Nikolai Timchenko, PhD

Head of Liver Tumor Biology, Liver Tumor Program
Professor, UC Department of Surgery

nikolai.timchenko@cchmc.org

About

Biography

I came to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in June of 2014 from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), where I was a professor of pathology and working in the Huffington Center on aging.

I obtained my PhD in the Institute of Experimental Medicine in St. Petersburg, Russia in the field of liver biology and molecular genetics. After moving to the US, I worked at BCM as an assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor until 2014.

I am currently a professor in the Division of General and Thoracic Surgery at Cincinnati Children's within the UC Department of Surgery. I am also the director of the Liver Tumor Program. I investigate mechanisms of liver cancer in children and adults, mechanisms of NAFLD, and mechanisms of age-associated diseases.

I am a member of the Digestive Health Center (Cincinnati Children's) and a professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati.

Services and Specialties

Research Areas

Publications

Elevated Levels of Active GSK3β in the Blood of Patients with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Correlate with Muscle Weakness. Jennings, K; Tian, C; Brown, RL; Horn, PS; Schoser, B; Kushlaf, H; Timchenko, NA; Timchenko, L. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26:10760.

β-Catenin-Cohesin Ring-CEGRs/ALCDs Axis Activation Contributes to the Development of Hepatoblastoma and Fibrolamellar HCC. Fleifil, Y; Gulati, R; Jennings, K; Kycia, I; Bondoc, A; Tiao, G; Geller, J; Weirauch, M; Vakili, K; Timchenko, L; Timchenko, N. Molecular cancer research : MCR. 2025; 23:901-912.

The role of CNBP in brain atrophy and its targeting in myotonic dystrophy type 2. Jennings, K; Lindquist, D; Poonia, A; Schoser, B; Schneider-Gold, C; Timchenko, NA; Timchenko, L. Human Molecular Genetics. 2025; 34:512-522.

DNAJB1-PKAc Kinase Is Expressed in Young Patients with Pediatric Liver Cancers and Enhances Carcinogenic Pathways. Fleifil, Y; Gulati, R; Jennings, K; Miethke, A; Bondoc, A; Tiao, G; Geller, JI; Karns, R; Timchenko, L; Timchenko, N. Cancers. 2025; 17:83.

METTL16 promotes liver cancer stem cell self-renewal via controlling ribosome biogenesis and mRNA translation. Xue, M; Dong, L; Zhang, H; Li, Y; Qiu, K; Zhao, Z; Gao, M; Han, L; Chan, AK N; Li, W; Chen, J; Shen, B; Chen, H; Su, R. Journal of Hematology and Oncology. 2024; 17:7.

Transcriptional control of a stem cell factor nucleostemin in liver regeneration and aging. Liu, X; Wang, J; Li, F; Timchenko, N; Tsai, RY L. PloS one. 2024; 19:e0310219.

Inhibition of Histone Deacetylase Activity Increases Cisplatin Efficacy to Eliminate Metastatic Cells in Pediatric Liver Cancers. Gulati, R; Fleifil, Y; Jennings, K; Bondoc, A; Tiao, G; Geller, J; Timchenko, L; Timchenko, N. Cancers. 2024; 16:2300.

C/EBPα-mediated epigenetic control of liver disorders in young children. Gulati, R; Timchenko, N. 2024; 5:23-27.

EZH2 is a key component of hepatoblastoma tumor cell growth. Glaser, K; Schepers, EJ; Zwolshen, HM; Lake, CM; Timchenko, NA; Karns, RA; Cairo, S; Geller, JI; Tiao, GM; Bondoc, AJ. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2024; 71:e30774.

Cellular origin and molecular mechanisms of lung metastases in patients with aggressive hepatoblastoma. Gulati, R; Lutz, M; Hanlon, M; Cast, A; Karns, R; Geller, J; Bondoc, A; Tiao, G; Timchenko, L; Timchenko, NA. Hepatology Communications. 2024; 8:e0369.