Stephen C. Schmechel, M.D., Ph.D.

Contact Information Phone: 612-273-5980 Fax: 612-273-1142 Email: schme004@umn.edu Address: Lab Medicine and Pathology MMC 76 876 420 Delaware St. SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 Clinical Office: Mayo C450 Research Office: 5-134 MCB

Assistant Professor

Areas of Research Strength

Translational genomics and tissue-based molecular methods

Research Techniques Used

• Expression microarrays
• qRT-PCR
• Molecular cloning
• Sequencing
• In situ hybridization
• Laser capture microdissection

Research Interests

I am a new investigator at the University.  As an anatomic pathologist at the medical school, my broad research goals include the application of new discoveries in biomedicine to patients through the application of molecular methods in pathology.

Research in my lab has begun to explore the utility of novel diagnostic and prognostic tests for prostate cancer.  Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous malignancy of men in the United States.  Although prostate cancer is deadly in many men, and in fact is the second most common cause of cancer death in men, prostate cancer follows an indolent course in most patients diagnosed with the disease.  Factors that determine whether prostate cancer will be clinically aggressive or indolent following initial treatment are incompletely understood.  A histologic assessment of the degree of differentiation of tumor cells (tumor grade) is clearly related to patient survival: poorly differentiated tumors typically have a poorer prognosis (leading to death from metastatic disease).  The degree of tumor spread at the time of surgery (tumor stage) is also importantly related to survival.  However, a large group of men have intermediate grade and low stage (contained within the prostate gland) tumors.  These men have variable outcomes:  approximately 75% of such men live without disease progression, whereas approximately 25% will ultimately die of prostate cancer.

The long term goal of my laboratory is to improve prostate cancer prognostics to better characterize the expected clinical outcome for men with intermediate grade, low stage prostate cancer.  We have begun to rigorously examine genetic factors that lead to disease progression and death in men with intermediate grade and low stage cancer.  We are using tissue samples from patients enrolled in ongoing studies and tissues from tissue banks, including the University of Minnesota Tissue Procurement Facility (TPF) tissue bank.  This clinical outcome data will be correlated with gene expression studies.

An immediate goal of the laboratory is to assay prostate prognostic genes, and use this information to develop MRI-based methods to predict tumor aggressiveness based on novel uses of MRI technologies.  We have recently co-authored an NIH R01 grant application (principal investigator:  Dr. Greg Metzger, University of Minnesota Center for Magnetic Resonance Research).  If successful, this project holds the promise of providing crucial information about not only the size and extent of tumor spread, but MRI correlates of the biological aggressiveness of cancer cells comprising tumors.  This MRI-based method would facilitate the selection of “patient tailored” therapy optimized for each patient.

Publications

• Czartoski, T., C. Liu, D.M. Koelle, S. Schmechel, A. Kalus, and A. Wald.  Fulminant, acyclovir-resistant, HSV hepatitis in an immunocompetent woman.  2006.  Journal of Clinical Microbiology 44:1584-1586.
• Smith, J.A., S.C. Schmechel, A. Raghavan, M. Abelson, C. Reilly, M.G. Katze, R.J. Kaufman, P.R. Bohjanen, and L.A. Schiff.  Reovirus infection induces and benefits from the cellular integrated stress reponse.  2006.  Journal of Virology 80:2019-33.
• Smith, J.A., S. Schmechel, B.R.G. Williams, R.H. Silverman, and L.A. Schiff.  Involvement of the interferon-regulated antiviral proteins PKR and RNAseL in reovirus-induced shutoff of cellular translation.  2005.  Journal of Virology 76:7430-43.
• Schmechel, S., R. LeVasseur, K. Yang, and D. Sabath.  Identification of genes whose expression patterns differ in benign lymphoid tissue and follicular, mantle cell, and small lymphocytic lymphoma.  2004.  Leukemia 18:841-855.
• Hladik F., A. Desbien, J. Lang, L. Wang, Y. Ding, S. Holte, A. Wilson, Y. Xu, M. Moerbe, S. Schmechel, M. J. McElrath.  Most highly exposed seronegative men lack HIV-1-specific, IFN-gamma-secreting T cells.  2003.  Journal of Immunology  171:2671-83.
• Golden J.W., J. Linke, S. Schmechel, K. Thoemke, and L.A Schiff.  Addition of exogenous protease facilitates reovirus infection in many restrictive cells.  Journal of Virology 2002. 76:7430-43.
• Schmechel, S.C., N. Russell, F.L. Hladik, J. Lang, A. Wilson, R. Ha, A. Desbien, and M. J. McElrath.  Immune Defense Against HIV-1 Infection in HIV-1-Exposed Seronegative Persons.  2001.  Immunology Letters 79:21-27.
• Gillian AL, S.C. Schmechel, J. Livny, L.A. Schiff, M.L. Nibert. Reovirus protein sigmaNS binds in multiple copies to single-stranded RNA and shares properties with single-stranded DNA binding proteins. 2000. Journal of Virology 74:5939-48.

Review Articles

• McShea, A., A. Kumar, and S. Schmechel.  Custom DNA Microarrays: Powerful Tools in the Development and Implementation of High Throughput Molecular Diagnostics.  2004.  In Vitro Diagnostic Technology March 59.
• Schmechel, S., L. Vontver, M.Kuechle, V. Grieco.  Pemphigus Vulgaris with Cytologic Atypia in Papanicolaou Smears.  2007.  AJCP CheckSample 35:1-15.