Beth Pflug, PhD is associate professor of medicine in the division of clinical pharmacology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She received her doctoral degree from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. and completed post-doctoral fellowships in the Department of Cell Biology at Georgetown University and in the Department of Urology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Indiana University, Dr. Pflug was associate professor of urology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Pflug's laboratory is interested in growth regulation and novel therapeutic and imaging targets for prostate cancer. One aspect of her research focuses on new treatment strategies such as endothelin receptor blockade to combat advanced prostate disease. Our laboratory is also examining bone cell/prostate cancer cell interactions to further identify new mechanisms for therapeutic intervention for prostate cancer patients with metastatic disease to the bone. Continuation of work involving the endothelin axis include the characterization of ET-1 signaling pathways in prostate cancer and expanding the therapeutic targets for prostate cancer treatment. In addition to the studies on the endothelin axis, Dr. Pflug’s laboratory is also pursuing studies in altered cell metabolism during prostate cancer progression. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is the major multifunctional enzyme required by cells to convert carbohydrates to fatty acids de novo. FAS protein levels and enzyme activity are low in most normal tissues, but become up-regulated in prostate cancer. Dr. Pflug’s studies investigate the role of FASN and lipids during androgen-dependent and -independent prostate tumorigenesis using in vitro and transgenic mouse models, and examine the effects of FASN anti-metabolite therapy on cell death and tumor regression. In addition, the laboratory is exploring the use of PET imaging for the study of FASN and additional targets in local and metastatic prostate tumors, with the ultimate goal of developing this technique into a method for imaging advanced disease.

Education and Former Affiliations

• Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Ph.D. Cell Biology, 1991-1997
• Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1997-1998
• The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, M.D., Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1998-2000
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, P.A., Associate Professor, 2000-2009