James Robinson

Biography

Dr. James Robinson, an expert in tumor biology, is an Assistant Professor and Section Leader of the Cell Signaling and Tumorigenesis section at The Hormel Institute. Prior to working at The Hormel Institute, Dr. Robinson was a Research Associate at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City Utah. Dr. Robinson is originally from Repton located in the county of Derbyshire in England. The death of his maternal grandmother from Colon Cancer motivated him to pursue a career in Cancer Research. His Ph.D. in Tumor Biology under the tutelage of Professors Andrew Sliver and Ian Tomlinson focused on the role of LKB1 gene in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS). A rare hereditary intestinal polyposis syndrome that puts people at an increased risk of developing cancers of the colon, pancreas, stomach, breast and ovaries. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he moved to the Holmen Laboratory to study the development of brain cancer (glioma) and skin cancer (melanoma). While at the Holmen Laboratory, he made significant advances in the study of glioma and the drove the development a mouse model to study targeted melanoma therapies. Dr. Robinson is the recipient of a National Cancer Institute award to study the role of tumor microenvironment interactions in cancer. His long-term goals include the development a systematic approach for the identification and validation of stromal signaling pathways responsible for the promotion, maintenance, metastasis, and chemoresistance of cancer. His outside interests include hiking, climbing, history, politics, and philosophy.

Research Interest

Oncology