Christine Campo Alewine is an American oncologist and biologist researching

immunotoxin An immunotoxin is an artificial protein consisting of a targeting portion linked to a toxin. When the protein binds to that cell, it is taken in through endocytosis, and the toxin kills the cell. They are used for the treatment of some kinds of c ...

therapeutics in

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. She is an investigator at the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

Education

Campo completed a B.A. in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

Asian studies Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. In college, she interned under chemist

Karen Wetterhahn Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn (October 16, 1948 – June 8, 1997), also known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, was an American professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, who specialized in toxic metal exposure. She died of mercury ...

focusing on the environmental effects of toxic metals. It was in this lab that Alewine was introduced to

MD–PhD The Doctor of Medicine–Doctor of Philosophy (MD–PhD) is a dual doctoral program for physician–scientists, combining the professional training of the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree with the research program of the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph ...

programs and became interested in becoming a

physician-scientist A physician-scientist (in North American English) or clinician-scientist (in British English and Australian English) is a physician who divides their professional time between direct clinical practice with patients and scientific research. Physicia ...

. She completed a

postbaccalaureate program Postbaccalaureate programs (post-bacc) are reserved for students who are working toward a second entry degree. These programs are offered for those who already have a first undergraduate degree. Post Baccalaureate programs are not considered trad ...

at the

's laboratory of pathology from 1998 to 1999. Campo earned a M.D. and Ph.D. from the

University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and ...

. Her dissertation in 2006 was titled, ''PDZ protein regulation of Kir 2.3''. She completed

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

residency in the Osler Medical Training Program at

Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...

followed by clinical fellowship in

medical oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

at NCI.

Career and research

She joined NCI's laboratory of

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

as an assistant clinical investigator through the support of the clinical investigator development program in 2014 and became a tenure-track investigator through the

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Lasker Scholar program in 2016. Alewine researches the use of

therapeutics in

. Her lab and clinic are testing and refining two recombinant immunotoxins that target a protein called

mesothelin Mesothelin, also known as MSLN, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MSLN'' gene. Function Mesothelin is a 40 kDa protein that is expressed in mesothelial cells. The protein was first identified by its reactivity with monoclonal an ...

that is present on the surface of several types of cancer

tumor cells A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

, including pancreatic, ovarian, and some lung cancers.

Personal life

Alewine is married and has two daughters.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alewine, Christine Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Dartmouth College alumni University of Maryland School of Medicine alumni National Institutes of Health people American oncologists American women oncologists American women biologists American medical researchers American women medical researchers 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American biologists 21st-century American women civil servants