Amy Patrice Norden Skubitz is an American immunologist. At the University of Minnesota, Skubitz and her research team at the Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program used new technology to test patients blood, leading to numerous findings.
Amy Skubitz | |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Keith Skubitz |
| Academic background | |
| Education | BSc, Biochmeistry, 1980, University of Maryland, College Park PhD, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 1984, Johns Hopkins University |
| Thesis | Identification and characterization of immunogenic schistosoma glycoproteins that are species-specific, stage-specific, or react with sera from hosts infected with other parasites (1984) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Minnesota Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance |
Early life and education edit
Skubitz was born to parents Roger L. and Catherine Norden and grew up in Maryland with four siblings.[1] She became interested in early cancer detection when her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[2] Skubitz completed her Bachelor of Science degree at her hometown University of Maryland, College Park and her PhD in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University. Upon earning her PhD, Skubitz completed postdoctoral work in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota (UMN) and joined their faculty of immunology.[3][4]
Career edit
While working at UMN, Skubitz joined Rein In Sarcoma (RIS), a Minnesota non-profit organization dedicated to sarcoma patient support, research, and education, through her leadership of the Cancer Center Tissue Procurement Facility in 1995. She eventually collaborated with her husband, Keith Skubitz.[3] In 2014, Skubitz led a project with the goal "to identify ovarian cancer biomarkers in the normal pap test that’s always done routinely." At the time, UMN believed her study could be five to 10 years away from also finding ovarian cancer.[5]
In 2019, Skubitz and her research team co-developed a new blood test for Ovarian cancer which found five new biomarkers linked to the disease. When these biomarkers were found at elevated levels in a woman's blood, it signalled the presence of ovarian cancer.[6][7] She was the recipient of the 2019 Cookie Laughlin Pilot Study Award for her research on early detection of ovarian cancer.[8] Later, she began concentrating on a set of 30 proteins found in the Pap smears of women with ovarian cancer to see if those proteins could be the indicator.[2]
References edit
- ^ "NORDEN, CATHERINE". Baltimore Sun. October 18, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Trees of Hope: MOCA and the search for an early detection test". wdio.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "Interview – Dr. Amy Skubitz, Fascinated by Science". reininsarcoma.org. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "Amy Skubitz". Medical School. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ Collins, Liz (December 1, 2014). "MOCA Fundraising Furthers U Of M Ovarian Cancer Research". minnesota.cbslocal.com. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "Developing a blood test to screen for ovarian cancer". twin-cities.umn.edu. March 20, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Austin, Jennifer (April 18, 2019). "U of M researcher hopes to develop first early detection test for ovarian cancer". kare11.com. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "Amy Patrice Skubitz, PhD". rivkin.org. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
External links edit
- Amy Skubitz publications indexed by Google Scholar