Luisel Ricks-Santi

Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department: Pharmacotherapy & Translational Research
Business Phone: (352) 273-5412
Business Email: lrickssanti@ufl.edu

About Luisel Ricks-Santi

Dr. Luisel Ricks-Santi is a cancer genomics researcher and population scientist possessing over 15 years of academic research experience. She is committed to diversity & inclusion through research education and training and is particularly adept in the areas of grantsmanship, organizational leadership, clinical-translational methods and transdisciplinary team science approaches.

Dr. Ricks-Santi is a 2000 graduate of Hampton University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular biology. She also received her PhD from Georgetown University in Tumor Biology and completed two post-doctoral fellowships at Howard University in Cancer Genomics/ Cancer Disparities research, and Clinical-Translational Sciences. Her current research aims to identify the genetic drivers of cancer disparities with a focus on the breast and prostate cancer, two (2) cancers with high mortality rates in the African American community.

In her spare time, Dr. Ricks has been using her cancer biology background in service to her community by educating about cancer screening recommendations, participation in clinical trials and engaging diverse communities precision medicine research. Interacting directly with the community has inspired her to become a greater advocate for cancer screening especially in communities where cancer incidence and mortality is high.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. an organization dedicated to the implementation of programs that impact health disparities in the global community.

Areas of Expertise Cancer Epidemiologist | Population Sciences | Genomics | Genetic Epidemiology | Precision Medicine | Clinical-Translational Medicine | Next Generation Sequencing | Microbiome | Bioinformatics | Biostatistics | Epidemiology | Biospecimen Science |Cancer Genetics & Genomics | Public Health Genomics | Molecular Biology | Health Disparities | Cancer Disparities | STEM Education in Minorities and Women

Additional Positions:
Associate Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Cancer Center
2022 – Current · University of Florida

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2022-2024
PHA5787C Pt Care 5: Endo
2022-2024
PHA6935 Selected Topics in Pharmacy
2023-2024
PHA7979 Advanced Research
2023-2024
PHA6910 Supervised Research
2024
PHA6138 Foundations in Precision Medicine: Genetic Epidemiology

Board Certifications

  • Specialist in Molecular Biology, SMB
    American Society for Clinical Pathology

Research Profile

My expertise include 1) Genetic Epidemiology, 2) Breast and Prostate Cancer Genomics and 3) Biospecimen Science with a focus on Population Science and Health Disparities Research.

Breast Cancer Genomics and Cancer Disparities research: African American (AA) women are more likely receive an inconclusive genetics test diminishing the utility and impact of genetics and precision medicine technologies on cancer management and prevention. In fact, actionable mutations are found less frequently in women of African descent. “Actionable” mutations are mutations whose phenotype would result in specific, defined medical recommendation(s) and allow the proper deployment of risk reduction strategies such as early detection, prophylactic surgery, chemoprevention, and lifestyle modifications. Additionally, with the high prevalence of variants of unknown significance (VUSs) in the population, additional research is warranted to determine the functional consequences of VUSs. I am currently expanding our previous research, which identified 29 BRCA VUSs in 30 high-risk families thought to have meaningful clinical significance in treatment strategies. Using CRISPR we are determining the functional significance of novel variants comparing wild-type parental cell lines to genetically edited, derived cell lines. The functionalization of VUSs using CRISPR will allow for improved risk prediction, improved tumor targeting and thus, improved outcomes in a population not well represented in genomic studies and disproportionately affected by VUSs. Our overall hypothesis is that African American breast cancer patients have a unique genetic profile not currently represented in commercially available genetic tests that could be readily discovered in our distinctive family-case-control study. We also hypothesize that VUSs in actionable genes, especially those that hypothetically alter the function of the gene leading to changes in tumor cell behavior, could be characterized using novel tools such as CRISPR. Specifically we are: 1) prioritizing, characterizing, and validating novel and genetic variants of unknown significance and determining their association with BCa risk in AAs; and 2) using CRISPR-Cas9 editing to determine the functional consequences of VUSs in actionable DNA-repair pathways overrepresented in African American breast cancer cases. The lack of research in under-represented health disparity populations, such as AAs, hampers efforts to reduce and eliminate BCa disparities. This research will allow us to improve the understanding of genetic indicators that may confer risk for developing BCa. This research will also help promote the development of burgeoning student scientists within an interdisciplinary team committed to the development of precision medicine strategies to reduce BCa disease burden in African Americans.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Cancer Disparities Research: There is also a need to determine why African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer (BCa) at younger ages, tend to have more aggressive forms and have lower survival rates. Triple negative breast cancer, which is highly aggressive, associated with germ-line mutations and resistant to endocrine treatment, is also disparately represented in African Americans. The overall hypothesis is that there are a unique set of somatically mutated genes driving disparities in breast tumor grade, hormone receptor negativity, tumor subtype (i.e triple negative vs. luminal) and thus, recurrence and overall survival outcomes. Genomic profiling of primary tumors and their concomitant normal tissue has provided critical information regarding tumorigenesis in the group.

Prostate Cancer Genomics: The treatment of PCa is currently under great scrutiny given the recent findings that treatment for localized PCa does not improve survival outcomes. Additionally, treatment is associated with increased side-effects such as urinary and bowel incontinence, sexual impotence and, in some cases, death; these side-effects negatively affect quality of life in PCa survivors. However, besides PSA, staging and grading of PCa, there is currently little guidance on who warrants immediate and aggressive treatment versus who will benefit from active surveillance. This is particularly important for men of African descent, who have a 75-80% higher risk of developing PCa and are 2.4 times more likely to die of the disease. African American (AA) men, on average, have higher Gleason scores and tumor volume than their Caucasian counterparts with similar pre-op statistics making active surveillance highly controversial in the group. Therefore, improved molecular methods are warranted for distinguishing indolent tumors that may benefit from active surveillance from aggressive, lethal tumors that should be treated, with a focus on improving their utilization in men of African descent. Molecular analysis of PCa tumors have resulted in the identification of genomic markers associated with outcomes and several groups have attempted to develop genomic profiles that can predict PCa aggressiveness. However, previously developed genomic panels that predict PCa aggressiveness and progression are generally based on PCa tumors from patients of European Americans. Therefore the applicability and utility of these genomic panels in tumors from men of African descent remains unknown. The long-term objective of our research is to develop a novel panel of genomic markers that can distinguish indolent from aggressive disease and to deploy the panel and ensure its clinical validity in diverse populations.

Cancer Epidemiology: Characterizing locality cancer profiles are essential to addressing barriers in cancer care. A successful strategy to addressing barriers in care is analyzing local and state tumor registry data. While in Washington, DC and Virginia, I managed to successfully acquire tumor registry data and identify cancer mortality “hot-spots” using epidemiological methods, which have been used to improve the allocation of resources like genetic counseling services and genomic tool utilization. The goal of this research is to leverage population-based cancer registry data to study health disparities, improve the translation of genomic technologies for the diagnosis, prognostication and management of cancer in patients, collaborate with physicians and facilitate discussions of patients with all types of cancer whose tumors have been analyzed with advanced genomic diagnostic tests and enable the translation of strong science into recommendations for individual patient treatments.

Research Education: Throughout my career, I have also been heavily engaged in the mentoring and training of underrepresented minorities in research. In addition to my research in cancer genomics, I am interested in improving research education, training, and research experiences with a focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in biomedical research. To date, I have mentored over 50 students, most of which are currently in medical school or in pre-doctoral programs. Currently, I serve as a mentor and advisor for students in the Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE), where I implemented a research-and inquiry-based course that prepared students for summer internships. I also developed and implemented a tiered student training program titled the “S.E.N.S.E.I.” program (Shadow, ENgage, Support, and Experience Independence) which improved the overall training of students in research and saw an increased number of students pursuing research careers.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0003-2987-9509

Publications

2023
Characterization of GATA3 and Mammaglobin in breast tumors from African American Women
Archives of Microbiology & Immunology. 07(01):18-28 [DOI] 10.26502/ami.936500101. [PMID] 37383682.
2023
Cyclin A2 and Ki-67 proliferation markers could be used to identify tumors with poor prognosis in African American women with breast cancer
Journal of Cancer Biology. 4(1):3-16 [DOI] 10.46439/cancerbiology.4.048. [PMID] 37273492.
2023
Equity in Cardio-Oncology Care and Research: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Circulation. [DOI] 10.1161/cir.0000000000001158.
2023
Review of genetic and pharmacogenetic differences in cytotoxic and targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer in African Americans.
Journal of the National Medical Association. 115(2):164-174 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jnma.2023.01.008. [PMID] 36801148.
2022
Hereditary variants of unknown significance in African American women with breast cancer
PLOS ONE. 17(10) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0273835. [PMID] 36315513.
2022
Inverse Correlation of KISS1 and KISS1R Expression in Triple-negative Breast Carcinomas from African American Women.
Cancer genomics & proteomics. 19(6):673-682 [DOI] 10.21873/cgp.20350. [PMID] 36316037.
2021
Challenges and Strategies of Successful Mentoring: The Perspective of LEADS Scholars and Mentors from Minority Serving Institutions.
International journal of environmental research and public health. 18(11) [DOI] 10.3390/ijerph18116155. [PMID] 34200278.
2020
Annexin 2 protein expression is associated with breast cancer subtypes in African American women.
Heliyon. 6(2) [DOI] 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03241. [PMID] 32072035.
2020
Corrigendum to “Annexin 2 protein expression is associated with breast cancer subtypes in African American women” [Heliyon Volume 6, Issue 2, February 2020, e03241].
Heliyon. 6(3) [DOI] 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03467. [PMID] 32258448.
2020
Genetic Polymorphisms in IL-10 Promoter Are Associated With Smoking and Prostate Cancer Risk in African Americans.
Anticancer research. 40(1):27-34 [DOI] 10.21873/anticanres.13923. [PMID] 31892550.
2019
Factors associated with willingness to provide biospecimens for genetics research among African American cancer survivors.
Journal of community genetics. 10(4):471-480 [DOI] 10.1007/s12687-019-00411-0. [PMID] 30877487.
2018
Admixture Mapping Links RACGAP1 Regulation to Prostate Cancer in African Americans.
Cancer genomics & proteomics. 15(3):185-191 [PMID] 29695400.
2018
Affluence Does Not Influence Breast Cancer Outcomes in African American Women.
Journal of health care for the poor and underserved. 29(1):509-529 [DOI] 10.1353/hpu.2018.0034. [PMID] 29503315.
2018
Comparative oncology DNA sequencing of canine T cell lymphoma via human hotspot panel.
Oncotarget. 9(32):22693-22702 [DOI] 10.18632/oncotarget.25209. [PMID] 29854308.
2018
Correction: Comparative oncology DNA sequencing of canine T cell lymphoma via human hotspot panel.
Oncotarget. 9(70) [DOI] 10.18632/oncotarget.26114. [PMID] 30279973.
2018
Expression of p27 and c-Myc by immunohistochemistry in breast ductal cancers in African American women.
Annals of diagnostic pathology. 34:170-174 [DOI] 10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2018.03.013. [PMID] 29715580.
2018
Loss of PTEN in high grade advanced stage triple negative breast ductal cancers in African American women.
Pathology, research and practice. 214(5):673-678 [DOI] 10.1016/j.prp.2018.03.020. [PMID] 29653745.
2018
MYC amplification in subtypes of breast cancers in African American women.
BMC cancer. 18(1) [DOI] 10.1186/s12885-018-4171-6. [PMID] 29523126.
2017
Breast Cancer Prognosis for Young Patients.
In vivo (Athens, Greece). 31(4):661-668 [PMID] 28652435.
2017
Low utility of Oncotype DX® in the clinic.
Cancer medicine. 6(3):501-507 [DOI] 10.1002/cam4.837. [PMID] 28145091.
2017
Next Generation Sequencing Reveals High Prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 Variants of Unknown Significance in Early-Onset Breast Cancer in African American Women.
Ethnicity & disease. 27(2):169-178 [DOI] 10.18865/ed.27.2.169. [PMID] 28439188.
2016
Predictors of Self-Reported Family Health History of Breast Cancer
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 18(5):1175-1182 [DOI] 10.1007/s10903-015-0253-6.
2015
Analyzing the Association of Polymorphisms in the CRYBB2 Gene with Prostate Cancer Risk in African Americans.
Anticancer research. 35(5):2565-70 [PMID] 25964531.
2015
Demographic differences in willingness to provide broad and narrow consent for biobank research.
Biopreservation and biobanking. 13(2):98-106 [DOI] 10.1089/bio.2014.0032. [PMID] 25825819.
2015
SPINK1 Promoter Variants Are Associated with Prostate Cancer Predisposing Alterations in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Patients.
Anticancer research. 35(7):3811-9 [PMID] 26124326.
2015
Strategies for enrollment of African Americans into cancer genetic studies.
Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education. 30(1):108-15 [DOI] 10.1007/s13187-014-0669-z. [PMID] 24882437.
2015
Vitamin D receptor genetic polymorphisms are associated with PSA level, Gleason score and prostate cancer risk in African-American men.
Anticancer research. 35(3):1549-58 [PMID] 25750310.
2014
Influence of provider discussion and specific recommendation on colorectal cancer screening uptake among U.S. adults.
Preventive medicine. 67:1-5 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.06.022. [PMID] 24967957.
2014
Metabolic profile of triple-negative breast cancer in African-American women reveals potential biomarkers of aggressive disease.
Cancer genomics & proteomics. 11(6):279-94 [PMID] 25422359.
2014
Strong association of fascin expression with triple negative breast cancer and basal-like phenotype in African-American women.
Journal of clinical pathology. 67(2):153-60 [DOI] 10.1136/jclinpath-2013-201698. [PMID] 23986556.
2014
Use of tanning potential as a predictor for prostate cancer risk in African-American men.
In vivo (Athens, Greece). 28(6):1181-7 [PMID] 25398820.
2013
BRCA1 polymorphisms and breast cancer epidemiology in the Western New York exposures and breast cancer (WEB) study.
Genetic epidemiology. 37(5):504-11 [DOI] 10.1002/gepi.21730. [PMID] 23674270.
2012
A new biophysical metric for interrogating the information content in human genome sequence variation: Proof of concept.
Journal of computational biology and bioinformatics research. 4(2):15-22 [PMID] 24478921.
2012
Identification of genetic risk associated with prostate cancer using ancestry informative markers.
Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. 15(4):359-64 [DOI] 10.1038/pcan.2012.19. [PMID] 22801071.
2011
Association of Rad51 polymorphism with DNA repair in BRCA1 mutation carriers and sporadic breast cancer risk.
BMC cancer. 11 [DOI] 10.1186/1471-2407-11-278. [PMID] 21708019.
2010
Association of CD14 variant with prostate cancer in African American men.
The Prostate. 70(3):262-9 [DOI] 10.1002/pros.21060. [PMID] 19830784.
2010
p53 Pro72Arg polymorphism and prostate cancer in men of African descent.
The Prostate. 70(16):1739-45 [DOI] 10.1002/pros.21209. [PMID] 20593380.

Grants

Jul 2023 ACTIVE
Together: Transforming and Translating Discovery to Improve Health
Role: Faculty
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NCATS
Jun 2023 ACTIVE
UF Health Cancer Center Support Grant
Role: Other
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NCI
Sep 2022 ACTIVE
UF HEALTH CANCER CENTER PILOT PROJECTS GRANTS FUNDED THROUGHTHE FLORIDA CONSORTIUM OF NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE CENTER
Role: Faculty
Funding: UF HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL

Education

Post-doctoral Fellow in Clinical and Translational Sciences
2010-2013 · Howard University
Post-doctoral Fellow in Cancer Epidemiology and Cancer Disparities Research
2007-2010 · Howard University
PhD Tumor Biology
2000-2007 · Georgetown University
BS Molecular Biology
1996-2000 · Hampton University

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-5412
Emails:
Administrative Assistant:
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100486
GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
PO Box 100486
GAINESVILLE FL 32610