Lab Members
George Adrian Calin, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
E-mail: gcalin@mdanderson.org
George Adrian Calin received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Carol Davila University of Medicine in Bucharest, Romania.
After working in cytogenetics as an undergraduate student with Dr. Dragos Stefanescu in Bucharest, Calin completed cancer genomics training in Dr. Massimo Negrini’s laboratory at the University of Ferrara, Italy, and in 2000, he became a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Carlo Croce’s laboratory at Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In June 2007, Calin joined MD Anderson as an associate professor in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics. He explores new RNA therapeutic options for cancer patients and studies the roles of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs in cancer initiation and progression, as well as the mechanisms of cancer predisposition.
Maria Inês Almeida
Graduate Student
E-mail: mialmeida@mdanderson.org
Maria Inês Almeida graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology in 2005 from the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, and then conducted an internship in toxicogenetics at Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands.
Since that time, Almeida has been involved in several projects focusing on the study of susceptibility and prognostic genetic factors in solid tumors. Recently, Maria became particularly interested in the study of brain tumors and non-coding RNAs and was granted a Ph.D. studentship in the Development and Neoplasia Department, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, Health Sciences School at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
She is working in Dr. Calin’s laboratory on the roles of single nucleotide polymorphisms in miRNA interactor sites, as well as understanding the expression regulation of ultraconserved genes.
Jana Ferdin
Graduate Student
E-mail: jferdin@mdanderson.org
Jana Ferdin graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology in 2007 from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
In 2008, she began a doctoral program of Biological and Biotechnical Sciences in the area of genetics at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and joined the group of Tanja Kunej, Ph.D.
Jana took the opportunity to join Dr. Calin’s laboratory in early 2009 where she is learning new experimental approaches related to microRNAs. Her main project is the study of the roles played by ultraconserved genes during hypoxia and understanding their roles in human cancers.
Eun-Jung Jung, M.D., Ph.D.
Visiting Associate Professor, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju City, South Korea
E-mail: ejung@mdanderson.org
Eun-Jung Jung received both an M.D. (1994) and a Ph.D. (2001) from Gyeongsang National University, Jinju City, South Korea.
She is an associate professor in the Department of Breast Endocrine Surgery at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju City.
In September 2009, Dr. Jung joined Dr. Calin’s laboratory at MD Anderson as a visiting associate professor where her work focuses on the role of miRNAs in breast and ovarian cancers and new cancer therapies related to microRNAs.
Sang Kil Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Yonsei University Health System, Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
E-mail: slee9@mdanderson.org
Sang Kil Lee graduated from Yonsei University Medical School, Seoul, South Korea, with both an M.D. and Ph.D. and is an assistant professor in the Department of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University Health System, Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
Dr. Lee’s primary clinical focus is treating colon and gastric cancers in Korea. The focus of his scientific research is understanding the roles of non-coding RNAs in gastrointestinal cancers.
In March 2009, he began working in Dr. Calin’s laboratory studying the roles of non-cording RNAs, including microRNAs in the initiation and development of gastrointestinal cancers, as well as the identification of new non-coding RNA biomarkers.
Milena S. Nicoloso, M.D.
Research Investigator
E-mail: mnicolos@mdanderson.org
Dr. Milena Nicoloso graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Udine, Italy, in 2002, where she also completed her clinical oncology fellowship in 2006.
During her fellowship, she preferred “playing” in the lab and naturally opted for a career in basic science. At the time she worked in Dr. Gustavo Baldassarre’s laboratory studying the role of cell cycle regulatory proteins in metastasis.
From January 2006 to June 2007, Milena had the opportunity to work in Dr. Carlo Croce’s laboratory at Ohio State University to complete a collaboration project, started in Italy with Dr. Baldassarre, on the role of LZTS1 in mitosis.
During this year and a half, although still working with protein coding genes, Milena became interested in the research of microRNAs and other ncRNAs and was recruited by her present mentor and PI, Dr. George A. Calin.
Milena Nicoloso joined MD Anderson Cancer Center in June 2007 as a senior research assistant in Dr. Calin’s laboratory.
Masayoshi Shimitsu
Research Investigator
E-mail: mshimizu@mdanderson.org
Masayoshi Shimizu is a research investigator with 15 years of experience in molecular biology.
He has worked with Dr. George A. Calin for the last eight years – initially in genomics and then, beginning in 2002, in the field of microRNAs and cancer. He was involved in major non-coding RNA projects, including the genome-wide profiling of microRNAs, the discovery of miRNA germline mutations and the involvement of ultraconserved genes in cancer.
Masa followed Dr. Calin to MD Anderson Cancer Center in June 2007 and he performs the high throughput, non-coding RNA profiling by microarray and several genomics techniques related to non-coding RNAs.
Riccardo Spizzo, M.D.
Research Investigator
E-mail: rspizzo@mdanderson.org
Dr. Riccardo Spizzo joined MD Anderson Cancer Center in June 2007 as a senior research assistant in Dr. George A. Calin’s laboratory in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics.
Prior to joining MD Anderson, Riccardo worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Carlo Croce at Ohio State University from January 2006 to June 2007.
In the last two years, Riccardo has researched the role of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs in tumor development and focused his studies on tumor suppressor microRNAs involved in breast cancer.
Riccardo graduated from the Univerisity of Udine, Italy, where he also completed a fellowship in clinical oncology.
Former Members
Bharti Jasra (India) – Observer; September 2007
Sumayiah Rehman – Graduate Student; January to March, 2008
Cortez Angelica (Brazil) – Graduate Student; June to August, 2008
Dimitri Federica (Italy) – Graduate Student; June to August, 2008
Guerrero Manrique – Graduate Student; June to August, 2008
Julia Fogarty – High School Student; June and July, 2008
David Rushworth – Graduate Student; July to August, 2008
Elisa Barbarotto, Ph.D. -- Research Intern; April to October 2008
Simona Rossi -- Data Analyst; January 2008 to December 2009
Raul Teruel -- Graduate Student; March to May 2009
Fabiola Rosa -- Research Intern; June to August 2009
Aida Tiron -- College Student; August to October 2009