Terry Shackleford, Ph.D.

General Biology for Majors
Cell Biology
Cell and Molecular Methods Lab
Mechanisms of Disease
Honors Thesis/Project
Preceptorship in Health Professions

Postdoctoral Research, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute
Ph.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2008
B.S., Kansas State University, 2001

Pediatric Cancer Biology
Targeted Cancer Therapeutics
Molecular Oncology and Cell Signaling

Terry Jo Shackleford is an Associate Professor of Biology at St. Mary’s University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in biology, cell biology and medical genomics. She is committed to integrating research into the classroom, providing students with authentic scientific experiences that prepare them for careers in medicine, biomedical research, biotechnology and graduate education.

Shackleford earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Kansas State University before completing her Ph.D. in Cancer Biology through the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Her doctoral research investigated the regulation of the oncogene JAB1/CSN5 in breast cancer and identified novel signaling pathways controlling its expression.

Following graduate school, she served as a Grants Program Manager in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center before gaining experience in the life sciences industry. She later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute at UT Health San Antonio, where she studied mechanisms of resistance to insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) targeted therapies in pediatric sarcomas.

Since joining the St. Mary’s faculty in 2018, Shackleford has developed an active undergraduate research program focused on cancer biology while mentoring students pursuing careers in medicine, graduate school and biomedical research. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes inquiry-based learning, scientific communication and providing students with opportunities to conduct meaningful research alongside faculty mentors.

Shackleford’s laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that drive pediatric cancers and contribute to resistance against targeted therapies. Her research focuses on identifying signaling pathways that promote tumor progression and discovering combination therapeutic strategies that may improve treatment outcomes.

Current research areas include:

Pediatric sarcoma biology, including Ewing sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma
Mechanisms of resistance to targeted cancer therapies
Transcription factor regulation and oncogenic signaling networks
SOX18-mediated regulation of tumor progression, invasion and metastasis
Combination therapies designed to overcome drug resistance

Boies L, Tinacba F*, Shackleford T.J. Urban Green Spaces Set the Stage for Rare Interspecific Allopreening Between Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus). Ecol Evol. 2026 Jan 12;16(1):e72669. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.72669. PMID: 41531915; PMCID: PMC12794025.
o This publication was featured in a New York Times science article, “These Birds Are of Different Feathers, but They Flock Together,” published February 9, 2026.
lesanmi, A.; Stevens-Washington, C.; Jones, S.; Alarcon, K.; Aryal, A.; Subbarayalu, P.; Shackleford, T.J.; Crossley, D.; Onyeagucha, B.C. Signal Peptide-CUB-EGF-like Domain-Containing Protein 3 (SCUBE3): From Molecule to Therapy. Therapeutics 2026, 3, 5. oi.org/10.3390/therapeutics3010005
Shackleford TJ, Hariharan H, Vaseva AV, Alagoa K, Espinoza M, Bid HK, Li F, Zhong H, Phelps DA, Roberts RD, Cam H, London CA, Guttridge DC, Chen Y, Rao M, Shiio Y, Houghton PJ. Redundant Signaling as the Predominant Mechanism for Resistance to Antibodies Targeting the Type-I Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor in Cells Derived from Childhood Sarcoma. Mol Cancer Ther 1 April 2023; 22 (4): 539–550. DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-20-0625. PMID:36696581. PMCID: PMC10073271.
Garcia N, Del Pozo V, Yohe ME, Goodwin CM, Shackleford TJ, Wang L, Baxi K, Chen Y, Rogojina AT, Zimmerman SM, Peer CJ, Figg WD, Ignatius MS, Wood KC, Houghton PJ, Vaseva AV. Vertical Inhibition of the RAF-MEK-ERK Cascade Induces Myogenic Differentiation, Apoptosis and Tumor Regression in H/NRAS Q61X-mutant Rhabdomyosarcoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2022 Jan;21(1):170-183. DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0194. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8742779.
Dowless MS, Lowery CD, Shackleford TJ, Renschler M, Stephens JR, Flack R, Blosser W, Gupta S, Stewart J, Webster Y, Dempsey J, VanWye AB, Ebert PJ, Iversen P, Olsen JB, Gong X, Buchanan SG, Houghton PJ, Stancato LF. Abemaciclib is Active in Preclinical Models of Ewing’s Sarcoma via Multi-pronged Regulation of Cell Cycle, DNA Methylation, and Interferon Pathway Signaling. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Aug 21. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-1256. PMID: 30131386 PMCID: PMC6279561.

_{* St. Mary’s University student}

Nguyen V*, Magaro M*, Elbayeh B* and Shackleford TJ. SOX18 Overexpression Drives Context-Specific Immune Suppression and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Pediatric Ewing Sarcoma. March 7-10, 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting.
Elbayeh M*, Magaro M*, Nguyen V* and Shackleford TJ. SOX18 Overexpression Enhances the Tumorigenic Potential of Ewing Sarcoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines. March 7-10, 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting.
Tinacba F*, Hernandez K* and Shackleford TJ. Evaluation of Angiogenesis in an Ex-Ovo Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay to Study the Effects of SOX18 Inhibitors in Pediatric Cancer Cell Lines. AACR Annual Meeting Undergraduate Caucus. April 25-30, 2025. Chicago, IL.
Hernandez K*, Tinacba F* and Shackleford TJ. Investigating the Effects of Natural Compounds on Ewing sarcoma In Vitro. AACR Annual Meeting Undergraduate Caucus. April 25-30, 2025. Chicago, IL.
Valle D*, Ojile J*, Rubannelsonkumar C* and Shackleford TJ. Overexpression of SOX18 Promotes Proliferation, Colony Formation and Migration in Pediatric Sarcomas. San Antonio Pediatric Cancer Symposium. Feb 19-22, 2023. San Antonio, TX.
Valle D*, Nguyen V*, Ojile J*, Rubannelsonkumar C* and Shackleford TJ. Overexpression of SOX18 Increases Cell Proliferation, Migration and Colony Formation in Pediatric Sarcomas. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. March 25-28, 2023. Seattle, WA.
Rubannelsonkumar C*, Ojile, J*, Mendez, J*, Valle, D* and Shackleford TJ. Role of SOX18 in Promoting Tumorigenesis in Pediatric Cancer Cell Lines. April 2-5, 2022. Experimental Biology, Philadelphia, PA.

_{* St. Mary’s University student}

Google Scholar
Pubmed Bibliography
St. Mary’s University Digital Commons
Mechanisms of Disease Lab Publications
Cell and Molecular Methods Lab Publications