Meredith Tennis, PhD

Professional Titles

• Anschutz Medical Campus Director, CU Science Discovery

Research Interests

Research in the Tennis Lab is focused on investigating development of premalignant lung lesions and approaches to medical prevention of lung cancer. Projects include response prediction and monitoring biomarkers for targeted lung cancer prevention, characterizing in vivo and ex vivo mouse models of early lung cancer progression, and investigating the biology of premalignant lung lesions. Translational research projects allow us to pursue prevention research that includes strong collaborations with clinicians at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. The Tennis Lab is also committed to mentoring young scientists from all backgrounds who are interested in cancer research and we promote STEM education and experiences through involvement with CU Science Discovery, GEMS, and other outreach programs.

Publications

• Tennis MA, Van Scoyk M, Freeman S, Vandervest K, Nemenoff R, Winn RA. Sprouty-4 inhibits transformed cell growth, migration and invasion, and EMT and is regulated by Wnt7A through PPAR? in NSCLC. Mol Cancer Res. 2010 Jun;8(6):833-43.
• Tennis MA, Van Scoyk M, Winn RA. The Role of Prostacyclin in Lung Cancer. Transl Res. 2010 Feb; 155(2):57-61.
• Tennis M, Singh B, Hjerpe A, Prochazka M, Czene K, Hall P, Shields PG. Pathological confirmation of primary lung cancer following breast cancer. Lung Cancer. 2010 Jul;69(1):40-5.
• Van Scoyk M, Randall J, Sergew A, Williams LM, Tennis MA, Winn RA. Wnt signaling pathway and lung disease. Transl Res. 2008 Apr;151(4):175-80.
• Tennis MA, Van Scoyk M. Winn RA. Role of the wnt signaling pathway and lung cancer. J Thorac Oncol. 2007 Oct;2(10):889-92.
• Tennis M, Krishnan S, Bonner M, Ambrosone CB, Vena JE, Moysich K, Swede H, McCann S, Hall P, Shields PG, Freudenheim JL. p53 mutation analysis in breast tumors by DNA microarray. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006 Jan;15(1):80-5.
• Prochazka M, Hall P, Gagliardi G, Granath F, Nilsson BN, Shields PG, Tennis M, Czene K. Ionizing radiation and tobacco use increases the risk of a subsequent lung carcinoma in women with breast cancer: case-only design. J Clin Oncol 2005 Oct 20;23(30):7467-74.
• Tennis, MA. Wnt7a Methylation in NSCLC: 2011 Aspen Lung Conference Presentation. Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society, 2012, in press.
• Fritz JM, Tennis MA, Orlicky DJ, Lin H, Ju C, Redente EF, Choo KS, Staab TA, Bouchard RJ, Merrick DT, Malkinson AM, Dwyer-Nield LD. Depletion of tumor-associated macrophages slows the growth of chemically induced mouse lung adenocarcinomas. Front Immunol. 2014;5:587. PubMed PMID: 25505466
• Tennis MA, New ML, McArthur DG, Merrick DT, Dwyer-Nield LD, Keith RL. Prostacyclin reverses the cigarette smoke-induced decrease in pulmonary Frizzled 9 expression through miR-31. Sci Rep. 2016 Jun 24;6:28519. PubMed PMID: 27339092
• Bauer AK, Upham BL, Rondini EA, Tennis MA, Velmuragan K, Wiese D. Toll-like receptor expression in human non-small cell lung carcinoma: potential prognostic indicators of disease. Oncotarget. 2017 Nov 3;8(54):91860-91875. PubMed PMID: 29190881
• Dwyer-Nield L, Hickey GA, Friedman M, Choo K, McArthur DG, Tennis MA, New ML, Geraci M, Keith RL. The Second-Generation PGI2 Analogue Treprostinil Fails to Chemoprevent Tumors in a Murine Lung Adenocarcinoma Model. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2017 Nov;10(11):671-679. PubMed PMID: 28851689
• Merrick DT, Edwards MG, Franklin WA, Sugita M, Keith RL, Miller YE, Friedman MB, Dwyer-Nield LD, Tennis MA, O'Keefe MC, Donald EJ, Malloy JM, van Bokhoven A, Wilson S, Koch PJ, O'Shea C, Coldren C, Orlicky DJ, Lu X, Baron AE, Hickey G, Kennedy TC, Powell R, Heasley L, Bunn PA, Geraci M, Nemenoff RA. Altered Cell-Cycle Control, Inflammation, and Adhesion in High-Risk Persistent Bronchial Dysplasia. Cancer Res. 2018 Sep 1;78(17):4971-4983. PubMed PMID: 29997230
• New ML, White CM, McGonigle P, McArthur DG, Dwyer-Nield LD, Merrick DT, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Prostacyclin and EMT Pathway Markers for Monitoring Response to Lung Cancer Chemoprevention. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2018 Oct;11(10):643-654. PubMed PMID: 30045935
• Tennis MA, Vanscoyk MM, Wilson LA, Kelley N, Winn RA. Methylation of Wnt7a is modulated by DNMT1 and cigarette smoke condensate in non-small cell lung cancer. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e32921. PubMed PMID: 22403725
• Tennis MA, Van Scoyk M, Heasley LE, Vandervest K, Weiser-Evans M, Freeman S, Keith RL, Simpson P, Nemenoff RA, Winn RA. Prostacyclin inhibits non-small cell lung cancer growth by a frizzled 9-dependent pathway that is blocked by secreted frizzled-related protein 1. Neoplasia. 2010 Mar;12(3):244-53. PubMed PMID: 20234818
• Tennis MA, Van Scoyk MM, Freeman SV, Vandervest KM, Nemenoff RA, Winn RA. Sprouty-4 inhibits transformed cell growth, migration and invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and is regulated by Wnt7A through PPARgamma in non-small cell lung cancer. Mol Cancer Res. 2010 Jun;8(6):833-43. PubMed PMID: 20501643
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/meredith%20a..tennis.1/bibliography/public/
• Dwyer-Nield LD, McArthur DG, Tennis MA, Merrick DT, Keith RL. An Improved Murine Premalignant Squamous Cell Model: Tobacco Smoke Exposure Augments NTCU-Induced Murine Airway Dysplasia. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2020 Oct 28. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 33115782
• Smith AJ, Sompel KM, Elango A, Tennis MA. Non-Coding RNA and Frizzled Receptors in Cancer. Front Mol Biosci. 2021;8:712546. PubMed PMID: 34671643
• Sompel K, Elango A, Smith AJ, Tennis MA. Cancer chemoprevention through Frizzled receptors and EMT. Discov Oncol. 2021;12(1):32. PubMed PMID: 34604862
• Brock EJ, Jackson RM, Boerner JL, Li Q, Tennis MA, Sloane BF, Mattingly RR. Sprouty4 negatively regulates ERK/MAPK signaling and the transition from in situ to invasive breast ductal carcinoma. PLoS One. 2021;16(5):e0252314. PubMed PMID: 34048471
• Dwyer-Nield LD, McArthur DG, Tennis MA, Merrick DT, Keith RL. An Improved Murine Premalignant Squamous Cell Model: Tobacco Smoke Exposure Augments NTCU-Induced Murine Airway Dysplasia. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2021 Mar;14(3):307-312. PubMed PMID: 33115782
• Dwyer-Nield L, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Protocol for intranasal chemoprevention delivery in a urethane mouse lung cancer model. STAR Protoc. 2022 Dec 16;3(4):101750. PubMed PMID: 36201319
• Sompel K, Dwyer-Nield LD, Smith AJ, Elango AP, Vanderlinden LA, Kopf K, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Loss of Frizzled 9 in Lung Cells Alters Epithelial Phenotype and Promotes Premalignant Lesion Development. Front Oncol. 2022;12:815737. PubMed PMID: 35924166
• Dwyer-Nield LD, McArthur DG, Hudish TM, Hudish LI, Mirita C, Sompel K, Smith AJ, Alavi K, Ghosh M, Merrick DT, Tennis MA, Keith RL. PPARgamma agonism inhibits progression of premalignant lesions in a murine lung squamous cell carcinoma model. Int J Cancer. 2022 Dec 15;151(12):2195-2205. PubMed PMID: 35830207
• Sompel K, Dwyer-Nield LD, Smith AJ, Elango A, Backos DS, Zhang B, Gross J, Ternyak K, Matsuda JL, Kopf K, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Iloprost requires the Frizzled-9 receptor to prevent lung cancer. iScience. 2022 Jun 17;25(6):104442. PubMed PMID: 35707728
• Smith AJ, Do P, Sompel K, Elango A, Tennis MA. miR-520a-5p regulates Frizzled 9 expression and mediates effects of cigarette smoke and iloprost chemoprevention. Sci Rep. 2022 Feb 11;12(1):2388. PubMed PMID: 35149732
• Tennis MA, Smith AJ, Dwyer-Nield LD, Keith RL. Intranasal Iloprost Prevents Tumors in a Murine Lung Carcinogenesis Model. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2022 Jan;15(1):11-16. PubMed PMID: 34556494
• Blomberg R, Sompel K, Hauer C, Smith AJ, Peña B, Driscoll J, Hume PS, Merrick DT, Tennis MA, Magin CM. Hydrogel-Embedded Precision-Cut Lung Slices Model Lung Cancer Premalignancy Ex Vivo. Adv Healthc Mater. 2023 Nov 13;:e2302246. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 37953708
• Sompel K, Smith AJ, Hauer C, Elango AP, Clamby ET, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Precision Cut Lung Slices as a Preclinical Model for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Chemoprevention. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2023 May 1;16(5):247-258. PubMed PMID: 36888650
• Moghaddam SJ, Savai R, Salehi-Rad R, Sengupta S, Kammer MN, Massion P, Beane JE, Ostrin EJ, Priolo C, Tennis MA, Stabile LP, Bauer AK, Sears CR, Szabo E, Rivera MP, Powell CA, Kadara H, Jenkins BJ, Dubinett SM, Houghton AM, Kim CF, Keith RL. Premalignant Progression in the Lung: Knowledge Gaps and Novel Opportunities for Interception of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Sep 1;210(5):548-571. PubMed PMID: 39115548
• Hauer C, Blomberg R, Sompel K, Magin CM, Tennis MA. Hydrogel-embedded precision-cut lung slices support ex vivo culture of in vivo -induced premalignant lung lesions. bioRxiv. 2024 May 2. PubMed PMID: 38746166
• Blomberg R, Sompel K, Hauer C, Smith AJ, Peña B, Driscoll J, Hume PS, Merrick DT, Tennis MA, Magin CM. Hydrogel-Embedded Precision-Cut Lung Slices Model Lung Cancer Premalignancy Ex Vivo. Adv Healthc Mater. 2024 Feb;13(4):e2302246. PubMed PMID: 37953708
• Meredith A. Tennis, Derek L. Fong, Lauren M. Habenicht, Michael K. Fink, Christopher A. Manuel, Jori K. Leszczynski, Shawndra Fordham. Animal Models in Research. American Biology Teacher (2024) 86 (6): 361–368.

Professional Memberships

• American Thoracic Society, Member
• American Association for Cancer Research, Member