Maria Todd, Professor of Biology, teaches and researches in the areas of molecular biology/genetics with a particular emphasis on the causes of cancer metastasis (or spread).  She received her PhD from Cambridge University in 1990 and her BSc (Hons) from the University of Sussex in 1987. 

Throughout her career she has received multiple honors including the Exemplary Teaching Award (Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church) in 2013 and Southwestern University Teaching Award in 2010. 

In collaboration with Dr. Maria Cuevas (Biology Department), Dr. Todd studies the role of abnormally expressed tight junction proteins in endometrial cancer development and metastasis. 

External Grants/Awards:

• 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 Joe and Jesse Crump Medical Foundation $15,000
• 2017-2020 Awarded Ed and Suzanne Ellis Term Chair
• 2015-2018 Keck Foundation Grant: Molecular Biology Across the Curriculum, $300,000
• 2014-2015 Joe and Jessie Crump Cancer Research Award, $10,000
• 2013-present The Franta-Love Endowed Fund (for cancer research at SU)
• 2011 Sam Taylor Award, $1,780
• 2011 ACS Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Renewal Grant Award, $7,151
• 2009-2012 National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation, $98,928
• 2007-2010 JP Morgan grant to Biology Department, $22,500
• 1998-1999 Post-doctoral Fellowship, Colorado Cancer League, $30,000
• 1994-1995 Post-doctoral Fellowship, San Antonio Cancer Institute, $30,000
• 1987-1990 Pre-doctoral Fellowship, The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, $25,000

PUBLISHED ARTICLES (please note: former last name was Daly):

Sheller, RA, Cuevas, ME and Todd, MC. (2017). Comparison of transepithelial resistance measurement techniques: Chopsticks vs. Endohm. Biological Procedures Online (under review).

Todd, M.C., Langan, T.A. and Sclafani RA. (2016). Doxycycline-regulated p16MTS1 expression suppresses the in vivo tumorigenicity of two breast cancer cell lines that lack endogenous p16. Journal of Cancer 8:190-198.

Cuevas M.E, Gaska J.M*, Gist A.C*, King J.M, Sheller R.A and Todd M.C. (2015). Estrogen-dependent expression and subcellular localization of claudin-4 in HEC-1A cancer cells. Int J Oncol 47:650-656.

Todd, M.C., Petty H.M., King J.M., Piana-Marshall, B.N., Sheller, R.A. and Cuevas, M.E. (2015). Overexpression and delocaliztion of claudin-3 protein in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-415 breast cancer cell lines. Oncology Letters, 10: 156-162.

Todd, M.C., Spruill, C., and Meerbrey, K.M. (2009). Small interference RNA-mediated suppression of overexpressed cyclin E protein restores G1/S regulation in NIH-OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. International Journal of Oncology 35:375-380.

Todd, M.C., Sclafani, R.A., and Langan, T.A. (2000). Ovarian cancer cell lines that coexpress Rb and p16 are completely insensitive to adenoviral-mediated expression of p16. Oncogene 19 (2):258-264.

Groshong, S.D., Owen, G.I., Grimison, B., Schauer, I.E., Todd, M.C., Langan, T.A., Sclafani, R.A., Lange, C.A., and Horwitz, K. (1997). Biphasic regulation of breast cancer cell growth by progesterone: role of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p21 and p27KIP1. Molecular Endo. :1593-1607.

Xiang, R.-H., Hensel, C.H., Garcia, D.K., Carlson, H., Kok, K., Daly, M.C., Kerbacher, K., van den Berg, A., Veldhuis, P., Buys, C.H.C.M., and Naylor, S.L. (1996). Isolation of human semaphorin III/F gene at chromosome 3p21, a region deleted in lung cancer. Genomics 32:39-48.

Todd, M.C., Xiang, R.-H., Garcia, D.K., Kerbacher, K.E., Moore, S.L., Hensel, C.H., Liu, P., Siciliano, M.J., Kok, K., van den Berg, A., Veldhuis, P., Buys, C.H.C.M., Killary, A.M., and Naylor, S.L. (1996). An 80 Kb P1 clone from chromosome 3p21.3 suppresses tumor growth in vivo. Oncogene 13:2387-2396.

Heppell-Parton, A.C., Daly, M.C., Drabkin, H.A., and Rabbitts, P.H. (1993). The probe BMS1271 identifies a new polymorphic locus (D3S1207) and maps to 3p26-pter. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 63 (1):64-65.

Rabbitts, P., Daly, M., Douglas, J., Ganly, P., Heppell-Parton, A., and Sundaresan, B. (1993). Deletion mapping of chromosome 3 in lung tumours. Lung Cancer 9:69-74.

Daly, M.C., Xiang, R.-H., Buchhagen, D., Garcia, D.K., Hensel, G.H., Killary, A.M., Minna, J.D., and Naylor, S.L. (1993). A homozygous deletion on chromosome 3 in a small cell lung cancer cell line correlates with a region of tumor suppressor activity. Oncogene 8:1721-1729.

Chang, K.S., Wang, G., Freireich, E.J., Daly, M.C., Naylor, S.L., Trujillo, J.M., and Stass, S.A. (1992). Specific expression of the annexin VIII gene in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Blood 79:1802-1810.

Daly, M., Douglas, J., Bleehen, N.M., Hastleton, P., Twentyman, P., Sundaresan, B., Carritt, B., Bergh, J., and Rabbitts, P. (1991). An unusually proximal deletion on the short arm of chromosome 3 in a patient with small cell lung cancer. Genomics 9 (1):113-119.

Douglas, J., Daly, M. and Rabbitts, P. (1991). A pulsed field gel electrophoresis map locates the polymorphic probes for ErbA2 and ErbAB within 120 kb of each other confirming that ErbA2 maps to chromosome 3. Genomics 9 (2):398-400.

Rabbitts, P., Douglas, J., Daly, M., Sundaresan, V., Tox, B., Hasleton, P., Wells, F., Albertson, D., Waters, J., and Bergh, J. (1989). Frequency and extent of allelic loss on the short arm of chromosome 3 in nonsmall-cell lung cancer. Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer 1:95-105.



PEER-REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS WITH SOUTHWESTERN RESEARCH STUDENTS*:

Cuevas M.E, Gallo M.R*, Rice K.A*, Vickers T.D*, King J.M, Sheller R.A and Todd M.C (2015). Hormonal Effect on Occludin Expression in the Endometrial Adenocarcinoma HEC-1A and HEC-1B cells. The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA.

Petty, H*, Cuevas, M.E., Sheller, R.A. and Todd, M.C. (2013). Suppression of abnormally overexpressed claudin-3 protein decreases motility of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. American Association of Cancer Research Annual Breast Cancer Symposium. San Antonio, TX (abstract in the Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research).

Todd, M.C., King, J., Cuevas, M.E., Tyler, B*. Tompkins, A*. and Sheller, R.A. (2012). Sub-cellular Localization Of Overexpressed Versus siRNA-Suppressed Claudin-3 Protein In Breast Cancer Cell Lines By Cell Fractionation And Indirect Immunofluorescence. Annual Meeting Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. Austin, TX.

Cuevas, M.E., Sheller, R.A. Holland, A.C*., Piana, B.N*. and Todd, M.C. (2010). Expression and sub-cellular localization of claudin-4 in MCF-7 and HEC-1A cancer cell lines. American Association of Cancer Research Meeting, Orlando, Florida, USA. . Proceedings American Association for Cancer Research Vol 52:747.

Maria C. Todd, Maria E. Cuevas, Brytanie N. Piana* and Rebecca A. Sheller. (2009). Overexpression of claudin-3 protein in breast cancer cell lines. Anual conference of the American Association of Cancer Research. Proceedings American Association for Cancer Research Volume 50: 844.

Maria C. Todd, Shea C. Spruill* and Kristen Meerbrey* (2007). siRNA-mediated suppression of wildtype and low molecular weight forms of cyclin E protein in NIH-OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. The 2007 American Society of Human Genetics Meeting, California, USA. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 83.

Brytanie N. Piana and Maria C. Todd (2007). Abnormal over-expression of Claudin-3 tight junction protein in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-415 breast cancer cell lines. The 2007 Lost Pines Molecular Biology Conference, TX, USA.

Shea Spruill and Maria C. Todd (2007). Suppression of Abnormally Elevated Levels of Cyclin E protein by siRNA Restores Growth Regulation ot NIH-OVCAR-3 Ovarian Cancer Cells.The 2007 Lost Pines Molecular Biology Conference, TX, USA.

Jay Gupta and Maria C. Todd (2006). Deregulated expression of BRG1 and E2F1 cell cycle proteins in an ovarian cancer cell line, PA-1. The Texas Academy of Sciences Conference, TX. USA.

Kristen Meerbrey and Maria Todd (2006). Small interference RNA (siRNA)-mediated suppression of over-expressed cyclin E protein in NIH-OV-CAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. The Texas Academy of Sciences Conference, TX. USA.

Kristen Meerbrey and Maria C. Todd (2005). Overexpression of cyclin E protein in the p16-insensitive (RB+/p16+) ovarian cancer cell line, NIH-OVCAR-3. The 2005 Lost Pines Molecular Biology Conference, TX, USA.