Thomas Kalantzakos
M.D./Ph.D. Student
Thomas is a medical student in the South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD Program). He will enter into graduate school portion of the training program in 2024.
About Me
Thomas Kalantzakos is coming to the South Texas MSTP by way of Boston, MA. He was a member of the College of the Holy Cross Class of 2018, where he majored in Biology and competed as a member of the Division I varsity Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Following graduation, he worked in the Translational Research lab at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, focusing on the treatment of urologic cancers. While he looks back fondly on his time in Massachusetts, he is excited to get away from the snow in San Antonio.
Hobbies/Interests
Going to the gym, fantasy football, watching sports.
Research Topic
Epigenetic and genomic changes during cancer initiation and progression that can be used to guide diagnosis and treatment.
Why I chose MD/PhD
I chose MD/PhD because I believe in the synergy of clinical practice and academic research. As a physician-scientist, I will have the depth of training required to not only identify areas of improvement for patient care in my field, but also to ask nuanced research questions to explore those areas. I believe dual competency will improve the quality of care I can provide in clinic and my productivity in the lab.
Why I chose MD/PhD at UT Health San Antonio
I chose MD/PhD at UT Health San Antonio due to the quality and quantity of cancer biology research, and the performance of other students that have matriculated here. There is no question that at UT Health San Antonio, I will have everything I need to develop into a successful physician-scientist. The success achieved by students of this program in terms of grant acquisition and residency matches speaks for itself.
Post-bac work or other affiliations
Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in the Translational Research Lab.
Education
B.A., Biology, College of the Holy Cross, 2018
Publications
Kohli, H., Childs, B., Sullivan, T. B., Shevtsov, A., Burks, E., Kalantzakos, T., Rieger-Christ, K., & Vanni, A. J. (2021). Differential expression of mirnas involved in biological processes responsible for inflammation and immune response in lichen sclerosus urethral stricture disease. PLOS ONE, 16(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261505
Kalantzakos, T. J., Sullivan, T. B., Gloria, T., Canes, D., Moinzadeh, A., & Rieger-Christ, K. M. (2021). MIRNA-424-5p suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma and attenuates expression of O-glcnac-transferase. Cancers, 13(20), 5160. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13205160
Kalantzakos, T. J., Sullivan, T. B., Sebel, L. E., Canes, D., Burks, E. J., Moinzadeh, A., & Rieger-Christ, K. M. (2021). MicroRNAs Mir-15a and Mir-26a cooperatively regulate O-glcnac-transferase to control proliferation in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Cancer Biomarkers, 30(3), 343–351. https://doi.org/10.3233/cbm-200553
Moynihan, M. J., Sullivan, T. B., Burks, E., Schober, J., Calabrese, M., Fredrick, A., Kalantzakos, T., Warrick, J., Canes, D., Raman, J. D., & Rieger-Christ, K. (2020). MicroRNA profile in stage I clear cell renal cell carcinoma predicts progression to metastatic disease. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, 38(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.05.006