BIRMINGHAM, AL, October 08, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Julienne Carstens has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Carstens has established herself as an expert in metastatic pancreatic cancer, currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham since 2022. In this capacity, she is responsible for training junior scientists and counseling graduate and undergraduate students on their research ideas and hypotheses. She also orchestrates collaborative efforts toward common publications and grant applications, teaches lectures, develops coursework for scientific training and provides critical feedback on colleagues' research.

In addition to these responsibilities, Dr. Carstens also co-directs a core facility for spatial biology, where she designs curriculum and postdoctoral training programs and facilitates a deeper understanding of biological processes in the context of spatial and temporal cell placement. Her technical expertise extends to training others in advanced spatial biology techniques.

Dr. Carstens' career is distinguished by her groundbreaking contributions to cancer research. She is recognized for challenging the prevailing belief that the epithelial to mesenchymal transition is required for metastasis, demonstrating through her research, published in Nature, that cancer cells can employ multiple mechanisms to spread. This work challenged a misconception in the field and underscored the complexity of cancer metastasis. Dr. Carstens' subsequent studies have illuminated the concept of organotropism, revealing that tumors arising in different organs represent distinct diseases with unique microenvironments. These insights have profound implications for developing targeted therapies tailored to specific tumor characteristics.

Building on these transformative discoveries, Dr. Carstens was among the first to publish findings on the importance of spatial localization of T cells in predicting outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients. This pioneering work in spatial biology underscored the necessity of considering both spatial and temporal contexts in understanding cancer dynamics.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Carstens completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center at The University of Texas from 2013 to 2020. During this period, she focused on tumor microenvironments and fibroblasts under the mentorship of Dr. Raghu Kalluri, exploring mechanisms behind metastasis and the interactions between immune cells and cancer cells. Dr. Carstens' research contributed to multiple influential publications and furthered knowledge about how immune responses can be harnessed against metastatic disease.

Dr. Carstens began her scientific career as a graduate researcher at Baylor College of Medicine from 2007 to 2013. There, she unraveled tissue-specific roles and cross-tissue interactions between the FGFR1, WNT, and TGFß signaling pathways in prostate cancer, establishing FGFR1 signaling as the tumor-initiating event, while Wnt signaling by the epithelium or the epithelium and the stroma accelerated tumor progression by inducing TGFß production in the tumor stroma. This project yielded in vivo evidence of the critical stromal contribution to prostate cancer progression by generating several novel mouse models and spearheading a complex cancer stem cell and stromal stem cell mixing transplant system. These novel techniques identified specific pathway alterations underlying frequent phenotypic changes observed in patients and underscored the importance of adding stromal pathology to Gleason scores for prognostic decisions.

Throughout her professional journey, Dr. Carstens has demonstrated distinguished expertise in metastatic pancreatic cancer research, a commitment that is reflected not only in her professional accomplishments but also in her active engagement with leading industry organizations. She maintains memberships with the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Pancreatic Society, and the Metastasis Research Society.

Dr. Carstens' academic foundation includes a Doctor of Philosophy in cell and molecular biology with a focus on prostate cancer from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, earned in 2013. She previously graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology and a minor in chemistry from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, in 2007. Dr. Carstens' academic path was shaped by an early interest in biology sparked during her undergraduate studies when she became fascinated by viral infections and immune system responses. This curiosity led her to question why immune defenses could not target cancer cells, a question that ultimately defined her career trajectory.

Reflecting on her career, Dr. Carstens attributes her success to determination, resilience in managing a lifelong chronic pain disorder and a commitment to focusing energy on meaningful goals rather than perfectionism. She emphasizes the importance of seeking mentorship from diverse sources and values collaboration with individuals from different backgrounds, including insights gained from her husband's experience in business and engineering, which has fostered creativity and innovation within her research team. Dr. Carstens' faith has also played a significant role in motivating her to ensure that scientific discoveries benefit real people beyond academic achievement.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dr. Carstens enjoys spending time with her children and is dedicated to homeschooling their education. Looking ahead, she aims to uncover why certain patients with liver metastases from pancreatic cancer do not respond to chemotherapy and seeks to apply these findings across other types of cancer to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Carstens is committed to translating laboratory discoveries into clinical trials that enhance treatment options for those facing metastatic disease while also developing educational tools that clarify spatial-temporal biology for training future scientists.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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