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NATURAL CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS RESEARCH LABORATORY

RESEARCH FOCUSES ON PHARMACOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY, & THERAPEUTICS

Clement G. Yedjou, Ph.D.

Former Associate Professor of Biology

C-SET Distance Learning Coordinator

College of Science, Engineering and Technology,

Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217

Tel: (601) 979-3902, Fax: (601) 979-5853

Email: clement.yedjou@jsums.edu

EDUCATION

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Our laboratory is interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of therapeutic agents including natural products and metals in the treatment of leukemia and other malignancies. The work in our research laboratory focuses on the following aspects: (1) Preclinical assessment of physiologic doses of ascorbic acid in combination with pharmacologic dose of arsenic trioxide (Trisenox) for the management of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and other malignancies. (2) Basic and translational studies of ascorbic acid and arsenic trioxide effects on tumor metastasis. (3) Role of host immune system in ascorbic acid treatment. (4) Mechanisms of action of ascorbic acid when combined with arsenic trioxide for the treatment of APL patients. (5) Preclinical assessment of vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts as anti-cancer agent in the management of human breast cancer. Our experimental approaches include molecular pharmacology and toxicology, immunohistochemistry, fluorescent imaging, and electron microscopy, flow cytometry assessment, and oxidative damage asssessment. We hope that our work will not only improve our understanding of the mechanisms of action of natural products, but also impact the development of therapeutics agents for the treatment of leukemia and other malignancies.

HONORS & AWARDS

2011 Faculty Scholar Award for Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research held at Orlando, FL. April 2-6, 2011.

2011 SMART-Panelist, Department of Defense held at Washington, DC. January 4-7, 201

2010 Travel Award, American Association for Cancer Research held at Washington, DC. April 17-21, 2010.

2010 NSF Panelist, Directory of Biological Sciences held at Washington, DC. March 4-7, 2010.

2009 Listed in Who’s Who in American

2009 Invited Speaker, 5th Modern Drug Discovery & Development Summit, to present a talk on Tract “Toxicity and Drug Safety” held at San Diego, CA.

October 14-16, 2009.

2008-2009: Listed in Maquis Who's Who Publication

2008 Invited Speaker, Department of Pharmacology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center to present a talk on the therapeutic efficacy of arsenic

trioxide in the treatment of APL.

2008 NIH-EARDA Research Award Recipient

2008 Travel Award, awarded by Research Center in Minority Institutes to make oral in Health

Disparities in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dec 4-6, 2008.

2007 Center for University Scholar Research Award Recipient

2007 Outstanding Leadership & Achievement Award, given by the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi (AGEM), awarded to students with

outstanding academic achievement, University of Mississippi in Oxford. Mississippi, January 25-27, 2007.

2006 Inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

2006 Inducted into the Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honor Society (BKK)

2004 Listed in Empire Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals

2004-2006: Inducted into the Who’s Who Among American Students in Universities and Colleges

2001-2005: Graduate Research and Teaching Assistantship, Jackson State University

2005 Winner of the Students’ Poster presentations at the “Second International Symposium on Recent Advances in Environmental Health Research".

Held at the Regency Hotel in Jackson from September 18-21, 2005.

2004 Inducted into the Mu Chapter Alpha Epsilon Lambda

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION & MEMBERSHIP

2002-2006: Scholar of Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi

2003-Present: Member of Mississippi Academic of Science

2004-2005: Honored Member of Empire Who’s Who Registry and Professionals

2006-Present: Member American Association for Cancer Research

2007-Present: Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society Member

2007-Present: Member of African Society of Toxicology

2007-Present: Member of Sloan Consortium Asynchronous Learning Networks

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER

2009-Present: Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Environmental Toxicology

2010-Present: Editorial Advisory Board of the International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences

2010-Present: Review Editor of Frontiers in Plant Science

JOURNAL'S REVIEWER AND CONFERENCE SERVICES

2007-Present: Reviewer of McGraw Hill of High Education textbooks

2006-Present: Reviewer of International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health

2006-Present: Reviewer of International Journal of Environmental Toxicology

2007-Present: Reviewer of Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

    1. Yedjou CG, Tchounwou PB. 2011. Lead-induced cell cycle arrest in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells: involvement of oxidative stress, p53 and cyclin A. Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine and Aqueous and Biochemistry of Silicon. 2011; 11:242-246.

    2. Yedjou CG, Byrd R, Allen L, Tchounwou PB. 2011. Physiologic doses of ascorbic acid increase arsenic trioxide toxide in human Jurkat T lymphoma cells. Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine and Aqueous and Biochemistry of Silicon. 2011; 11:236-241.

    3. Edwards FL, Yedjou CG, Tchounwou PB. Involvement of oxidative stresss in methyl parathion and parathion-induced toxicity and genotoxicity to human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Environ Toxicol. 2011 May 4. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 21544925 [PubMed].Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21544925

    4. Yedjou CG, Tchounwou PB, Jerkens J, and McMurray. 2010. Basic mechanisms of arsenic trioxide (ATO)-induced apoptosis in human leukemia (HL-60) cells. Journal of Hematology and Oncology. 2010, 3:28. PMID: 20796291 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20796291

    5. Yedjou C, Milner J, Howard C, and Tchounwou P. 2010. Basic apoptotic mechanisms of lead toxicity in human leukemia (HL-60) cells. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 7(5), 2008-2017. PMID: 20623007 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20623007

    6. Yedjou CG, Tchounwou CK, Haile S, Edwards F, Tchounwou PB. 2010. N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) protects against DNA damage associated with lead toxicity in HepG2 cells. Disease and Ethnicity. 20, 101-103. PMID: 20521395 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20521395

    7. Yedjou CG, Thuisseu LD, Tchounwou CK, Gomes M, Howard C, and Tchounwou PB. 2009. Ascorbic acid potentiation of arsenic trioxide anticancer activity against acute promyelocytic leukemia. Archives of Drug Information. 2(4): 59-65. PMID: 20098508 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20098508

    8. Yedjou CG, and Tchounwou PB. 2009. Arsenic trioxide-induced modulation of p53, c-fos, RARE, cyclin D1, and cyclin A in human leukemia (HL-60) cells. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 331(1-2): 207-214. PMID: 19444595 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19444595

    9. Moore P, Yedjou CG, and Tchounwou PB. 2010. Malathion-Induced Oxidative Stress, Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity in Human Liver Carcinoma (HepG2) Cells. Environ Toxicol. 25(3):221-6. PMID: 19399848 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19399848

    10. Yedjou C, Izevbigie E, Tchounwou P. 2008. Preclinical assessment of vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts as DNA damaging anti-cancer agent in the management of breast cancer.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 5(5):337-41. PMID: 19151427 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19151427

    11. Yedjou CG, Waters D, Tchounwou P.B. 2008. N-acetyl-cysteine protection against lead-induced oxidative stress and genotoxicity in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Metal Ions Biol. Med. 10, 419-424.

    12. Yedjou CG, Sutton L, Tchounwou P.B. 2008. Genotoxic mechanisms of arsenic trioxide effect in human Jurkat T-lymphoma cells. Metal Ions Biol. Med. 10, 495-499.

    13. Brown E, Yedjou C.G, Tchounwou P.B. 2008. Oxidative stress in human liver carcinoma cells exposed to arsenic trioxide (HepG2). Metal Ions Biol. Med. 10, 583-587. PMID: 20657712 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20657712

    14. Yedjou CG, Rogers C, Brown E, and Tchounwou PB. 2008. Differential effect of ascorbic acid and n-acetyl-l-cysteine on arsenic trioxide mediated oxidative stress in human leukemia (HL-60) cells. Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology. 22(2), 85-92. PMID: 14971657 [PubMed] . Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14971657

    15. Yedjou CG, and Tchounwou PB. 2007. N-acetyl-l-cysteine affords protection against lead-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 4(2), 132-137. PMID: 14682389 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14682389

    16. Yedjou CG, and Tchounwou PB. 2007. In-vitro genotoxic effect of arsenic trioxide to human leukemia (HL-60) cells using the comet assay. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 301(1-2), 123-130. PMID: 17216127 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17216127

    17. Centeno JA, Tchounwou PB, Patlolla AK, Mullick FG, Murakat L, Meza E, Gibb H, Longfellow D, and Yedjou CG. Environmental pathology and health effects of arsenic poisoning: a critical review. In: Naidu R, Smith E, Smith J and Bhattacharya P eds. Managing Arsenic In the Environment: From Soil to Human Health. CSIRO Publishing Corp. Adelaide, Australia. (Book Chapter), 2006.

    18. Yedjou CG, and Tchounwou PB. 2006. Oxidative stress in human leukemia (HL-60), human liver carcinoma (HepG2), and human Jurkat T-cells exposed to arsenic trioxide. Metal Ions Biol. Med. 9, 298-303.

    19. Yedjou CG, Moore M, and Tchounwou PB. 2006. Dose and time-dependent response of human acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells to arsenic trioxide treatment. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 3 (2), 136-140. PMID: 16823087 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16823087

    20. Yedjou CG, Steverson M, and Tchounwou PB. 2006. Lead nitrate-induced oxidative stress in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Metal Ions Biol. Med. 9, 293-297.

    21. Tchounwou PB, Yedjou CG, Foxx DN, Ishaque AB, and SheN E. 2004. Lead-induced cytotoxicity and transcriptional activation of stress genes in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. 255: 161-170. PMID: 14971657 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14971657

  1. Tchounwou PB, Yedjou CG, and Dorsey WC. 2003. Arsenic trioxide-induced transcriptional activation and expression of stress genes in human liver carcinoma cells (HepG2). Cellular and Molecular BiologyTM. 49 (7), 1071-1079. PMID: 14682389 [PubMed]. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14682389

DISTANCE LEARNING PUBLICATIONS

Yedjou CG, Hardy M, Tchounwou P, and Begonia G. 2007. Teaching with technology and students performance. Sloan Consortium Conference Proceeding. 2007. Available online at: http://www.sloanconsortium.org/conference/proceedings/2007/ppt/1176427324363.ppt#256.

    1. Yedjou CG, Hardy M, Tchounwou P, and Begonia G. 2009. Comparison of In-class and Online Learning. Online Journal of Rural and Urban Research. Vol 1. No.

BOOK (S)

Centeno JA, Tchounwou PB, Patlolla AK, Mullick FG, Murakat L, Meza E, Gibb H, Longfellow D, and Yedjou CG. Environmental pathology and health effects of arsenic poisoning: a critical review. In: Naidu R, Smith E, Smith J and Bhattacharya P eds. Managing Arsenic In the Environment: From Soil to Human Health. CSIRO Publishing Corp. Adelaide, Australia. (Book Chapter), 2006.

REARCH FUNDING

COMPLETE SUPPORT

Center for University Scholar, Title III Program Summer 2007

Role: Principal Investigator

The major goal of this project was to evaluate the cytotoxic and genotoxic damage associated with lead exposure in HL-60 cells.

5G11HD046519-05 (Howard) 01/01/08- 12/31/09

NIH

Role: Principal Investigator

NIH-Extramural Associates Fellow and EARDA Program

The major goal of this project was to determine the mechanisms of arsenic trioxide mediated apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells.

5G11HD046519-05 (Horward) 07/01/09 - 06/30/10

NIH

Role: Principal Investigator

NIH-Extramural Associates Fellow and EARDA Program

The major goal of this project was to assess the therapeutic efficacy of ascorbic acid in the prevention of breast cancer.

CURRENT SUPPORT

2G12RR013459 (Meyers) 06/01/11 - 5/30/13

NIH/RCMI

Role: Principal Investigator

NCRR-RCMI Center for Environmental Health

The major goal of this project is to determine the mechanisms of Vernonia amygdalina induced-oxidative stress and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

2G12RR013459 (Meyers) 06/01/08 - 5/30/13 NIH/RCMI

Role: Project Collaborator

NCRR-RCMI Center for Environmental Health

The major goal of this project is to assess the cytotoxicity of thioamide derivatives to HepG2 and SW 579 cells and using this assay to further study the mechanisms of action of these compounds.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

CERTIFICATE IN DISTANCE LEARNING EDUCATION

Certificate of Achievement for satisfactorily met the requirement as set forth by the Distance Learning Decision Making Unit for completion of the Workshops: Introduction to WebCT; Designing & Creating courses in WebCT; Teaching with WebCT; Creating Quizzes, Surveys, & Assignment; Mastering WebCT’s Gradebook. Jackson State University. July 26, 2006.

CURRENT ONLINE TEACHING COURSES

Develop, build, design, and teach online via WebCT the following courses:

BIO-235 & BIOL-235, Human Anatomy & Physiology II, Lecture & Lab

BIO-101 & BIOL-101, Intro to Biological Science, Lecture & Lab

BIO-234 & BIOL-234, Human Anatomy & Physiology I, Lecture & Lab

BIO-599: Thesis Research

BIO799: Dissertation Research

DISTANCE LEARNING SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS

    1. Clement G. Yedjou, Mark Hardy, Paul Tchounwou, and Gregorio Begonia. Learning outcomes in a Human Anatomy and Physiology Virtual/Labs. 12th Creating Futures Through Technology Conference held at Beau Rivage Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi. February 6-8, 2008

    2. Clement G. Yedjou. Comparison of In-class and Online-Learning Students’ Performance and Attitudes in an Intro to Biological Science Course Instruction. 13rd Annual International Conference in Online Learning held at Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. November 07-09, 2007.

    3. Clement G. Yedjou, Mark Hardy, Dorris Gardner, Paul Tchounwou, and Gregorio Begonia. Learning Communities for STEM Academic Achievement. Annual Conference held at Talladega College, Alabama. June 05-07, 2007.

    4. Clement G. Yedjou. Teaching with technology. Strengthening the Workforce for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics sponsored by the National Science Foundation held at Jackson State 5. University, Jackson MS. May 21-25, 2007.

    5. Clement G. Yedjou. Teaching with technology and students performance (Comparison of In-class and Online-Learning Students’ Performance and Attitudes in an Intro to Biological Science Course). Distance Learning for the College of Science, Engineering and Technology held at Jackson State University, Jackson MS. April 24, 2007.

RECOGNITION & CERTIFICATES

    1. Certificate of recognition for outstanding workshop presentation for the Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi. Summer Institute, 2007.

    2. Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding service as an Advanced Seminar Judge for Gallaway High School, Jackson, MS. April-30-May 4, 2007.

    3. Certificate of Attendance for the 9th International Symposium on Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine. Lisbon, Portugal. May 21-24, 2006.

    4. Certificate of Achievement for satisfactory met the requirement in Distance learning Education. July 02, 2006.

    5. Certificate of Achievement for successfully completing the BD FACSVantageTM Operator Course (Basics). San Jose, CA. February 20-24, 2006.

    6. Certificate of recognition as a member of the honor of Mu Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda for excellence in service to grate and professional school students through outstanding scholarship, character, and leadership. April 2004.

    7. Certificate of recognition for outstanding contribution at the 63 rd joint Meeting of NIS/BKX at Montgomery, AL. Co-hosted by Alabama State University and Tuskegee University.

    8. Certificate of recognition as a member of the honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi., April 19, 2006. Elected to Who’s Who Among Student in America Universities and Colleges in recognition of outstanding merit and accomplishment as a student at Jackson State University. 2004-2006.

    9. Certificate of Appreciation for serving faithfully and diligently as a judge in the Mississippi Science and Engineering Fair-Region II. Jackson State University. 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.

    10. Recognition for Outstanding Academic Leadership, Graduate Student Appreciation Week. Jackson State University. April 7-11, 2003.

    11. Certificate of recognition as an honored member of the Empire Who’s Who Resgistry of Excecutives and Professionals. 2004-2005.

    12. Certificate of Appreciation for Excellence Academic Achievement. Jackson State University. May 8, 2003.

    13. Certificate of Appreciation for Contributing Guidance, Inspiration, and Support to the Mississippi Science Olympiad Tournament. April 3, 2004.

    14. Recognition for Dedication and Valuable Service as Graduate Teaching Assistant. Jackson State University. April 29, 2004.

    15. Certificate of Participation for “Discovering Research Experiences in Area of Math and Science”. Jackson State University. January 22-24, 2004.