Amanda Haage

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences
- A&P, Diversity & Equity in STEM, Cell Migration & Adhesion, Cancer Metastasis,

Contact Info

Email: amanda.haage@UND.edu
Office: 701.777.5627
Dept: 701.777.6221

Office Address

School of Medicine & Health Sciences, W124
1301 N Columbia Road, Stop 9037
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae

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Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II

Medical Pulmonary Physiology

Culture of STEM Higher Education

One of my core beliefs is that science is for everyone. This touches everything I do, from teaching, to research and professional service. I often write on this subject (see professional affiliations below) and have begun several research projects on various aspects of STEM higher education in an effort to increase diversity and equity. I am particularly interested in inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices at all levels, as well as bringing transparency to the faculty job search.

Microenvironmental Regulation of Cell Migration

I primarily identify as a cell biologist in the context of my interdisciplinary career, one who is interested in how physical properties of the external environment influence a cell. During my PhD I investigated how cancer cells respond to changes in extra-cellular matrix (ECM) stiffness, looking at matrix metalloproteinase activity and cell migration in various human pancreatic cancer cell lines. For my post-doc I decided I wanted to further this interest by looking at a different side of this process; how cells sense changes in physical properties via cell-ECM adhesion molecules. Thus, I went on to characterize novel mouse models with functional mutants in Talin-1, an adaptor protein essential for integrin-mediated cell-ECM adhesion. This allowed me to study focal adhesion biology and in vivo cell migration in the context of mammalian development.

As I start my own independent lab, I aim to combine my graduate and post-graduate work into a new scientific focus - the microenvironment regulation of neural crest cells. Neural crest cells are a highly migratory population, essential to vertebrate development, but also often the origin of aggressive cancers such as neuroblastomas or melanomas. Much previous work has gone into delineating the genetic network that controls the differentiation of neural crest cells. I want to use a range of techniques from in vivo to in vitro to understand how the complex microenvironment surrounding neural crest cells controls their migration. With the ultimate goal of applying what we learn from normal migration in animal development to abnormal migration in cancer cell metastasis.

2014 Research Excellence Award, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

2014 Graduate Student Teaching Certificate, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

2017 Intestinal Organoid Training Certificate, Stem Cell Technologies, Vancouver, BC

2019 Best Talk – CELLS retreat, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC

Post-Doctoral Training; Cell Migration in Mammalian Development

Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences

Tanentzapf Lab

University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC Canada

2014-2019

Doctor of Philosophy; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Schneider Lab

Iowa State University, Ames IA USA

2010-2014

Bachelor of Arts; Biology

Wartburg College, Waverly IA USA

2006-2010

8. Haage A., Wagner K., Deng W., Venkatesh B., Mitchell C., Goodwin K., Bogutz A., Lefebvre L., Van Raamsdonk C.D., & Tanentzapf G. Precise coordination of cell-ECM adhesion is essential for melanoblast migration during development. Under Revision at Development. (2020).

7. Fernandes D. J., Sarabipour S., Smith T. C., Niemi M. N., Jadavji M. N., Kozik J. A., Holehouse S. A., Pejaver V., Symmons O., Bisson Filho W. A. & Haage A. Insights from a survey-based analysis of the academic job market. BioRxiv preprint first posted online Oct. 9, 2019; Under Revision at eLife.

6. Fu L., Haage A., Kong N., Tanentzapf G., & Li H. Dynamic protein hydrogels with reversibly tunable stiffness regulate human lung fibroblast spreading reversibly. Chemical Communications. (2019).

5. Camp D., Haage A., Solianova V., Castle W.M., Xu Q.A., Lostchuck E., Goult B.T., & Tanentzapf G. Direct binding of talin to rap1 is required for cell-ECM adhesion in drosophila. Journal of Cell Science. (2018).

4. Haage A., Goodwin K., Whitewood A., Camp D., Bogutz A., Turner C.T., Granville D.J., Lefebvre L., Plotnikov S., Goult B.T. & Tanentzapf G. Talin autoinhibition regulates cell-ECM adhesion dynamics and wound healing in vivo. Cell Reports. (2018).

3. Haage A., Nam D.H., Ge X. & Schneider I.C. A function blocking antibody reveals matrix metalloproteinase-14 as a force-regulated proteinase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. (2014).

2. Haage A. & Schneider I.C. Cellular contractility and extracellular matrix stiffness regulate matrix metalloproteinase activity in pancreatic cancer cells. FASEB J. (2014).

1. Zhang Y., Haage A., Whitley E.M., Schneider I.C. & Clapp A.R. Mixed-surface, lipid-tethered quantum dots for targeting cells and tissues. Colloids and Surfaces, B. Biointerfaces. (2012).