Researcher Information

Maria Baer, M.D. Professor Director, Hematologic Malignancies Program Department: Medicine UMGCC Research Program: Experimental Therapeutics Program
Education/Training: College Degree: B.A. Harvard University Medical Degree: M.D. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Residency: Internal Medicine, Vanderbilt University Fellowship: Hematology, Vanderbilt University Certification: Internal Medicine Hematology
Contact Information: Mailing Address: University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center 22 South Greene Street Baltimore, Maryland 21201 Email: mbaer@umm.edu Phone: 410 328 8708 Fax: 410 328 6896
Research Interests: The laboratory focuses on mechanisms of drug resistance in leukemia cells, with the objective of developing new treatment approaches to be tested in clinical trials in acute leukemia, with correlative laboratory studies. Current projects include strategies for overcoming or bypassing drug resistance mediated by ATP-binding cassette proteins, and effects of signal transduction inhibitors on drug resistance in leukemia cells. Collaborative projects include effects of SNPs in genes encoding ATP-binding cassette proteins on expression and function of these proteins in leukemia cells.
Publications: Minderman H, Suvannasankha A, O'Loughlin KL, Scheper RJ, Robey RW, Bates SE, Baer MR. Flow cytometric analysis of breast cancer resistance protein expression and function. Cytometry 48: 59-65, 2002 Baer MR, George SL, Dodge RK, O'Loughlin KO, Minderman H, Caligiuri MA, Anastasi J, Powell BL, Kolitz JE, Schiffer CA, Bloomfield CD, Larson RA. Phase III study of the multidrug resistance modulator PSC-833 in previously untreated patients 60 years of age and older with acute myeloid leukemia: Cancer and Leukemia Group B study 9720. Blood 100:1224-1232, 2002 Minderman H, O'Loughlin KL, Pendyala L, Baer MR. VX-710 (biricodar) increases drug retention and enhances chemosensitivity in resistant cells overexpressing P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance protein and breast cancer resistance protein. Clinical Cancer Research 10:1826-1834, 2004 Minderman H, Brooks T, O'Loughlin KL, Ojima I, Bernacki RJ, Baer MR. Broad-spectrum modulation of ATP-binding cassette transport proteins by the taxane derivatives ortataxel and tRA96023. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 53:363-369, 2004 Suvannasankha A, Minderman H, O'Loughlin KL, Sait SNJ, Stewart CC, Greco WR, Baer MR. Expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule CD56 is not associated with P-glycoprotein overexpression in core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia Research 28:447-453, 2004 Suvannasankha A, Minderman H, O'Loughlin KL, Nakanishi T, Greco WR, Ross DD, Baer MR. Breast cancer resistance protein in acute myeloid leukemia: Discordance between expression and function. Leukemia 18:1252-1257, 2004 Suvannasankha A, Minderman H, O'Loughlin KL, Nakanishi T, Ford LA, Greco WR, Wetzler M, Ross DD, Baer MR. Breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/MXR/ABCG2) in adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: Frequent expression and possible correlation with shorter disease-free survival. British Journal of Haematology 127:392-398, 2004 Qadir M, O'Loughlin KL, Fricke SM, Williamson NA, Greco WR, Minderman H, Baer MR. Cyclosporin A is a broad-spectrum multidrug resistance modulator. Clinical Cancer Research 11: 2320-2326, 2005 Brooks TA, O'Loughlin KL, Minderman H, Bundy BN, Ford LA, Vredenberg MR, Bernacki RJ, Priebe W, Baer MR. The 4'-O-benzylated doxorubicin analog WP744 overcomes resistance mediated by P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance protein and breast cancer resistance protein in cell lines and acute myeloid leukemia cells. Investigational New Drugs 25:115-122, 2007 Pawarode A, Shukla S, Minderman H, Fricke SM, Pinder EM, O'Loughlin KL, Ambudkar SV, Baer MR. Differential effects of the immunosuppressive agents cyclosporin A, tacrolimus and sirolimus on drug transport by multidrug resistance proteins. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 2006 Oct 10; [Epub ahead of print]