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Medical Scientist Training Program > Students > Current MSTP Students > MSTP Alumni > Yi "Elise" Cai

Yi "Elise" Cai

Year Entered MSTP: 2013

Prior Education

College:	California Institute of Technology
Degree:	BS, Biology

Student Information

Mentor(s)	Beronja, Slobodan PhD Faculty Website »
Primary Department	Molecular and Cell Biology

Doctorate Information

Dissertation Title:	Translational Mechanisms of Stem Cell Fate Regulation in Epidermal Oncogene Tolerance
Defense Date:	2019-05-03

Current Positions

Title:	Fellow, Hematology and Oncology
Location:	University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Yi "Elise" Cai

Publications »

Current Research

Translational Control in Cancer

Elise Cai performed her dissertation research in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program under the mentorship of Dr. Slobodan Beronja at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Elise addressed the clinically and scientifically important question of why the skin lesions in individuals with neurofibromatosis and other inherited disorders of RAS signaling tolerate a surprisingly high burden of oncogenic mutations and thereby resist malignant transformation. She discovered a new protein translational mechanism regulating production of a key ubiquitin ligase, involved in protein degradation. In collaboration with Dr. Andrew Hsieh’s lab at the Hutch, she discovered similar translational regulatory pathways involved in prostate cancer. During clerkships, Elise has helped organize a project delivering home health care during the COVID-19 outbreak.