Vivien Low
Favorite movie: Pulp fiction
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur
Non-science activity: Snowboarding and cooking
Dream benchmate: Bill Nye
One item from my bucket list: Tell a story at The Moth
Scientific interests: Cancer metabolism and metastasis
Current research interests: Investigating the role of propionate metabolism and methylmalonic acid in driving cancer progression and metastasis
Research
I did my undergrad studies at NYU, where I majored in biology. I continued my studies at NYU where I studied transposable elements in a protist called Trichomonas vaginalis for my master’s degree. T. vaginalis is the cause of Trichomoniasis, an STD that affects millions of women, which made me realize the importance of studying molecular mechanisms that underlie diseases. After my masters I worked as a lab tech also at NYU in the lab of Eva Hernando studying how BRD4 and super enhancers play a role in stem cell biology and consequently tissue homeostasis. For my PhD I decided to focus on the study of the molecular mechanisms that underlie a lung disease that affects mainly women, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and for which there is presently no cure. In the Blenis lab, I work with Ana Patricia Gomes developing a new mouse model for this disease, as well as studying the role of polyamines in this pathology.
Honors and Awards
2012 New York University Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program Scholarship
(50% tuition scholarship to complete a BA and MS in an accelerated five-year program)
2012 New York University Biology Department Masters Research Grant
2013 2nd Place in the 15th Annual Poster Session of the Department of Biology at NYU
Selected Publications
NADK is activated by oncogenic signaling to sustain pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Schild, T., McReynolds, M.R., Shea, C., Low, Vivien., et al. Cell Rep 35, 109238. DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109238
Age-induced accumulation of methylmalonic acid promotes tumour progression Gomes, A.P., Ilter, D., Low, Vivien; et al. Nature. 585, 283–287 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2630-0
Dynamic Incorporation of Histone H3 Variants Into Chromatin Is Essential for Acquisition of Aggressive Traits and Metastatic Colonization. Gomes, Ana; Ilter. Didem; Low, Vivien; et al. Cancer Cell. 2019;36(4):402–417.e13. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2019.08.006
Targeting the premetastatic niche: epigenetic therapies in the spotlight. Low, V., Blenis, J. & Gomes, A.P. Sig Transduct Target Ther 5, 68 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-020-0165-3
Unique Metabolic Adaptations Dictate Distal Organ-Specific Metastatic Colonization. Low, Vivien; Schild, Tanya; Blenis, John; Gomes, Ana. Cancer cell 33.3 (2018): 347-354.
Control of Embryonic Stem Cell Identity by BRD4-Dependent Transcriptional Elongation of Super-Enhancer-Associated Pluripotency Genes. Di Micco, Raffaella; Fontanals-Cirera, Barbara; Low, Vivien; et al. Cell Reports Oct 2014, 9:1. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.08.055
The Tc1/mariner transposable element family shapes genetic variation and gene expression in the protist Trichomonas vaginalis. Bradic, Martina; Warring, Sally; Low, Vivien; Carlton, Jane. Mobile DNA 2014, 5:12. doi:10.1186/1759-8753-5-12