Zachary Levi Watson, PhD

Education
PhD (2013) Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida

Contact
Research Complex 2
12700 East 19th Avenue
Room 3006, MS 8613
Aurora, CO 80045

Phone: 303-724-8682
Fax: (303) 724-3512

Research Interests
Prior to joining the CU Gynecologic Oncology Research Group, Dr. Watson’s graduate work in virology at the University of Florida explored epigenetic control of herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation. He also examined the use of AAV-vectored delivery of ribozymes as a novel therapy to prevent HSV reactivation. In 2014, he began postdoctoral training at the University of Colorado, exploring DNA methylation and chemokine signaling in HPV-associated head and neck cancers. In 2017, he joined Dr. Benjamin Bitler’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow in the CU OB-GYN department. He applied his expertise in epigenetics to examine how histone modifying enzymes promote therapy resistance in ovarian cancers. This work has led to four publications, and Dr. Watson and his collaborators are continuing this line of work with an eye toward clinical trials using new targeted therapy drugs. In 2019 Dr. Watson became faculty and he initiated a collaboration with scientists at CU and at the VA exploring the influence of adipocytes and their effects on ovarian cancer metabolism and anti-tumor immunity. This highly innovative work is now showing that changing the adipose environment of ovarian cancer tumors can slow their growth and alter the immune response. Promoted to Assistant Professor in 2023, Dr. Watson is continuing to expand this work in exciting new directions. Dr. Watson has previously been funded by the Cancer League of Colorado, the Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute, and the National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI), and has ongoing funding from the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program, a joint award from the CU Cancer Center and the American Cancer Society, and the Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research, the first ever awarded to a scientist at CU. In 2024, for his work in adiposity and ovarian cancer, Dr. Watson was named as a Scholar for the CU Specialized Center of Research Excellence (CO-SCORE) on Sex Differences (U54 AG062319) focused on Bioenergetic and Cardiometabolic Consequences of the Loss of Gonadal Function.

Full List of Publications

Recent Publications

1. Woodruff ER, Bailey CA, To F, Manda V, Maltzahn JK, Sullivan TM, Boorgula MP, Recouvreux MS, Vianzon R, Conrad B, Gavin KM, Jordan KR, Klemm DJ, Orsulic S, Bitler BG, Watson ZL. Ablation of hematopoietic stem cell derived adipocytes reduces tumor burden in syngeneic mouse models of high-grade serous carcinoma. bioRxiv [Preprint] 2024. PMID: 39345441.
2. Nguyen LL, Watson ZL, Ortega R, Woodruff ER, Jordan KR, Iwanaga R, Yamamoto TM, Bailey CA, To F, Lin S, Villagomez FR, Jeong AD, Guntupalli SR, Behbakht K, Gibaja V, Arnoult N, Chuong EB, Bitler BG. EHMT1/2 inhibition promotes regression of therapy-resistant ovarian cancer tumors in a CD8 T cell-dependent manner. Molecular Cancer Research. 2024. PMID: 39136655.
3. Nguyen LL, Watson ZL, Ortega R, Woodruff ER, Jordan KR, Iwanaga R, Yamamoto TM, Bailey CA, To F, Jeong AD, To F, Guntupalli SR, Behbakht K, Gibaja V, Arnoult N, Cocozaki A, Chuong EB, Bitler BG. Combining EHMT and PARP Inhibition: A Strategy to Diminish Therapy-Resistant Ovarian Cancer Tumor Growth while Stimulating Immune Activation. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 2024. PMID: 38863225.
4. Bapat J, Yamamoto TM, Woodruff ER, Qamar L, Aird KM, Watson ZL, Brubaker LW, Bitler BG. CASC4/GOLM2 drives high grade serous ovarian cancer anoikis resistance through recycling of EGFR. Oncogene. 2023. PMID: 38030811.
5. Bitler BG, Bailey CA, Yamamoto TM, McMellen A, Kim H, Watson ZL. Targeting BRPF3 moderately reduces olaparib resistance in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Molecular Carcinogenesis. 2023. PMID: 37493106.
6. Brubaker LW, Reigan P, Backos D, Yamamoto TM, Woodruff ER, Iwanaga R, Wempe M, Kumar V, Persenaire C, Watson ZL, Bitler BG. Novel chromobox 2 inhibitory peptide decreases tumor progression. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets. 2023. PMID: 37243607.
7. Jordan KR, Sikora MJ, Slansky JE, Minic A, Richer JK, Moroney MR, Hu J, Wolsky RJ, Watson ZL, Yamamoto TM, Costello JC, Clauset A, Behbakht K, Kumar TR, Bitler BG. The capacity of the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment to integrate inflammation signaling conveys a shorter disease-free interval. Clinical Cancer Research. 2020. PMID: 32928797.
8. Sawyer BT, Qamar L, Yamamoto TM, McMellen A, Watson ZL, Richer JK, Behbakht K, Schlaepfer IR, Bitler BG. Targeting fatty acid oxidation to promote anoikis and inhibit ovarian cancer progression. Molecular Cancer Research. 2020. PMID: 32198139.
9. Watson ZL, Yamamoto TM, McMellen A, Kim H, Hughes CJ, Wheeler LJ, Post MD, Behbakht K, Bitler BG. Histone methyltransferases EHMT1 and EHMT2 (GLP/G9A) maintain PARP inhibitor resistance in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma. Clinical Epigenetics. 2019. PMID: 31775874
10. 10. Park PH, Yamamoto TM, Li H, Alcivar AL, Xia B, Wang Y, Bernhardy AJ, Turner KM, Kossenkov AV, Watson ZL, Behbakht K, Casadei S, Swisher EM, Mischel PS, Johnson N, Bitler BG. Amplification of the mutation-carrying BRCA2 allele promotes RAD51 loading and PARP inhibitor resistance in the absence of reversion mutations. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 2019. PMID: 31575654.