Frances Noonan, PhD

Frances Noonan is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

• Phone: (202) 994-3970
• Fax: (202) 994-0409
• Email: drmfpn@gwumc.edu or fpn@gwu.edu

Professor Noonan's home state of Queensland, Australia has the unfortunate distinction of having the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, a fact that has shaped the course of her professional life. The association between that most lethal of skin cancers and exposure to sunlight, particularly in childhood, has driven her efforts to understand the immunological and carcinogenic consequences of ultraviolet B radiation. Dr. Noonan pursues basic research in photoimmunology and photobiology with the goal not only of understanding the initiating events involved in melanoma, but ultimately of contributing to effective disease prevention strategies.

Dr. Noonan was awarded GW's Elaine Snyder Award for Cancer Research in 2002 and 2005. She regularly makes presentations at scientific meetings of key professional societies, including the American Society for Photobiology, the European Society for Photobiology and the International Congresses for Photobiology, and has organized numerous symposia in her field.

Education

Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry), University of Queensland, Australia, 1964
Doctor of Philosophy (Microbiology), University of Queensland, Australia, 1977

Teaching

Professor Noonan participates in courses on immunology, oncology and molecular and cellular oncology at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Research

Professor Noonan's laboratory has two long-term goals: identifying the genes controlling susceptibility to UV-induced immunosuppression and how they contribute to skin cancer; and using the melanoma model to gain insight into the photobiology of the disease and the role the immune system plays in its pathogenesis. With other colleagues at GW and researchers at the National Institutes of Health, she collaborated in developing the first UV-induced melanoma animal model with human-like pathology and etiology.

Community Service

Dr. Noonan is past president of the American Society of Photobiology and has been a member of the executive committee of the Institute for Biomedical Research.

Departments

• Environmental and Occupational Health

Research Activities

• Ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression
• Mouse melanoma model

Publications

• Neonatal susceptibility to UV induced cutaneous malignant melanoma in a mouse model.
  Wolnicka-Glubisz A, Noonan FP. Neonatal susceptibility to UV induced cutaneous malignant melanoma in a mouse model. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2005 [cited 2005 Jul 7]. Available from: URL: http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/PP/article.asp?doi=b506974b
• Sca-1+ cells with an adipocyte phenotype in neonatal mouse skin.
  Wolnicka-Glubisz A, King W, Noonan FP. Sca-1+ cells with an adipocyte phenotype in neonatal mouse skin. J Invest Dermatol 2005;125(2):383-5 [cited 2005 Jul 6]. Available from: URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0022-202X.2005.23781.x
• Ultraviolet B but not Ultraviolet A radiation initiates melanoma.
  De Fabo EC, Noonan FP, Fears T, Merlino G. Ultraviolet B but not Ultraviolet A radiation initiates melanoma. Cancer Res 2004;64:6372-6.
• Mice with genetically determined high susceptibility to UV-induced immunosuppression show enhanced UV carcinogenesis.
  Noonan FP, Muller HK, Fears TR, Kusewitt  DF, Johnson TM, De Fabo EC. Mice with genetically determined high susceptibility to UV-induced immunosuppression show enhanced UV carcinogenesis. J. Invest Dermatol 2003;121:1175-81.
• Animal models of melanoma: an HGF/SF transgenic mouse model may facilitate experimental access to UV initiating events.
  Noonan FP, Dudek J, Merlino G, De Fabo EC. Animal models of melanoma: an HGF/SF transgenic mouse model may facilitate experimental access to UV initiating events. Pigment Cell Res 2003;16:16-25.
• Modeling gene-environment interactions in malignant melanoma.
  Merlino G, Noonan FP. Modeling gene-environment interactions in malignant melanoma. Trends Mol Med 2003;9:102-8.
• Ultraviolet radiation and cutaneous malignant melanoma.
  Jhappan C, Noonan FP, Merlino G. Ultraviolet radiation and cutaneous malignant melanoma. Oncogene 2003;22:3099-112
• Ink4a/Arf deficiency promotes ultraviolet radiation-induced melanomagenesis.
  Recio JA, Noonan FP, Takayama H, Anver MR, Duray P, Rush WL, et al. Ink4a/Arf deficiency promotes ultraviolet radiation-induced melanomagenesis. Cancer Res 2002;62:6724-30.
• Neonatal sunburn and melanoma in mice.
  Noonan FP, Recio JA, Takayama H, Duray P, Anver MR, Rush WL, et al. Neonatal sunburn and melanoma in mice. Nature 2001;413:271-2.
• Accelerated UV carcinogenesis in hepatocyte growth factor/ scatter factor transgenic mice.
  Noonan FP, Otsuka T, Bang S, Anver M, Merlino G. Accelerated UV carcinogenesis in hepatocyte growth factor/ scatter factor transgenic mice. Cancer Res 2000;60:3738-43.
• Genetic control of susceptibility to UV-induced immunosuppression by interacting quantitative trait loci.
  Clemens KE, Bhatt N, Richardson KR, Churchill GA, Noonan FP. Genetic control of susceptibility to UV-induced immunosuppression by interacting quantitative trait loci. Genes Immun 2000;1:251-9.