular Biology with a Minor in Italian Modern Languages
ID GeNe Program Understanding the effects of coumestrol through the upregulation of TIPARP in TN-IBC [email protected] |
Gabriela Severino MoralesLuz B. Rivera Agosto |
Past Mentored Students
Dr. Kimberleve Rolón
Fernando Rivera Gabriela Martínez Amanda Agosto José Cirino Gabriel Figueroa Lizvette Hernández Katixa Montañéz Sila Avilés Daniella Santos Laura Díaz Juan Mercado Itzaira Mercado José Rivera Noraliz Rivera Ambar Sólivan Iancarlos Jiménez Jeisac Guzmán Orlando Colón Samantha Musso Emilia Driscoll Keishla Rodriguez Alexie Molina Madeline Ganshert Laura Benitez Carlos Morales Xavier Bittman |
Postdoctoral Associate
Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student REU Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Undergraduate Student Volunteer Student REU Student IQ BIOREU Student Graduate Student Undergraduate Student REU Student REU Student Master's Student Graduate Student |