Loukia Karacosta, PhD ‘13

Loukia Karacosta traveled 5,000 miles to study in the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences. It was one of the best moves she’d made.

Karacosta, a dual citizen of the United States and Cyprus, realized her professional dream: collaborating with scientists at one of the world’s premier cancer research centers.

“I decided to attend UB for two reasons—one, its connection with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Karacosta says. “Two, I wanted to give myself a chance to learn about other fields besides cancer research. You’re more whole as a scientist if you’re exposed to other techniques and fields.”

Karacosta researched the role of protein kinases in prostate cancer. She learned about the research at a PPBS poster presentation.

“We were working on basic cell biology in my lab, and we wanted to expand the research to a more translational level,” recalls her mentor, Arthur Edelman, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology. “But we needed the right person to push the project. Loukia did that, and it’s opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.”

The project was divided between Edelman’s lab and Roswell Park. Karacosta was comfortable working in both settings because she had a chance to explore each during her PPBS lab rotations.

“I collaborated with very important people in the field of cancer research,” she says. “I am totally devoted to research. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Karakosta is an assistant professor in the Division of Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging at the The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.