My Resume
Experience
Postdoctoral Fellow
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, Sep 2018 – Present (5 years)
Overview: Performed a CRISPR/Cas9 genetic screen to find targets regulating mouse embryonic stem cell self- renewal and differentiation
Impact: published one review article on the Trithorax group of proteins (2020) and a research article on epigenetic regulators of mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency (2022), manuscript under review for a genetic screening method for identifying chromatin binding proteins (2023)
Leadership roles: training/overseeing students and research technicians in the lab, key personnel on institutional grant applications
Graduate Research Assistant
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Jun 2013 – May 2018
Overview: transcriptional control of actin cycling in skeletal muscle, identification of novel genes important for muscle development, maintenance, and disease
Impact: 5 research articles in peer-reviewed journals (2 first-author publications)
Funding: UT Southwestern Pharmacological Sciences T32 training grant, American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship
Research Assistant
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, Mar 2011 – May 2013
Overview: small molecule inhibitors, tumor-stromal interactions, TGF-beta signaling, metastasis biology, and angiogenesis
Impact: 4 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals (2 first-author publications)
Education
UT Southwestern Medical Center, 2013 – 2018
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.); Genetics, Development and Disease, distinction in Pharmacological Sciences
Thesis advisor: Dr. Eric Olson
Hacettepe University, 2004 – 2010
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Medicine
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Feb 2019 – Jul 2019
Data Science Bootcamp Certification Program: 6-month intensive data science bootcamp certification program covering Advanced Excel, Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, API Interactions, Social Media Mining, SQL, Tableau, Advanced Statistics, Machine Learning, R, Git
Skills
Next Generation Sequencing and Genomics
Expertise in both short-read (Illumina) and long-read (Oxford Nanopore) platforms including sample preparation, library preparation and sample quality control; RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, CUT&RUN, HiC-seq, CRISPR library screens, long-read sequencing of cDNA and direct RNA
Molecular Biology
Expert in qPCR, RT-qPCR, RNA-seq, nucleic acid quantification, molecular cloning, immunocytochemistry and immunohistochemistry
Stem Cells
Expert in culturing and genome editing of mouse embryonic stem cells; proficient in differentiation assays (embryoid body differentiation, neuronal and cardiac differentiation)
Bioinformatics
Proficient in Unix, Python and R; expert in running next-generation sequencing pipelines on high performance compute clusters, expert in the analysis of RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, CUT&RUN and CRISPR screen data using bioinformatics tools and statistical packages, intermediate proficiency in using Nextflow pipelines
Biochemistry
Expert in SDS-PAGE/western blot, immunoprecipitation; proficient with ELISAs; proficient with tandem affinity purification and/or BioID proximity labeling for the purpose of protein identification by mass spectrometry, micrococcal nuclease digestions
Flow Cytometry
Proficient in use of BD FACS Aria II cell sorter, proficient in analysis and quantification of flow cytometry data using FlowJo software
Gene Editing
Generation of knockout and targeted alleles using CRISPR/Cas9, high throughput CRISPR screens using genome-wide and custom libraries, design, cloning and validation of guide RNAs
Cell Culture
Expert in mammalian tissue culture, viability assays, transfections, transductions, virus packaging, nucleofections, cell line maintenance, stable cell line generation, generation of knockout/targeted cell lines, isolation of primary myoblasts, reporter assays for promoter analysis
Science Communication
Excellent track record in publication of scientific manuscripts and grant writing, several years of experience in mentoring lab personnel, one-on-one and classroom teaching
Selected Publications
1. Cenik BK*, Sze CS*, Ryan CA, Das S, Cao K, Douillet D, Rendleman EJ, Zha D, Khan NH, Bartom, Shilatifard A. A synthetic lethality screen reveals ING5 as a genetic dependency of catalytically dead Set1A/COMPASS in mouse embryonic stem cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2022 May 10;119(19):e2118385119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2118385119. *authors contributed equally
2. Cenik BK & Shilatifard A. COMPASS and SWI/SNF complexes in development and disease. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2021 Jan;22(1):38-58. doi: 10.1038/s41576-020-0278-0.
3. Cenik BK, Liu N, Chen B, Bezprozvannaya S, Olson EN, Bassel-Duby R. Myocardin-related transcription factors are required for skeletal muscle development. Development. 2016 Jul 6. pii: dev.135855.
4. Cenik BK, Garg A, McAnally JR, Shelton JM, Richardson JA, Bassel-Duby R, Olson EN, Liu N. Severe myopathy in mice lacking the MEF2/SRF-dependent gene leiomodin-3. J Clin Invest. 2015 Apr;125(4):1569-78.
5. Kutluk Cenik B, Ostapoff KT, Gerber DE, Brekken RA. BIBF 1120 (Nintedanib), a triple angiokinase inhibitor, induces hypoxia but not EMT and blocks progression of preclinical models of lung and pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Ther. 2013 Jun;12(6):992-1001.
6. Kutluk Cenik B, Sun H, Gerber DE. Impact of renal function on treatment options and outcomes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer. 2013 Jun;80(3):326-32.
Honors and Awards
Funding
Annual William F. and Grace H. Kirkpatrick Award - UT Southwestern Medical Center, 2018
Monetary award by the graduate school of biomedical sciences at UT Southwestern to one graduate student for the most scientifically meritorious fellowship proposal
Leita Marsh Pharmacological Sciences Award - Altrusa International of Dallas, Texas, Inc., 2016
The Altrusa club presents a $500 scholarship in pharmaceutical studies to a deserving student who embodies the concepts of leadership and altruism. Leita Marsh, a charter member of the Dallas club and a pioneering professional woman was the first female pharmacist in Texas.
Northwestern University Epigenetics, Metabolism and Cancer NIH T32 Training Grant (), 2023 - present, Key Personnel
American Heart Association AWRP Winter 2017 Predoctoral Fellowship (17PRE33650051), 2017 - 2018, Principal Investigator
UT Southwestern Pharmacological Sciences NIH T32 Training Grant (5T32GM007062-41), 2014 - 2017, Trainee