Rate My Professor Nydia Tejeda-Munoz

Nydia Tejeda-Munoz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology Science at the OU College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2016, graduating with Cum Laude honors. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, in the laboratory of Professor Edward M. De Robertis. Dr. Tejeda-Munoz joined the University of Oklahoma faculty in August 2023, contributing her expertise as a cancer cell biologist with over 13 years of experience investigating Wnt signaling pathways.

Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms regulating Wnt signaling in cancer, particularly the roles of macropinocytosis, lysosomal degradation, and focal adhesions in tumor progression and metastasis. She discovered that the Wnt canonical pathway activates macropinocytosis, allowing cancer cells to internalize and degrade extracellular proteins in lysosomes for nutrient acquisition and growth stimulation. Additional studies examine Wnt's regulation of focal adhesion proteins, which disrupts cell polarity, adhesion, and migration, fundamental steps in cancer invasiveness. Dr. Tejeda-Munoz aims to develop novel therapeutic strategies targeting endocytosis, macropinocytosis, lysosomal function, and Wnt-focal adhesion crosstalk to treat Wnt-dependent colon cancers by restoring cell adhesion and limiting metastatic potential. Key publications include: Tejeda-Muñoz N et al., "Wnt canonical pathway activates macropinocytosis and lysosomal degradation of extracellular proteins" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019, first author); Albrecht LV et al., "GSK3 Inhibits Macropinocytosis and Lysosomal Activity through the Wnt Destruction Complex Machinery" (Cell Reports, 2020, co-first author); Tejeda-Muñoz N and De Robertis EM, "Lysosomes are Required for Early Dorsal Signaling in the Xenopus Embryo" (PNAS, 2022, first author); and Tejeda-Muñoz N et al., "The PMA Phorbol Ester Tumor Promoter Increases Canonical Wnt Signaling Via Macropinocytosis" (eLife, 2023, first author).