Brian Van Ness, PhD

Brian Van Ness, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. He served as the Head of the Department for eight years and stepped down to serve as a co-Director of the Institute of Human Genetics. After receiving a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in chemistry from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA, Dr. Van Ness obtained his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. He conducted his postdoctoral work in molecular immunology with the Institute for Cancer Research in Fox Chase, PA. The research in the Van Ness lab is directed at defining genetic deregulation that contributes to lymphoid malignancies, particularly multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma results from plasma cell expansion in the bone marrow, and unfortunately is very hard to treat. This difficulty comes in part from the variability in genetic and signaling pathways that are deregulated in the plasma cells as well as the cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. The lab is developing cell line models to explore how different genes can influence disease progression and therapeutic response, then applying these results to analysis of patient samples. The goal is to develop gene expression signatures for each tumor that predicts response to a variety of drugs used in treatment of the disease. The lab has been developing single cell analyses to identify sub-populations within tumors that may resist therapy and contribute to relapse. The Van Ness lab is also working on novel therapeutic approaches involving epigenetic modulation to promote therapeutic response. The ultimate goal is to contribute to genetic characterization of patients that will direct individualized therapy.

• cancer genetics
• pharmacogenomics
• individualized medicine

Jang, JS, Li, Y, Mitra, A, Bi, L, Abyzov, A, van Wijnen, AJ, Baughn, LB, Van Ness, B, Rajkumar, V, Kumar, S, and Jen, J. (2019) Molecular signatures of multiple myeloma progression through single cell RNA-seq. Blood Cancer J. 9(1)1038/s41408-018-0160-x.

Harding, T, Baughn, L, Kumar, S, Van Ness, B. (2019) The future of myeloma precision medicine: integrating the compendium of known drug resistance mechanisms with emerging tumor profiling technologies. Leukemia. In press.

Harding, T, Swanson, J, Van Ness, B. (2018) EZH2 inhibitors sensitize myeloma cell lines to panobinostat resulting in unique combinatorial transcriptomic changes. Oncotarget. 9:21930-21942.

Wolf, S Koenig, B…….Van Ness, B and Wilfond, S. (2018) Pragmatic tools for sharing genomic research results with the relatives of living and deceased Research participants. J. Law, Medicine & Ethics. 46:87-109.

Thompson, RM, Dytfeld, D, Reyes, L, Robinson, RM, Smith, B, Maencih, Y, Jakubowiak, A, Przybylowicz-Chalecka, A, Szczepaniak, T, Mitra, A, Van Ness, B, Luczak, M, Dollof, N. (2017) Glutaminase inhibitor CB-839 synergizes with carfilzomib in resistant myeloma cells. Oncotarget. 8(22):35863-35876.

Akre, M, Mitra, A., Wang, W, Myers, C, and Van Ness, B.(2017) Development of expression-based biomarkers of dasatinib response in hematologic malignancies. Blood Cancer J. 7(12):652-657.

Van Ness, B. (2016) Applications and limitations in translating genomics to clinical practice. Translational Res. 168:1-5.

Mitra, A, Mukherjee, U, Jang, J, Harding,T, Stessman, H, Li, Y, Abyzov, A, Jen, J, Kumar, S, Rajkumar, V, Van Ness, B. (2016) Single-cell analysis of targeted transcriptome (SCATTome) predicts drug sensitivity of single cells within human myeloma tumors. Leukemia. 30(5):1094-10102.

Rabellino,A, Melegari, M, Tompkins, VS, Chen, W, Van Ness, BG, TGeruya-Feldstein J. Conacci-Sorrell, M, Janz, S, Scaglioni, PP. (2016) PIAS1 promotes lymphomagenesis through MYC upregulation. Cell Rep. 15:2266-2278.

Baughn, LB, Mitra, A, Van Ness, BG, Noble-Orcutt, K, Sachs, Z, Linden, M. (2016) Phenotypic and functional characterization of a bortezomib resistant multiple myeloma cell line by flow and mass cytometry. Leuk Lymphoma 16:1-10.

Mitra, A, Dodge, J, Van Ness, J, Sokeye, I, and Van Ness, B. (2016) A de novo splice site mutation in EHMT1 resulting in Kleefstra Syndrome with pharmacogenomics screening and behavior therapy for regressive behaviors. Mol Gen & Genomic Med. 5:130-140.

Mitra, AK, Harding, T, Muherjee UK, Jang, JS, Li, Y, HongZen, R, Jen, J, Sonneveld, P, Kumar, S, Kuehl WM, Rajkumar, V, Van Ness, B. (2017) A gene expression signature distinguishes innate response and resistance to proteasome inhibitors in multiple myeloma. Blood Cancer J 7:e581

Thompson, RM, Dytfeld, D, Reyes, L, Robinson, RM, Smith, B, Maencih, Y, Jakubowiak, A, Przybylowicz-Chalecka, A, Szczepaniak, T, Mitra, A, Van Ness, B, Luczak, M, Dollof, N. (2017) Glutaminase inhibitor CB-839 synergizes with carfilzomib in resistant myeloma cells. Oncotarget. 8:35863-35876.

Petersen, GM and Van Ness, B. (2015) Returning a research participant’s genomic results to relatives: Perspectives from mangers of two distinct research biobanks. J Law, Medicine & Ethics, In press.

Van Ness, B. (2015) Applications and limitations in translating genomics to clinical practice. Translational Res. In press.

Fall , D, Stessman, H, Patel, S S, Sachs, Z, Van Ness BG, Baughn LB, Linden, MA. (2014) Utilization of translational bioinformatics to identify novel biomarkers of bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma. J of Cancer. 5:720-727.

Stessman, H, Lulla, A, Xia, T, Mitra, A, Harding, T, Mansoor, A, Myers, C, Van Ness, B*, Dolloff, N* (*Co-senior corresponding authors) (2014) High throughput drug screening identifies compounds and molecular strategies for targeting proteasome inhibitor resistant multiple myeloma. Leukemia. 28:2263-2267

Mitra, A, Stessman, H, Shaughnessy, J, and Van Ness, B (2014) Profiling bortezomib resistance in multiple myeloma: implications in personalized pharmacotherapy. In Resistance to Proteasome Inhibitors in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Reversal Strategies. (Ping Dou, ed., Springer publisher.)

Stessman, H, Mansoor, BS, Zhan, F, Janz, S, Lindens, MA, *Baughn LB, *Van Ness, B. (2013) Reduced CXCR4 expression is associated with extramedullary disease in a mouse model of myeloma and predicts poor survival in multiple myeloma patients treated with bortezomib. (*co-corresponding authors) Leukemia. 27:2075-2077. PMID: 23728080

Stessman, H, Mansoor, Zhan, F, A, Linden, M, *Van Ness, B, *Baughn, L (2013). Bortezomib resistance can be reversed by induced expression of plasma cell maturation markers in a mouse in vitro model of multiple myeloma. ß. PLOS One. 8(10):e77608. (*co-corresponding authors) PMID: 24204892

Stessman, H, Baughn, L, Sarver, A, Xia, T, Deshpande, R, Mansoor, A, Linden, M, Wu, T, Zhan, F, Janz, S, Meyers, C, Van Ness, B. (2013). Profiling bortezomib resistance and identification of secondary therapies in a mouse myeloma model. Molecular Cancer Therap. 12:1140-1150. PMID: 23536725