Maria Dulfary Sanchez-Pino, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor – Research

Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology
Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Telephone: 504-210-2831
Fax: 504-210-2970
Email: msanc2@lsuhsc.edu

Degrees

Medical technician, University of Antioquia, Colombia (2000)
M.Sc., Biomedical Sciences-Immunology, University of Antioquia, Colombia (2004)
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences-Immunology, University of Antioquia, Colombia (2010)
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSUHSC, USA (2013-2018)

Bio

Dr. Sanchez-Pino’s born in Colombia where obtained her master's and doctoral degrees in Immunology of human tuberculosis. Her post-doctoral training was performed at Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center at LSUHSC- New Orleans under the mentorship of Dr. Augusto Ochoa in inflammation of viral infections and cancer. Since 2018, Dr. Sanchez was promoted to Assistant Professor. Currently, Dr. Sanchez is studying the relationship of chronic inflammatory immune cells with obesity-associated cancer.

Specifically, Dr. Sanchez-Pino aims to:

Identify the major obesity-associated factors that promote myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) expansion and immunosuppressive function.
Characterize the major molecular pathways associated with cellular metabolism in the obese and tumor microenvironments as critical regulators of the MDSC function.
Elucidate the transcriptional regulatory network responsible for activating the immunosuppressive gene expression program of MDSC to uncover potential pharmacological targets.

Research Interests

Dr. Sanchez-Pino’s research training has focused on understanding mechanisms in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as tuberculosis, allergy, herpes keratitis, and more recently, in cancer, and obesity. She also has extensive experience processing clinical biospecimens gained while working as the director of a medical diagnostic laboratory in her native Colombia.

Selected Publications

Maria Dulfary Sanchez-Pino , Matthew Dean, Augusto Ochoa. Myeloid-derived suppressor Cells (MDSC): When good intentions go awry. Cell Immunol. 2021:362;104302.

Maria Dulfary Sanchez-Pino , Linda Anne Gilmore, Augusto Ochoa, Justin C. Brown. Obesity-associated chronic inflammation, myeloid immunosuppressive cells and cancer risk. Obesity. In press

Laura C. Echeverri Tirado, Mohamed A. Ghonim, Jeffrey Wang, Amir A. Al-Khami, Dorota Wyczechowska, Hanh H. Luu, Hogyoung Kim, Maria Dulfary Sanchez-Pino, José Yélamos, Lina M. Yassin, and A. Hamid Boulares. PARP-1 Is Critical for Recruitment of Dendritic Cells to the Lung in a Mouse Model of Asthma but Dispensable for Their Differentiation and Function. Mediators Inflamm. 2019:2019;1656484.

Amir Al-Khami, Liqin Zheng, Luis Del Valle, Fokhrul Hossain, Dorota Wyczechowska, Jovanny Zabaleta, Maria Sanchez-Pino, Matthew Dean, Paulo Rodriguez. Exogenous Lipid Uptake Induces Metabolic and Functional Reprogramming of Tumor-Associated Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells. Oncoimmunology. (2017): Vol. 6:e1344804

Al-Khami, M. A. Ghonim, L. Del Valle, S. V. Ibba, L. Zheng, K. Pyakurel, S. C. Okpechi, J. Garay, D. Wyczechowska, M. D. Sanchez-Pino, P. C. Rodriguez, A. H. Boulares, A. C. Ochoa. Fuelling the mechanisms of asthma: Increased fatty acid oxidation in inflammatory immune cells may represent a novel therapeutic target. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2017:47;1170.

Blanquiceth Y, Rodríguez-Perea AL, Tabares Guevara JH, Correa LA, Sánchez MD, Ramírez-Pineda JR, Velilla PA. Increase of frequency and Modulation of Phenotype of Regulatory T Cells by Atorvastatin Is Associated with Decreased Lung Inflammatory Cell Infiltration in a Murine Model of Acute Allergic Asthma. Front Immunol. 2016:7;620

Sanchez MD, Ochoa AC, Foster TP. Development and evaluation of a host-targeted antiviral that abrogates herpes simplex virus replication through modulation of arginine-associated metabolic pathways. Antiviral Res. (2016): Vol. 132;13-25.

Yanachkova M, Xu WC, Dvoskin S, Dix EJ, Yanachkov IB, Focher F, Savi L, Sanchez MD, Foster TP, Wright GE. Prodrugs of herpes simplex thymidine kinase inhibitors. Antivir Chem Chemother. (2015): Vol. 24;47-55.

Fletcher M, Ramirez ME, Sierra RA, Raber P, Thevenot P, Al-Khami AA, Sanchez-Pino D, Hernandez C1, Wyczechowska DD, Ochoa AC, RodriguezPC. L-arginine Depletion Blunts Antitumor T-cell Responses by Inducing Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells. Cancer Res. (2015): Vol. 75:275-83

D. Sánchez , C. Lefebvre, L. F. García, J. Rioux, L. F. Barrera. Crohn’s disease susceptibility variants in Colombian tuberculosis patients. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2014:18;89.

Dulfary Sánchez , Céline Lefebvre, Luis F. García, Luis F. Barrera, Variants in the IFNγ transcription factor genes TBET, STAT1, STAT4, and HLX and the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis in a Colombian population: a case-control study. Biomédica. 2013:33;259.

D. Sanchez , C. Lefebvre, J. Rioux, L. F. Garcıa, L. F. Barrera. Evaluation of Toll-like receptor and adaptor molecule polymorphisms for susceptibility to tuberculosis in a Colombian population. International Journal of Immunogenetics. 2012;39:216.

Dulfary Sánchez , Mauricio Rojas, Israel Hernández, Danuta Radzioch, Luis F. García, Luis F. Barrera. Role of TLR2- and TLR4-mediated signaling in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced macrophage death. Cellular Immunology. 2010:260;128.

Mary Luz Arcila, Marıa Dulfary Sanchez, Blair Ortiz, Luis Fernando Barrera, Luis F. Garcıa, Mauricio Rojas. Activation of apoptosis, but not necrosis, during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection correlated with decreased bacterial growth: Role of TNF-a, IL-10, caspases and phospholipase A2. Cell Immunol. 2007:249;80.

Marıa D. Sanchez , Yoenis Garcıa, Carlos Montes, Sara C. Parıs, Mauricio Rojas, Luis F. Barrera, Mauricio A. Arias, Luis F. Garcıa. Functional and phenotypic changes in monocytes from patients with tuberculosis are reversed with treatment. Microbes and Infection. 2006:8; 2492.

Additional Info

Membership in Professional Organizations:
2019-Present American Association of Immunology (Active Member)

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