Dr. Davydova is an Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She is also a faculty member at the UMN Institute for Molecular Virology, Masonic Cancer Center, Center for Genome Engineering, and MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program.
Dr. Davydova has over 20 years of experience in the field of gene therapy and cancer research. As a member of the Gene Therapy Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), she was directly involved in the development of first generations of adenoviral vectors for malignant diseases and establishment of standardized procedures for virus manufacturing. Her scientific contribution has resulted in developing critical elements to improve infectivity and specificity of adenovirus-based vectors which extended their utility for human gene therapy.
Since joining the Department of Surgery and the Masonic Cancer Center at the UMN in 2006, Dr. Davydova’s research is focused on the clinical translation of adenovirus-based technologies for cancer patients. Her work with a focus on oncolytic adenovirus-mediated therapies for pancreatic cancer was funded by multiple awards including two NIH R01 grants.
Dr. Davydova is a member of several professional societies, including American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, American Association of Cancer Research, American Pancreatic Association and serves as an Academic and/or Guest editor in professional journals. She is also actively participating as a reviewer at multiple NIH study sections (e.g., Translational Immuno-Oncology (TIO), Radiation Therapeutics and Biology (RTB), Clinical and Translational Exploratory/Developmental Studies) and many international grant review panels.
Dr. Davydova is a productive mentor to numerous laboratory trainees at different levels including undergrad and graduate students, medical scholars, postdoctoral fellows, surgical residents, and junior faculty.
Education
Dr. Davydova received her M.D. and Ph.D. in Pathophysiology and Molecular Biology from the Siberian State Medical University in Tomsk, Russia. In 2000, she was invited to join the Gene Therapy Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she obtained extensive training in virus-based gene therapy and cancer research.
Specialty
Graduate Faculty - Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MPaT)
