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Faculty Detail    
Name WILLIAM E GRIZZLE
Professor of Pathology
Head, Pathology Program for Translational Research in Neoplasia
Director, Tissue Collection and Banking Facility
Senior Scientist, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, Center for Aging, Metabolic Bone Disease Research Center, Cystic Fibrosis Center
Senior Editor, Clinical Cancer Research
 
Campus Address ZRB 426 Zip 0007
Phone  (205) 934-4214
E-mail  wgrizzle@uabmc.edu
Other websites Tissue Collection and Banking Facility
     

Education
Undergraduate  Harvard University    1965  A.B. Chemistry and Physics 
Graduate  Johns Hopkins University    1975  Ph.D. in Biophysics 
Medical School  Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine    1977  M.D. 
Residency  Vanderbilt University    1979  Anatomic Pathology 
Residency  University of Alabama at Birmingham    1981  Clinical Pathology 

Certifications
American Board of Pathology, Anatomical and Clinical, Diplomate  1982 


Faculty Appointment(s)
Appointment Type Department Division Rank
Primary  Clinical Pathology  Anatomic Pathology Professor
Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center  Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor

Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations
Integrative Biomedical Sciences 
Molecular and Cellular Pathology Program 

Biographical Sketch 
After graduating from Harvard (AB - Honors, 1966), I served in the US Navy in the Division of Naval Reactors/Atomic Energy Commission. Subsequently, I completed a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and then completed medical school at JHU. Since 1981, I have been on the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with a primary appointment in the Department of Pathology and a secondary appointment in the Department of Surgery. My career at UAB has involved teaching (medical students, pre-doctoral students and primarily post-doctoral students and faculty), research, and service in anatomic pathology (surgical pathology, cytopathology, and autopsy pathology)and clinical pathology (endocrinology and in clinical chemistry). I headed autopsy pathology from 1990-2000 and then became the head of the Program in Translational Research in Pathology (2000-current). I became head of the UAB Tissue Collection and Banking Facility in 1983. I am a founding member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER). Subsequently, I became a member of the ISBER Board of Directors and President of ISBER and have received the ISBER 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Biobanking Award and in 2019, the ISBER Founder’s Award. I have also been a member of the Biological Stain Commission (BSC) since 1992. I served as vice-president of the BSC 1996-2000 and President 2000-2004. I have been a trustee of the BSC (1993-2017) and became Trustee Emeritus in 2017.

Society Memberships
Organization Name Position Held Org Link
Alabama Society for Histotechnology (ASH)  Honorary  http://www.biologydir.com/alabama-society-for-histotechnology-info-40457.html 
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)  Editorial Board, Clinical Cancer Research  http://www.aacr.org/ 
Biological Stain Commission (BSC)  Former Vice-President, Former President, Former Trustee, Trustee Emeritus, Editorial Board, Biotechnic and Histochemistry  https://biologicalstaincommission.org/ 
College of American Pathologists (CAP)  Former Elected Member  http://www.cap.org/ 
Endocrine Society  Former Elected Member  https://www.endocrine.org/ 
International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER)  Former President, Former Member of the Board of Directors, Member of Publications and Science Policy Committees, 2015 ISBER Outstanding Achievements in Biobanking Award, 2019 ISBER Founder Award, Editorial Board, Biopreservation and Biobanking  http://www.isber.org/ 



Research/Clinical Interest
Title
Biomarkers; Anatomic and Clinical Pathology; Tissue Resources; Immunomodulation of Cancer and Exosomes; Post-transcriptional Processing; Non-coding RNAs; Epigenetics of Cancer; Molecular Imaging
Description
Our laboratory has worked to increase the understanding of molecular features of epithelial cancers including prostate, pancreas, mammary, colorectal and ovarian carcinomas as well as squamous cell lesions of oral cavity, lung, and skin. Our goal has been to identify biomarkers associated either with early pre-invasive neoplastic lesions or with advanced stage malignant lesions, especially metastatic lesions. Of special interest are biomarkers that can be used to aid in determining diagnosis, prognosis, and risk assessment. Also, we collaborate to improve the biomathematic/statistical approaches to evaluating biomarkers and multiplex methods of analysis and on the identification of how bias in collecting, processing, and storing tissue samples may affect multiplex assays. Racial disparities in cancer research are a major interest and we have evaluated racial differences in biomarkers. Thus, in general, our studies can be described as the molecular epidemiology of specific epithelial neoplasias. New interests include characterizations of the molecules involved in mitosis and cilia, especially proteins of the centriole and centrosome, post-transcriptional processing (e.g., microRNA and IRES), exosomes, and genes controlling metastasis (e.g., KISS). Recent studies with Dr. Lacey McNally have been on molecular imaging using multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) and the correlation of MSOT signals with tissue morphology. For the last three decades we have provided human tissues to support the research of biomedical investigators throughout North America and internationally. In this effort, sponsored primarily by the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN), the Pulmonary Hypertension Breakthrough Initiative (PHBI), and Specialized Programs in Research Excellence (SPORE) in breast, pancreas and ovary, we have introduced to biorepositories the utilization of quality control of the specific tissues provided for research. We also have been involved in database development and biorepository sciences. With respect to biorepository sciences, we have published on how different types of fixation of tissues interact with the stages of tissue processing to affect immunorecognition and other molecular assays and the effects of long-term storage on immunorecognition. Biorepository sciences continue as a long-term interest.

Selected Publications 
Publication PUBMEDID
Davis M, Tripathi S, Hughley R, He Q, Bae S, Karanam B, Martini R, Newman L, Colomb W, Grizzle W, Yates C. AR negative triple negative or “quadruple negative” breast cancers in African American women have an enriched basal and immune signature. PLOS One 13(6): e0196909. June 18, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196909. PMCID:PMC6005569.  PMC6005569 
Vaklavas C, Zinn K, Samuel S, Meng Z, Grizzle W, Choio H, Blume S. Translational control of the undifferentiated phenotype in ER-positive breast tumor cells: cytoplasmic localization of ER-alpha and impact of IRES inhibition. Oncology Reports 2018;39(6);2482-2498.    
Abisoye-Ogunniyan A, Lin H, Ghebremedhin A, Salam A, Karanam B, Theodore S, Jones-Trich J, Davis M, Grizzle W, Wang H, Yates C. Transcriptional Repressor Kaiso Promotes Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and metastasis in prostate cancer through direct regulation of miR-200c. Cancer Lett. 2018 May 8. pii: S0304-3835(18)30319-7. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.04.044. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:29751044    
Astrin JJ, Baker S, Barker K, Barr tj, Bartels P, Benson E, Berents P, Butler C, Cada M, Campbell LD, Campos AH, Carpentieri D, Carter C, Castelhano M, Clement O, Coppola D, De Souza Y, Dröge G, Estrada O, Fearn P, Feil K, Garcia D, Giri J, Grizzle WE, Groover K, Guevarra DM, Harding K, Henderson MJ, Huddleston DJ, Huppertz B, Jakubczak J, Joseph L, Kaercher E, Kessler J, Larson C, Loud S, Lyal C, Mackenzie-Dodds J, Maynor H, McCall S, McCluskey K, Meagher K, Michels C, Miranda L, Muller-Cohn J, Muller R, Mullins PF, O’Sullivan J, Palomo FJG, Patel AA, Petersen G, Pitt K, Potapova O, Pugh R, Radio PR, Ravid R, Rawley-Payne M, Revelez M, Robb J, Roehri M, Sanjur C, Schlief W, Seberg O, Sexton K, Shao W, Silva RLA, Skubitz A, Somiari S, Tsuruyama T, van der Horst F, Welch G, Zaayenga A, Zimkus BM. Best practices for repositories: Collection, storage, retrieval, and distribution of biological materials for research. Fourth Edition. Biopreservation and Biobanking 2018;1-103.   
Bledsoe MJ, Russell-Einhorn MK, Grizzle WE. Shifting sands: the complexities and uncertainties of the evolving US regulatory, policy, and scientific landscape for biospecimen research, Diagnostic Histopathology. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpdhp.2017.09.004   
Demark-Wahnefried W, Rais-Bahrami S, Desmond RA, Gordetsky JB, Hunter GR, Azrad M, Frugé AD, Nix JW, Sudarshan S, Tsuruta Y, Tully SA, Segal R, Chacko B, Grizzle WE. Presurgical weight loss affects tumour traits and circulating biomarkers in men with prostate cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 2017;117(9):1303-1313.  5672928 
Bhutiani N, Grizzle WE, Galandiuk S, Otali D, Dryden GW, Egilmez NK, McNally LR. Non-invasive Imaging of Colitis using Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography.J Nucl Med 2017;58(6):1009-1012  27908970 
Van Neste L, Groskopf J, Grizzle WE, Adams, GW, DeGuenther MS, Kolettis PN, Bryant JE, Kearney GP, Kearney P, Van Crieking W, Gaston S. Epigenetic risk score improves prostate cancer risk assessment. The Prostate. 2017;77(12):1259-1264 PMID: 28762545   
Zhang HG, Grizzle WE. Exosomes: a novel pathway of local and distant intercellular communication that facilitate the growth and metastasis of neoplastic lesions. Am J Pathol 2014;184(1):28-41.  38733490 
Li N, Lee K, Zhu B, Gary BD, Ramirez-Alcantara V, Gurpinar E, Canzoneri JC, Fajardo A, Sigler S, Piazza JT, Chen X, Andrews J, Thomas M, Lu W, Li Y, Laan DJ, Moyer MP, Russo S, Eberhardt BT, Yet L, Keeton AB, Grizzle WE, Piazza GA. Phosphodiesterase 10A: a novel target for selective inhibition of colon tumor cell growth and β-catenin-dependent TCF transcriptional activity. Oncogene 2015; 19;34(12):1499-509 doi: 10.1038/onc.2014.94. Epub 2014 Apr 7 PMCID:PMC4212019  PMC4212019 
Grizzle WE, Otali D, Sexton KC, Atherton DS. Effects of Cold Ischemia on Gene Expression: A Review and Commentary. Biopreserv Biobank. 2016;14(6):548-558   PMC27551929 
Zhang H-G, Grizzle WE. Exosomes and Cancer: A newly described pathway of immune suppression. Clin Can Res 2011;17(5):959-64   PMC3155407 
Ottman R, Levy J, Grizzle WE, Chakrabarti R. The other face of miR-17-92a cluster, exhibiting tumor suppressor effects in prostate cancer. Oncotarget 2016;7(45):73739-73753  PMC27650639 
Vaklavas C, Grizzle W, Choi H, Meng Z, Zinn K, Shrestha K, Blume SW. IRES inhibition induces terminal differentiation and synchronized death in triple-negative breast cancer and glioblastoma cells. Tumour Biol 2016;37(10):13247-13264  PMC27460074 
Forero A, Li Y, Chen D, Grizzle WE, Updike KL, Merz ND, Downs-Kelly E, Burwell TC, Vaklavas C, Buchsbaum DJ, Myers RM, LoBuglio AF, Varley KE. Expression of the MHC class II pathway in triple-negative breast cancer tumor cells is associated with a good prognosis and infiltrating lymphocytes. Cancer Immunol Res 2016 May;4(5):390-9  PMC26980599 
Zeiderman M, Morgan D, Christein J, Grizzle WE, McMasters K, McNally L. Acidic pH-targeted chitosan capped mesoporous silica coated gold nanorods facilitate detection of pancreatic tumors via multispectral optoacoustic tomography. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 2016;2(7):1108-1120   
Schultz MJ, Holdbrooks At, Chakraborty A, Grizzle WE, Landen Jr, CN, Buchsbaum DJ, Conner MG, Arend RC, Yoon K, Klug CA, Bullard DC, Kesterson RA, Oliver PG, O’Connor AK, Yoder BK, Bellis SL. The tumor-associated glycosyltransferase ST6Gal-I regulates stem cell transcription facors and confers a cancer stem cell phenotype. Cancer Res. 2016;76(13):3978-88   PMC27216178 
McNally LR, Mezera M, Morgan DE, Frederick PJ Yang ES, Eltoum I-E, Grizzle WE. Current and emerging clinical applications of multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) in oncolocy. Clinical Cancer Research 2016;22(14):3432-9  PMC27208064 
Kirby MK, Ramaker R, Gertz J, Davis NS, Johnston BE, Oliver PG, Sexton KC, Christein JD, Heslin MJ, Posey JA, Grizzle WE, Green EW, Vickers SM, Buchsbaum DJ, Cooper SJ, Myers RM. RNA sequencing of pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumors yields novel expression patterns associated with long-term survival and reveals a role for ANGPTL4. Molecular Oncology 2016;10(8):1169-82  PMC27282075 
Stanley J, Klepczyk L, Keene K, Wei S, Li Y, Forero A, Grizzle W, Wielgos M, Brazelton J, LoBuglio AF, Yang ES. PARP1 and phosphor-p65 protein expression is increased in human HER2-positive breast cancers. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2015; 150(3):569-79  25833211 
Forero-Torres A, Varley KE, Abramson VG, Li Y, Vaklavas C, Lin NU, Liu MC, Rugo HS, Nanda R, Storniolo AM, Traina TA, Patil S, Hayes DF, Van Poznak CH, Nangia JR, Irvin Jr WJ, Krontiras H, De Los Santos JF, Haluska P, Grizzle W, Meyers RM, Wolff AC. TBCRC 019: phase II trial of nab-PAC with/without the anti-death receptor 5 monoclonal antibody tigatuzumab in patients with triple negative breast cancer. Clin Can Res 2015; 21(12):2722-9  PMC25779953 
Yin W, Kimbrough Cw, Gomez-Gutierrez JG, Burns CT, CHuong P, Grizzle WE, McNally LR. Tumor specific liposomes improve detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in vivo using optoacoustic tomography. J Nanobiotechnol 2015;13(1):90  PMC26627455 
Vaklavas C, Meng Z, Choi H, Grizzle WE, Zinn KR, Blume SW. Small molecule inhibitors of IRES-mediated translation. Cancer Biol Ther 2015;16(10);1471-1485  26177060 
Kimbrough CW, Khanal A, Zeiderman M, Khanal BR, Burton NC, McMasters KM, Vickers S, Grizzle WE, McNally LR. Targeting acidity in pancreatic adenocarcinoma: multispectral optoacoustic tomography detects pH-low insertion peptide probes in vivo. Clin Can Res 2015 Oct 15:21(20):4576-85. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-15-0314   PMC26124201 
Devine DJ, Rostas JW, Metge BJ, Das S, Mulekar MS, Tucker JA, Grizzle WE, Buchsbaum KJ, Shevde LA, Samant RS. Loss of N-Myc interactor promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition by activiation of TGF-β/SMAD signaling. Oncogene 2014; 33(20):2620-8  PMC23770854 
Li H, Hsu HC, Wu Q, Yang P, Li J, Oukka M, Steele CH, Cua DJ, Grizzle WE, Mountz JD. IL-23 promotes TCR-mediated negative selection of thymocytes through the upregulation of IL-23 receptor and RORγt. Nature Comm 2014; 8(5):4259  PMC25001511 
Varley KE, Gertz J, Roberts BS, Davis NS, Bowling KM, Kirby MK, Nesmith AS, Oliver PG, Grizzle WE, Forero A, Buchsbaum DJ, LoBuglio AF, Myers RM. Recurrent read-through fusion transcripts in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2014; 146(2):287-97  24929677 
Birket SE, Chu KK, Liu L, Houser GH, Diephuis BJ, Wilsterman EJ, Dierksen G, Mazur M, Shastry S, Li Y, Watson JD, Smith AT, Schuster BS, Hanes J, Grizzle WE, Sorscher EJ, Tearney GJ, Rowe SM. A functional anatomic defect of the cystic fibrosis airway. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014;190(4):421-32  PMC25029666 
Gurpinar E, Grizzle WE, Shacka JJ, Mader B, Li N, Piazza NA, Russo S, Keeton AB, Piazza GA. A novel sulindac derivative inhibits lung adenocarcinoma cell growth through suppression of Akt/mTOR signaling and induction of autophagy. Molecular Cancer Ther 2013;12(5):63-74.  PMC23443799 
Deng ZB, Zhuang X, Ju S, Xiang X, Mu J, Liu Y, Jiang H, Zhang L, Mobley J, McClain C, Feng W, Grizzle W, Yan J, Miller D, Dronenberg M, Zhang HG. Exosome-like nanoparticles from intestinal mucosal cells carry prostaglandin E2 and suppress activation of liver NKT cells. J Immunol 2013; 90(7):3579-89  PMC27207807 
Grizzle WE, Srivastava S, Manne U. Translational Pathology of Cancer. In: Translational Pathology of Early Cancer. (Eds. S. Srivastava, WE Grizzle) IOS Press BV, Amsterdam. 2012;7-20   
Grizzle WE, Bell WC, Sexton KC. Issues in collecting, processing and storing human tissues and associated information to support biomedical research. In: Translational Pathology of Early Cancer. (Eds. S Srivastava, WE Grizzle), IOS Press BV, Amsterdam. 2012;531-549   
Katayama H, Wang J, Treekitkarnmongkol W, Kawai H, Sasai K, Zhang H, Wang H, Adams HP, Jiang S, Chakratory SN, Suzuki F, Arlinghaus RB, Liu J, Mobley JA, Grizzle WE, Wang H, Sen S. Aurora Kinase-A inactivates DNA damage induced apoptosis and spindle assembly checkpoint response functions of p73. Cancer Cell 2012;21(2):196-211  PMC22340593 
Singh AP, Arora S, Bhardwaj A, Srivastava SK, Kadakia MP, Wang B, Grizzle WE, Owen LB, Singh S. CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling axis induces SHH expression in pancreatic cancer cells via ERK- and Akt- mediated activation of NF=κB: implications for bidirectional tumor-stromal interactions. J Biological Chem 2012;287(46):39115-24  PMC22995914 
Srivastava SK, Bhardwaj A, Singh S, Arora S, McClellan S, Grizzle WE, Reeed E, Singh AP. Mb overexpression overrides androgen depletion-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells, and confers aggressive malignant traits: potential role in castration resistance. Carcinogenesis 2012;33(6):1149-57  PMC22431717 

Keywords
epithelial cancers, proteomics, biomarkers, molecular imaging, molecular staging, immune modulation, post-transcriptional processing, microRNA, metastases, extracellular vesicles, exosomes, centrosomal & centriolar proteins, biorepositories, MSOT