Regina M. Santella, PhD

  • Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
  • Interim Chair, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Profile Headshot

Overview

Dr. Regina Santella's research involves the use of biomarkers for the detection of human exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens in molecular epidemiology studies to identify causative factors, susceptible populations, and preventive interventions. Her work has allowed the determination of exposure to carcinogens by the measurement of their binding to DNA with highly specific and sensitive immunoassays using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that her laboratory has developed. These studies have demonstrated higher levels of DNA damage in those with environmental or occupational exposures and in subjects with breast, lung, and liver cancer compared to controls. The role of genetic susceptibility in cancer risk is also being investigated with an emphasis on DNA repair capacity.  Current studies seek to understand the role of environmental/lifestyle factors on epigenetic changes in DNA methylation and microRNA expression, how they impact cancer risk as well as whether epigenetic changes can be used for early diagnosis of cancer.

Office Location: 630 West 168th Street, VP&S Room 16-410

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
  • Interim Chair, Department of Environmental Health Sciences

Administrative Titles

  • Co-Director Translational Research Support Core, Columbia Center for Environmental Health and Justice in Northern Manhattan
  • Director Biomarkers Shared Resources, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • BS, 1969 Brooklyn College
  • MS, 1971 Organic Chemistry, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
  • PhD, 1976 Biochemistry, City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center

Committees, Societies, Councils

Member, American Association for Cancer Research

Member, American Chemical Society

Member, Sigma Xi

Research

Understanding environmental and genetic factors influencing cancer risk will lead to prevention.

Research Interests

  • Chronic disease
  • Environmental Health
  • Genetics

Selected Publications

Everson RB, Randerath E, Santella RM, Cefalo RC, Avitts TA, and Randerath K.Detection of smoking related covalent DNA adducts in human placenta, Science, 231, 54-57, 1986.

Perera FP, Hemminki K, Grzybowska E, Motykiewicz G, Michalska J, Santella RM, Young TL, Dickey, C, Brandt-Rauf P, DeVivo I, Blaner W, Tsai WY, Chorazy M.Molecular damage from environmental pollution in Poland.Nature 360, 256-158, 1992

Perera F, Mayer J, Jaretzki A, Hearne S, Brenner D, Young TL, Fischman H, Grimes M, Grantham S, Tang MX, Tsai W-Y, Santella RM.Comparison of DNA adducts and sister chromatid exchange in lung cancer cases and controls, Cancer Res., 49, 4446-4451, 1989

Gammon MD, Sagiv SK, Eng SM, Shantakumar S., Gaudet MM, Teitelbaum SL, Britton JA, Terry MB, Wang LW,Qiao Q., Stellman SD, Beyea J, Hatch M, Kabat GC, Wolff MS, Levin B, Neugut AI, and Santella RM. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-DNA adducts and breast cancer: a pooled analysis. Arch. Environ. Health 59, 640-649, 2004. PMC4277204

Rossner P, Gammon MD, Terry MB, Agrawal M, Zhang FF, Teitelbaum SL, Eng SM, Gaudet MM,Neugut AI, and Santella RM. Relationship between urinary 15-F2t-isoprostane and 8-oxodeoxyguanosine levels and breast cancer risk.Cancer Epi. Biomarkers & Prevention 15, 639-44, 2006

Cho YH, Shen J, Gammon MD, Zhang YJ, Wang Q, Gonzalez K, Xu X, Bradshaw PT, Teitelbaum SL, Garbowski G, Hibshoosh H, Neugut AI, Chen J, Santella RM.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 131(1):197-205, 2012 PMC3576848

Parada H Jr, Steck SE, Bradshaw PT, Engel LS, Conway K, Teitelbaum SL, Neugut AI, Santella RM, Gammon MD. Grilled, Barbecued, and Smoked Meat Intake and Survival Following Breast Cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2017 Jan 5;109(6). pii: djw299. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djw299.PMID:28052933. PMC5214623.

Wu HC, Wang Q, Yang HI, Ahsan H, Tsai WY, Wang LY, Chen SY, Chen CJ, and Santella RM. Aflatoxin B1 exposure, hepatitis B virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 18, 846-853, 2009; PMC3535829

Zhang YJ, Wu H-C, Shen J, Ahsan H, Tsai WY, Yang HI, Wang LY, Chen SY, Chen CJ, and Santella RM. Predicting hepatocellular carcinoma by detection of aberrant promoter methylation in serum DNA. Clinical Cancer Research 13, 2378-2384, 2007.

Wu HC, Wang Q, Yang HI, Tsai WY, Chen CJ, . Global DNA methylation levels in white blood cells as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a nested case-control study Carcinogenesis. 33, 1340-1345, 2012 PMC3499052

Kennedy, D.O., Agrawal, M., Shen, J., Terry, M.B., Zhang, F.F., Senie, R.T., Motykiewicz, G., and Santella, R.M. DNA repair capacity of lymphoblastoid cell lines from sisters discordant for breast cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 97, 127-132, 2005.

Machella, N., Terry, M.B., Zipprich, J., Gurvich, I., Liao, Y., Senie, R.T., Kennedy, D.O. and Santella, R.M. Double strand breaks repair in lymphoblastoid cell lines from sisters discordant for breast cancer. Carcinogenesis 29, 1367-1372, 2008; PMC2899852

Wu HC, Shen J, Siegel A, Santella RM. Environmental exposure and clinical correlates of hepatocellular carcinoma in New York City: a case only study. Cancer Causes Control. 2022 Jan;33(1):153-159. doi: 10.1007/s10552-021-01494-2. Epub 2021 Sep 8. PMID: 34498221; PMCID: PMC8786455.

Yoon AJ, Santella RM, Wang S, Kutler DI, Carvajal RD, Philipone E, Wang T, Peters SM, Stewart CR, Momen-Heravi F, Troob S, Levin M, AkhavanAghdam Z, Shackelford AJ, Canterbury CR, Shimonosono M, Hernandez BY, McDowell BD, Nakagawa H. MicroRNA-based cancer mortality risk scoring system and hTERT expression in early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma. J Oncol 2021. doi.org/10.1155/2020/8292453.

Yoon AJ, Wang S, Kutler DI, Carvajal RD, Philipone E, Wang T, Peters SM, LaRoche D, Hernandez BY, McDowell BD, Stewart CR, Momen-Heravi F, Santella RM MicroRNA-based risk scoring system to identify early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma patients at high-risk for cancer-specific mortality. Head Neck. 2020; 42:1699-1712.1002/hed.26089. doi:10.1002/hed. PMID: 31981257

Wu HC, Do C, Andrulis IL, John EM, Daly MB, Buys SS, Chung WK, Knight JA, Bradbury AR, Keegan THM, Schwartz L, Krupska I, Miller RL, Santella RM, Tycko B, Terry MB. Breast Cancer Family History and Allele-Specific DNA Methylation in the Legacy Girls Study. Epigenetics. 2018 Feb 13:1-23. doi: 10.1080/15592294.2018.1435243. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:29436922

Chu YJ, Yang HI, Wu HC, Liu J, Wang LY, Lu SN, Lee MH, Jen CL, You SL, Santella RM, Chen CJ. Aflatoxin B1 exposure increases the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. Int J Cancer. 2017 Aug 15;141(4):711-720. doi: 10.1002/ijc.30782. Epub 2017 May 26. PMID:28509392

Shen J, LeFave C, Sirosh I, Siegel AB, Tycko B, Santella RM. Integrative epigenomic and genomic filtering for methylation markers in hepatocellular carcinomas. BMC Med Genomics. 2015 Jun 10;8(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s12920-015-0105-1. PMCID:PMC4460673

Shen J, Wang S, Zhang YJ, Kappil M, Wu HC, Kibriya MG, Wang Q, Jasmine F, Ahsan H, Lee PH, Yu MW, Chen CJ, Santella RM Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in hepatocellular carcinoma Hepatology 55 1799-1808 2012

Zhang, Y-J., Wu, H-C., Shen, J., Ahsan, H., Tsai, W.Y., Yang, H.I., Wang, L.Y., Chen, S.Y., Chen, C.J. and Santella, R.M. Predicting hepatocellular carcinoma by detection of aberrant promoter methylation in serum DNA. Clinical Cancer Research 13 2378-2384 2007

Rossner, P., Gammon, M.D., Terry, M.B., Agrawal, M., Zhang, F.F., Teitelbaum, S.L., Eng, S.M., Gaudet, M.M., Neugut, A. I., and Santella, R.M. Relationship between urinary 15-F2t-isoprostane and 8-oxodeoxyguanosine levels and breast cancer risk Cancer Epi. Biomarkers & Prevention 15 639-44 2006

Kennedy, D.O., Agrawal, M., Shen, J., Terry, M.B., Zhang, F.F., Senie, R.T., Motykiewicz, G., and Santella, R.M. DNA repair capacity of lymphoblastoid cell lines from sisters discordant for breast cancer Journal of the National Cancer Institute 97 127-132 2005