Research

Southern Utah University Team (Undergraduate); CoPI w/ Dr. Jessica Pullan

Caleb Hoffman 2024 - current

Jack Stevenson 2024 - current

Jackson Sandberg 2024 - current

 Engineering Biology Research Consortium (2024). Engineering Biology for Space Health: An Innovative Research Roadmap. Retrieved from http://roadmap.ebrc.org. doi: 10.25498/E4D59R. Invited author. Publication was peer reviewed continuously as written by EBRC members.

Dailey, K. M*.; Small, J.M.; Pullan, J.E.; Winfree, S.; Vance, K.; Orr, M.; Mallik, S.; Bayles, K.W.;  Hollingsworth, M.A.; Brooks, A. E. An Intravenous Pancreatic Cancer Therapeutic:  Characterization of CRISPR/Cas9n-modified Clostridium novyi-NT. (2023) PLoS One. 2023,  18(11): e0289183; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289183

Roe, J.M.; Seeley, K.; Bussard, C.J.; Eischen Martin, E.; Mouw, E.G.; Bayles, K.W.; Hollingsworth,   M.A.;   Brooks, A.E.; and Dailey, K.M.* (2023) Hacking the Immune Response to Solid Tumors: Harnessing the Anti-Cancer Capacities of Oncolytic Bacteria. Pharmaceutics 2023(15), 2004 https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15072004

Pullan, J.E., Dailey K.M., Bhallamudi S., Feng L., Alhalhooly L., Froberg J., Molden T., Venkatachalem S., Choi Y., Brooks A.E., Mallik S.* (2022) Modified Bovine Milk Exosomes for Doxorubicin Delivery to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. ACS Ap. Bio. Mat.

Pierce, K.; Miklavcic, W.R.; Cook, K.; Switzer, M.; Bayles, K.W.; Hollingsworth, M.A.; Brooks, A.E.;   Pullan, J.E.; Dailey, K.M.* (2021) The Evolution and Future of Targeted Cancer Therapy: From Nanoparticles, Oncolytic Viruses, and Oncolytic Bacteria to the Treatment of Solid Tumors   Nanomaterials, 2021(11), 3018

Dailey, K. M.*; Allgood, J. E; Johnson, P. R., Ostelie, M. A.; Schaner, K. C.; Brooks, B. D.; Brooks,  A.E. (2021) The Next Frontier of Pharmaceutical Science: Accomplishing Clinical Translation of Oncolytic Bacteria through Genetic Modification. Future Microbiology 16:341-368.

Dailey, K. M.*; Jacobson, R.I.; Johnson, P. R.; Woolery, T. J.; Kim, J.; Jansen, R.; Mallik, S.; Brooks, A.E. (2021) Methods and Techniques to Accomplish the Development of Clostridium novyi-NT as an Oncolytic Bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology 2021;12:624618.

Dailey, K.M.*; Jacobson, R.I.; Kim, J.; Mallik, S.; Brooks, A.E. (2021) Efficacy of C. novyi against a  Panel Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Biomedical Science Instrumentation. 57 (492)

Shreffler, J. W.; Pullan, J. E.; Dailey, K. M.; Mallik, S.; Brooks, A. E.* (2019) Overcoming Hurdles in Nanoparticle Clinical Translation: The Influence of Experimental Design and Surface Modification. Int. Journal of Molecular Science 20 (23).

Lenhausen, A. M.; Wilkinson, A. S.; Lewis, E. M.; Dailey, K. M.; Scott, A. J.; Khan, S.; Wilkinson, J.C.* (2016) Apoptosis Inducing Factor Binding Protein PGAM5 Triggers Mitophagic Cell Death That Is Inhibited by the Ubiquitin Ligase Activity of X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis. Biochemistry, 55 (23), 3285-3302.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/kaitlin.dailey.1/bibliography/public/

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8834-0293

Web of Science (formerly Publons) ResearcherID: AFP-3234-2022

Active

Startup Funding (Dailey)                                     

08/01/25-07/30/28    

University of Rhode Island                        

Funds have been committed from the College of Pharmacy, the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Program and the Rhode Island INBRE.

Gibson-Skaggs Research Endowment (Pullan & Dailey)   

06/01/25-09/01/25           

Southern Utah University                           

Walter Maxwell Gibson and L.S. and Aline W Skaggs Research Endowment funds undergraduate research projects. 

Startup Funding (Dailey)                                     

07/01/23-07/30/25 

Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center     

Toward Intravenous Delivery: Clostridium novyi-NT Cancer Therapeutics.

L30 CA284320 (Dailey)                                

07/1/23 - 06/30/25     

NIH/LRP                                                

Exploring the Influence of the Host-Pathobiome Interaction on Pancreatic Canter Progression

5U01CA210240-08 (Hollingsworth)      

09/8/22-8/31/27                       

NIH/NCI                                                 

Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: To assemble a unique and robust collection of early lesions and blood samples from patients at risk and those with lesions representing early stages of pancreatic cancer, a tissue resource for use in the discovery and validation of biomarkers for early disease, and to undertake a series of biomarker discovery and pre-validation projects.

Completed

Award #2022-23 (Hollingsworth, Bayles, & Dailey) 

07/01/22-06/31/23        

Nebraska DHHS LB506  

Clostridium novyi-NT Cancer Therapeutics

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship                   

08/01/2020-12/31/2020  

College of Graduate & Interdisciplinary   Studies, NDSU

Genetic Modification of Clostridium novyi-NT

Centennial Grant (Brooks)                             

07/01/2019-06/30/2020     

Development Fund, NDSU                                 

Role: Key Personnel

Immortalizing Spider Silk Producing Cells for Biomedical Applications

Teaching and Mentoring Awards

Gibson-Skaggs Research Endowment (Pullan & Dailey)              

06/01/27-09/01/25 

Southern Utah University                                                                        

Walter Maxwell Gibson and L.S. and Aline W Skaggs Research Endowment funds undergraduate research projects. 

Publication Funding Award for mentorship of medical student team to author literature review, Office of  Research and Scholarly Activity, 2023; Rocky Vista University, Received at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Roe et. al., Pharmaceutics, 2023

Publication Funding Award for co-mentorship (with Dr. Jessica Pullan) of medical student team to author literature review, Office of Research and Scholarly Activity, 2022; Rocky Vista University, Received at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Pierce et. al., Nanomaterials,  2022

Graduate Student Mentorship

I was part of the instruction and training team for graduate student members of the Hollingsworth (12 PhD- and MD/PhD-track students) and Bayles (1 PhD-track students) labs. I directly oversaw the progress of 3 rotation students since joining in January 2021 and directly oversaw 2 MD/PhD students under Dr. Hollingsworth’s guidance. I readily contributed to any project in both the Hollingsworth and Bayles Lab and was regularly sought out by students for consultation and/or training.

* Denotes direct report student

Arianne J. Crawford                      PhD, Cancer Biology Graduate                      2021-2022

                                                        Research Program (CBGRP), UNMC

Krysten E. Vance                          PhD, CBGRP, UNMC                                      2021-2023

Nick Mullen                                    MD/PHD, CBGRP, UNMC                               2021-2023

Cleofes Sarmiento                         PhD, Pathology and Microbiology, UNMC       2021-2024

Caroline E. Seilsted                      Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2021-2025

Kyle L. McAndrews                       Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2021-2025

Clara Mundry, MBA                       Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2021-2025

Amina Baniya                                Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2021-2025

Elizabeth Smith                             Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2021-2025

William R. Miklavcic*                     MD/PhD Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2022-2025

Kristine Hoagstrom                        Doctoral Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2022-2025

Caroline Case*                              MD/PhD Candidate, CBGRP, UNMC               2022-2025

Misty Pocwierz-Gaines                 Doctoral Candidate, Medical Sciences            2023-2025

                                                        Interdepartmental Area Program, UNMC

Elina L. Wagner                             Masters Student, CBGRP, UNMC                    2024-2025

I have coordinated teams of medical students from my collaborators at Rock Vista University (RVU). These responsibilities included the conceptualization of a literature review topic and manuscript formatting, the timeline, and individual responsibilities when section writing, authorship order, and oversight associated with last author responsibilities.

My RVU collaboration included two separate remote research projects that function under my direct guidance for research credit hours. For the first, medical students worked with myself and Dr. James M. Small, a MD/PhD with expertise in microbiology and pathology to develop a scoring system for semi-quantitative analysis of histological specimens generated by my oncolytic bacterial work at UNMC. In the second project, two medical students worked to optimize C. novyi-NT spore staining methodologies using common microbiological dyes. This research experience counts for course credit towards their Clinical Scientist Program Medical Doctorate Degree. All of these students reported directly to me during their efforts, and received offers from their first choices on respective match days.

*Denotes research project work in addition literature review authorship

Kyle Pierce                            Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2021

Kevin Seeley*                        Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2021-2023

Mikayla Sweitzer Hennen      Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2021

Jason Roe*                            Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2021-2023

Caleb Bussard*                      Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2023-2024

Kyle Cook*                             Physician-Scientist Track Student, RVU                2023-2024

Emily Eischen Martin             Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2023

Elizabeth G. Mouw                Osteopathic Medicine Track Student, RVU           2023

Undergraduate Mentorship

While working under my thesis advisor Dr. Amanda E Brooks at NDSU I trained undergraduates in the basics of laboratory practices. Many of their efforts resulted in co-authorship for publications listed above. Students that reported directly to me included:

         Mackenzie Ostlie               2018-2020

         Kambri Schaner                2018-2020

         Isabelle Hudson                2018-2020

         Madie Tornquist                2019-2020

         Adam Vareburg                 2019-2020

         Taylor Woolery                  2019-2020

         Paige (Johnston) Adkins   2019-2020

         Jacob Reed                       2019-2020

         Alexander Delgado            2019-2020

I have a collaboration with Dr. Jessica Pullan’s lab at Southern Utah University. Our project standardizes C. novyi-NT spore staining methodologies using common microbiological dyes to add to the field’s toolkit. This project will characterize the dye capacities in saline solution and physiologically relevant conditions of human, porcine, and mouse serum. This research experience counts for course credit towards their chemistry Bachelor’s of Science degrees. Students that reported directly to me on this project included:

         Caleb Hoffman*                 2024-present

         Jackson Sandberg            2024-present

         Jack Stevenson*               2024-present

         *Students received a SUU Connect grant to present project poster at 2025 EBRC Annual Meeting.

Postdoctoral Associate Mentorship 

I am an active participant in the Engineering Biology Research Consortium mentorship program and have mentored the following as part of these efforts, meeting regularly (usually biweekly):

         Lauren Young                    2024-present

         Leah Davis                        2025-present

Technicians

Technicians are a valuable part of any scientific research team, and speak to my teamwork and leadership capacities. During my academic career, I have coordinated research efforts with:

* Denotes direct report technician

         Thomas Caffery, Research Coordinator                2021-present

         Jennifer Endres, MS; Research Coordinator         2021-present

         Kelly O’Connell, Research Technologist I             2021-present

         Aletta Triplett, MS; Research Technologist II        2021-present

         Jackie Hollinger*, HTL(ASCP), MPH, BA;         2024

                 Research Technologist II

Supervisors:

“As a result of our shared interest in science education, Dr. Kaitlin Dailey and I have had many conversations about education and mentorship.  At the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), I am the Director for the Cancer Research Doctoral and M.S. Programs and the Associate Director for Training & Education for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, and so education is a major focus of my career.   From our conversations, I know that Kaitlin has been mentoring several graduate students under her supervision, first when she was a postdoctoral research associate at UNMC, and subsequently now that she is an instructor.  (At UNMC, an instructor position is an early-stage faculty position.)  Kaitlin has an optimized approach to mentoring each student, considering how to provide the student with clear technical direction while also allowing the student the freedom to develop personal capability in research design and critical thinking.  She also knows the importance of empathetically nurturing the development in graduate students of resilience, which is an attribute needed by budding scientists since not all experimental results fit the hypothesis, not all manuscripts are published, and not all grant proposals are funded.  I have also been observing the impressive progress of Kaitlin's research, which has revealed that her genetic engineering of oncolytic bacteria (Clostridium novyi-NT) has improved their intratumoral localization and their therapeutic activity against mouse pancreatic tumors.  Without any reservations, I can verify that Kaitlin has the knowledge, ingenuity, and heart to be an exceptional academic scientist and

educator.                                   

-Joyce Solheim, PhD, Director. Cancer Research Doctoral and M.S. Programs, Associate Director  for Training & Education for the Fred & Pamela  Buffett  Cancer Center. UNMC (2021-2025)

Undergraduates

“I have had the honor of being a mentee to Dr. Dailey within a pharmaceutical research laboratory and gained immense knowledge from her trainings. She demonstrates organization within every aspect of her work. This benefited all individuals involved and created an easy environment to learn. The corrections she made during my trainings have been profound tools used every day in my career as a MLS-ASCP. Her confidence has inspired me to dive more in-depth into my learning. Moreover, she ensures a safe space by being amiable for all students and mentees to ask questions. For these reasons, I highly recommend Dr. Dailey for any interview.”

-Kambri Schaner, Brooks Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2020)

“Working with Kaitlin was by far one of the biggest highlights of my undergraduate studies. She had a unique way of making me feel like a crucial part of the team, despite my small role as an undergraduate research assistant. With every new technique she taught me, she made sure to teach me not only the “what” but the “why” behind it and the importance of the process to the end goal. In those moments, her passion for her project was clearly evident, but even more so her passion for teaching. Some of the most admirable qualities I saw in her during those times were her patience, determination, resilience, and seemingly innate ability to be encouraging in any situation. She is a natural leader and an incredible mentor. She genuinely cares for each person that crosses paths with her. I am so grateful for the impact she continues to have on my life, both within and outside the world of academia.”    

-Mackenzie Ostelie, Brooks Lab Undergraduate Research Assistant (2018-2020)

Graduates

“As a 4th year MD/PhD student in the Hollingsworth lab, I can fully endorse Dr. Dailey as an outstanding mentor. I have worked with Dr. Dailey for a little over three years through which she has helped me become a better graduate student, medical student, and researcher. When I first joined the lab, Dr. Dailey took the time to have several in-depth discussions with me about my research interests, career aspirations, and personal-life goals. Armed with this, she has continually sought out ways to help me achieve all these goals throughout my graduate studies - ranging from mentoring me on C. novyiNT related immunology research, teaching peer-review of scientific manuscripts, and identifying clinically significant activities that expand my clinical skills while a graduate student. She excels at teaching in-depth study design, critical thinking of abstract or concrete topics, and above all how to develop the soft-skills required to be a successful researcher. I have learned a great deal about leadership and networking observing her navigate the many challenges of starting up an independent lab. But, above all, what I feel that Dr. Dailey manages best as a mentor is her unfailing conflict resolution ability. Dr. Dailey and I do not always see eye to eye, and there have been several times where we have completely and entirely disagreed on things ranging from experimental design to authorship status. These were extremely tough times for me, and they often overlapped with periods where I had overextended myself project-wise and was highly burnt-out. However, through it all Dr. Dailey remains steady, fair, and always ready to have the tough conversation. She has an uncanny ability to identify the underlying root of a problem and works to both solve it short-term and long- ensuring that it does not become an issue again. It is for this reason that I greatly respect Dr. Dailey both as a researcher and mentor, and always turn to her whenever I need guidance related to anything research wise.”        

-William R. Miklavcic, 4th year UNMC MD/PhD Student,  Hollingsworth Lab Graduate Research Associate (2022- 2025)

“It is with great admiration that I write this letter in support of Dr. Kaitlin Dailey and her application for Assistant Professor. I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the lab of Dr. Michael A. (Tony) Hollingsworth. For the past two years, I worked under the mentorship of Dr. Dailey during her time as a post-doctoral researcher. Dr. Dailey has been an incredibly dedicated colleague who has mentored me since joining Dr. Hollingsworth’s lab. During my time at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, I have presented at several conferences. Prior to this, I had minimal experience presenting in this capacity among fellow researchers, and I struggled with formulating the proper etiquette for these types of presentations. Dr. Dailey provided ample support in preparing me for the conferences. Most importantly, she allotted time to go through several practice rounds of presentations, where she provided critical feedback and presented mock questions to ensure my understanding of the expectations. Presenting has become, and will continue to be, a key role in my career as a scientific researcher. The techniques she pushed me to learn and polish have helped me present more successful presentations. Since Dr. Dailey was promoted to Research Instructor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, her devotion to her students, myself included, has never wavered. She continues to be a strong support system and makes herself available to guide us as our research progresses. Her ability to adjust her mentoring style to different students is a quality that will make her an invaluable professor. Still, her dedication to her profession, especially those she mentors, drives me to write this letter of support.                     

-Kristine Hoagstrom, Doctoral Candidate, Hollingsworth Lab Graduate Research Associate (2022-2025)

“I have learned invaluable skills as a scientist and a person from Dr. Dailey. She provided me with a safe space to explore my projects’ potential and challenge, not only my experimental design, but also where I see my career headed. This helped me prepare a set of goals to stay on track and hone my expertise. Dr. Dailey has taken a much-needed hands-on approach to help me expand my projects into a new field and urged me to think even more broadly about how my work could impact cancer research. As a woman in STEM, I am constantly encouraged by her leadership and counsel.”

-Caroline Seilsted, Doctoral Candidate, Hollingsworth Lab  Graduate Research Associate (2021-2025)

“Dr. Kaitlin Dailey joined the laboratory in which I am pursuing my PhD at the beginning of 2021 (Hollingsworth laboratory; University of Nebraska Medical Center). Since then, she has significantly enriched the lab environment in general and has been an incredible resource for me personally. On several occasions, she has helped me with my research projects. She has been able to help me troubleshoot one of my projects that I had struggled with severely. In this project, the generation of an adenoviral vector system that expresses genes of interest, her expertise in molecular biology and cloning tools has been invaluable, and only with her help was I able to overcome the obstacles I had faced. In addition, Kaitlin has been a substantial support in shaping my writing abilities as a PhD student. She has reviewed, edited, and provided feedback and comments for my comprehensive exam, a (successful!) fellowship application, and, lately, a manuscript. I have significantly benefited from her experience in writing grants and manuscripts, and I know several other students in the lab have, too. She has taught me different writing styles, pointed out more resources, and given feedback on how to improve the presentation of ideas and projects in written format. As a PhD student, having someone available to help in all things writing and grantsmanship is invaluable as this is a skillset that students are very new to, and exposure and learning can be limited. I am very thankful to Kaitlin for being so generous with her advice, time, and feedback.”

-Clara S. Mundry, PhD, Hollingsworth Lab Graduate Research Associate (2020-2025)

“Dr. Dailey has been extremely helpful and kind with my transition into my PhD. She has provided me with so much guidance in learning how to plan out projects and begin to write papers. I always feel like I can go to her with questions and that she will never judge me. She is extremely kind and a great mentor for multiple students in the lab. She has incredibly clear passion for her research and for education, always going out of her way to help others in any way that she can. She is an amazing teacher and an amazing person in general, I am very thankful for her presence in lab.”

-Caroline Case 3rd year UNMC MD/PhD Student, Hollingsworth   Lab Graduate Research Associate (2023-2025)

“I wholeheartedly endorse the invaluable mentorship and support provided by Dr. Kaitlin Dailey. Our collaboration spans across various research projects, consistently marked by her exceptional ability to foster an inclusive and collaborative environment. In each instance, I felt empowered to freely express my thoughts and pose questions. During one particular project, where I assumed first authorship, Dr. Dailey guided me in mastering the art of delegation, enhancing my involvement, and extracting the maximum potential from each team member. Her mentorship goes beyond the academic realm, leaving a lasting impact on my life. Dr. Dailey has not only instilled in me a profound sense of confidence, resilience, and an appreciation for learning but has also played a significant role in shaping my personal and professional growth.”

-Jason M. Roe, Osteopathic Medicine Student IV, Rocky Vista University, Mentee and Coauthor on Roe et. al., Pharmaceutics, 2023

“I am pleased to provide an enthusiastic recommendation for Dr. Kaitlin Dailey, who has proven to be an invaluable member to our lab. I have been a PhD student in the Hollingsworth Lab since Summer of 2020. Kaitlin joined the lab in January 2021, and she has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She has consistently taken time out of her days to teach students a myriad of techniques, including RNA isolation, spheroid assays, tissue homogenization, and virus methodology. In addition to teaching vital bench skills to students, she has consistently taken time out of her day to assist with the “paperwork” aspects of research. This has included proofreading, editing, and general outlining of manuscripts and grant proposals. Additionally, she has listened to numerous “practice runs” of seminars from students in our lab to help us prepare for our yearly program-wide student seminar. This is particularly stressful for students giving their first seminars and Kaitlin has been extremely supportive, providing constructive feedback to the students whenever asked. Of particular importance to myself was the feedback and proofreading that she provided for my successful F31 grant resubmission. I have the utmost confidence that Kaitlin’s collaborative spirit, extensive knowledge, and commitment to mentorship will make her an outstanding asset in any academic endeavor that she chooses to pursue.”

-Kyle McAndrews, Doctoral Candidate, Hollingsworth Lab Graduate Research Associate (2020-2025)

“I have been privileged to benefit from the mentorship of Dr. Kaitlin Dailey for almost two years now in the academic and research laboratory setting. Her mentorship is characterized by an unparalleled blend of expertise and unwavering support, which served to propel our research forward. Because of Dr. Dailey, I am a better student and researcher. Dr. Daily's commitment to fostering a collaborative and resilient environment allowed our team to overcome obstacles and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Her emphasis on resilience in the face of obstacles empowered our team to navigate the complexities and difficulties we faced in our study. She inspired me to look at problems in a unique way and to be creative in the scientific process, and I will carry this with me in my future research endeavors.”

-Kevin Seeley, Osteopathic Medicine Student IV, Rocky Vista University, Mentee 

(2021-2023) and Coauthor on Roe et. al., Pharmaceutics, 2023