Dr. Kiuru Research Lab

Assistant Professor

Biography

My research is centered on genetics of skin tumors and hereditary diseases involving the skin, hair and nails. My prior works include the discovery of fumarate hydratase mutations in hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC or Reed syndrome), PLCD1 mutations in hereditary white nail syndrome, and NF1 mutations in desmoplastic melanoma. As a practicing dermatopathologist/dermatologist, my research also aims at defining molecular alterations in melanocytic nevi (moles) to understand how they develop, establish markers to improve diagnosis, and identify molecular targets for prevention and treatment.  

Dr. Kiuru is a recipient of the NIH-NCI funded Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology K12 Career Development Award as well as the Dermatology Foundation Dermatopathology Career Development Award.  Dr. Kiuru has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, review articles, and book chapters, and has lectured at many national and international meetings.

Besides her medical education, Dr. Kiuru received her doctorate degree in cancer genetics. She continued to pursue her research interests in genetic medicine as a post-doctoral research fellow at Weill Cornell Medical College and at Columbia University studying hereditary skin blistering and hair and nail disorders. She did her general surgery internship and dermatology training at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center. Following her residency training, she completed a fellowship in dermatopathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College.

Title: Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology

Medical Education: University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, M.D., Ph.D.

Internships: New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center, General surgery

Residency: New York Presbyterian Hospital – Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dermatology

Fellowships: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College, Dermatopathology

Board Certifications: Dermatology, Dermatopathology

Select Publications:

1. Kiuru M, Busam KJ. The NF1 gene in tumor syndromes and melanoma. Lab Invest. 2017 Feb;97(2):146-157
2. Millsop JW, Sharon VR, Petukhova T, Fung MA, Kiuru M. Chemotherapy reaction induced by ixabepilone, a microtubule stabilizing agent, mimicking extramammary Paget's disease in a patient with breast carcinoma. J Cutan Pathol. 2016 Dec;43(12):1215-1219.
3. Kiuru M, Jungbluth A, Kutzner H, Wiesner T, Busam KJ. Spitz Tumors - Comparison of Histologic Features In Relationship to Immunohistochemical Staining for ALK and NTRK1. Int J Surg Pathol. 2016 May;24(3):200-6.
4. Wiesner T, Kiuru M, Scott SN, Arcila M, Halpern AC, Hollmann T, Berger MF, Busam KJ. NF1 Mutations Are Common in Desmoplastic Melanoma. Am J Surg Pathol. 2015 Oct;39(10):1357-62.
5. Geyer MB, Radhakrishnan K, Giller R, Umegaki N, Harel S, Kiuru M, Morel KD, LeBoeuf N, Kandel J, Bruckner A, Fabricatore S, Chen M, Woodley D, McGrath J, Baxter-Lowe L, Uitto J, Christiano AM, Cairo MS. Reduced Toxicity Conditioning and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. J Pediatr. 2015 Sep;167(3):765-769.
6. Marchetti MA, Kiuru M, Busam KJ, Marghoob AA, Scope A, Dusza SW, Cordova MA, Fonseca M, Wu X, Halpern AC. Melanocytic Naevi with Globular and Reticular Dermoscopic Patterns Display Distinct BRAF V600E Expression Profiles and Histopathologic Patterns. Br J Dermatol. 2014 Br J Dermatol. 2014 Nov;171(5):1060-5.
7. DeStefano GM, Kurban M, Anyane-Yeboa K, Dall'Armi C, Di Paolo G, Feenstra H, Silverberg N, Rohena L, López-Cepeda LD, Jobanputra V, Fantauzzo KA,Kiuru M, Tadin-Strapps M, Sobrino A, Vitebsky A, Warburton D, Levy B, Salas-Alanis JC, Christiano AM. Mutations in the cholesterol transporter gene ABCA5 are associated with excessive hair overgrowth. PLoS Genet. 2014 May 15;10(5):e1004333.
8. Kiuru M, McDermott G, Berger M, Halpern AC, Busam K. Desmoplastic Melanoma with Sarcomatoid De-differentiation. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014 Jun;38(6):864-70.
9. Kiuru M, McDermott G, Coit D, Berger M, Busam KJ. Basal cell carcinosarcoma with PTCH1 mutations in both epithelial and sarcomatoid primary tumor components as well as in the sarcomatoid metastasis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2014 Jan;38(1):138-42.
10. Kiuru M, Martinez-Mir A, Christiano AM. Basic principles of genetics. In Bolognia J, Jorizzo J, Schaffer J (Ed.), Dermatology, 3rd ed (pp. 783-798). Elsevier. 2012.
11. Kiuru M, Kurban M, Itoh M, Petukhova L, Shimomura Y, Wajid M, Christiano AM. Hereditary leukonychia, or porcelain nails, resulting from mutations in PLCD1. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jun 10;88(6):839-44.
12. Itoh M,Kiuru M, Cairo MS, Christiano AM. Generation of keratinocytes from normal and recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa-induced pluripotent stem cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 May 24;108(21):8797-802.
13. Kiuru M, Itoh M, Cairo MS, Christiano AM. Bone marrow stem cell therapy for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Dermatol Clin. 2010 Apr;28(2):371-82, xii-xiii.
14. Kiuru M, Hidaka C, Hubner RH, Krause A, Leopold PL, Crystal RG. Sonic Hedgehog Expands Diaphyseal Trabecular Bone Altering Bone Marrow Niche and Lymphocyte Compartment. Mol Ther. 2009 Aug;17(8):1442-52.
15. Kiuru M, Boyer J, O’Connor TP, Crystal RG. Control of wayward stem cells after transplantation. Cell Stem Cell 2009. 4(4): 289 – 300.
16. Vanharanta S, Buchta M, McWhinney SR, Virta SK, Peczkowska M, Morrison CD, Lehtonen R, Januszewicz A, Jarvinen H, Juhola M, Mecklin JP, Pukkala E, Herva R,Kiuru M, Nupponen NN, Aaltonen LA, Neumann HP, Eng C. Early-onset renal cell carcinoma as a novel extraparaganglial component of SDHB-associated heritable paraganglioma. Am J Hum Genet. 2004 Jan; 74(1): 153-159.
17. Eng C,Kiuru M, Fernandez MJ, Aaltonen LA. A role for mitochondrial enzymes in inherited neoplasia and beyond. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Mar; 3(3): 193-202.
18. The Multiple Leiomyoma Consortium: Group 1: Tomlinson IP, et al., Group 2: Bevan S, et al., Group 3: Kiuru M, et al. Germline mutations in FH predispose to dominantly inherited uterine fibroids, skin leiomyomata and papillary renal cell cancer. Nat Genet. 2002, Apr; 30(4):406-410.
19. Kiuru M, Launonen V, Hietala M, Aittomaki K, Vierimaa O, Salovaara R, Arola J, Pukkala E, Sistonen P, Herva R, Aaltonen LA. Familial cutaneous leiomyomatosis is a two-hit condition associated with renal cell cancer of characteristic histopathology. Am J Pathol. 2001, Sep; 159(3):825-829.
20. Launonen V, Vierimaa O,Kiuru M, Isola J, Roth S, Pukkala E, Sistonen P, Herva R, Aaltonen LA. Inherited susceptibility to uterine leiomyomas and renal cell cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001, Mar; 98(6):3387-3392.