Blase C. Billack

Dr. Billack completed his B.S. degree in Chemistry at the University of Richmond. Under the mentorship of Professor Jeffrey Laskin, Dr. Billack earned his PhD in Toxicology from the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology UMDNJ/Rutgers. He then pursued an additional two years of postdoctoral training in the area of molecular oncology at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center, on the campus of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, under the direction of Dr. Alvaro Monteiro where he worked on BRCA 1 mutations and hereditary breast cancer. Dr. Billack is currently a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at St. John’s University. He has taught at both the NYC campus and Rome campus through the St. John’s University Discover Italy program. Dr. Billack has mentored 11 undergraduate and 16 graduate students. He has over 40 peer-reviewed publications, mostly in the area of in vitro toxicology but recently has expanded the focus of his lab towards rodent models of chemical injury. The primary goal of the ongoing research in his lab is to identify novel and effective countermeasures to chemical threats. He has been a member of the Society of Toxicology since 1999.current as of August 3, 2021.

Courses Taught

PHM 102 PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY I

PHR 5106 D&D:ENDO & REPRODUCTIVE SYS

PHS 3509 INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY

TOX 4404 PHARMACOLOGIC TOXICOLOGY

Select Publications

Journal Articles

Billack, B. (coauthor) (2021). Evaluation of the antifungal activity of an ebselen-loaded nanoemulsion in a mouse model of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Nanomedicine.

Tumu HCR, Cuffari BJ, Pino MA, Palus J, Petka-Ottlik M, Billack, B (coauthor) (2020). Ebselen oxide attenuates mechlorethamine dermatotoxicity in the mouse ear vesicant model. Drug and Chemical Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2014). Selected ebselen analogs reduce mechlorethamine toxicity in vitro.. Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2014). Use of the mouse ear vesicant model to evaluate the effectiveness of ebselen as a countermeasure to the nitrogen mustard mechlorethamine. . Journal of Applied Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2013). Ebselen reduces the toxicity of mechlorethamine in A-431 cells via inhibition of apoptosis.. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2013). Selected ebselen analogues reduce 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulphide (CEES) Toxicity in A-431 Cells.. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2010). BRCA1 protein and nucleolin colocalize in breast carcinoma tissue and cancer cell lines. . American Journal of Pathology.

Billack, B. C. (2009). Analysis of missense, frameshift, and splicing variants of BRCA1. . Mutation Research: Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.

Billack, B. C. (2008). Reduction of vesicant toxicity by butylated hydroxyanisole.. Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology.

Billack, B. C. (2007). Ebselen protects brain, skin, lung and blood cells from mechloroethamine toxicity. . Toxicology and Industrial Health.

Billack, B. C. (2005). BRCA1 in breast and ovarian cancer predisposition. Cancer Letters.

Billack, B. C. (2002). Mutations in the BRCT domain confer temperature-sensitivity to BRCA1 in transcription activation.. Cancer Biology and Therapy.

Book Chapters

Billack, B. C. (2012). Potential Tumor Biomarkers for Ovarian Cancer. In: Ovarian Cancer - Basic Science Perspective. InTech..