Gardner Laboratory
Eric E. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Animal Models
- Artificial Intelligence
- Brain Metastasis
- Cancer Biology
- Cancer Genomics
- Early Cancer Detection
- Immunology
- Lung Development
- Lung Cancer
- Mouse Model Development
- Proteomics
- Tumor Heterogeneity
- Tumor Microenvironment
Cancer development within a given niche (i.e., the tumor and tumor microenvironment) is a complex series of events that requires mechanistic interrogation to better understand, and ultimately, control. Using a combination of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), organotypic cultures, high-resolution imaging, proteomics and single cell approaches, we aim to better understand what the earliest stages of progression “look like” and how this behavior changes following progression and initial responses to therapies.
Scroll Ahead
Meet the Team
Eric E. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology
Assistant Member, James P. Allison Institute™
Dr. Gardner earned his Pharm.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where his thesis work was performed under the mentorship of Dr. Charlie Rudin. He then completed postdoctoral fellowship training under the mentorship of Nobel Laureate Dr. Harold Varmus. His laboratory focuses on mechanisms of lineage plasticity observed during cancer development and resistance to therapies, developing platforms to characterize secretory products made by cancer cells and understanding the impact of airway damage, regeneration and inflammation on lung cancer development.
Weina Zhao, Ph,D,
Research Lab Coordinator
Dr. Zhao earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. Following graduation, she spent ten years at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a research instructor, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis. Before stepping into her current role at UT MD Anderson in August 2024, she served as a senior QA/QC research analyst in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine for three years.
Contact Us
Principal Investigator
Eric E. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
Email: EEGardner@MDAnderson.org
Office Phone: 346-732-6641
Physical Address
North Campus
Clinical Research Building (CRB)
Room T8.3908 (office)
Room T8.3928 (laboratory)
Mailing Address
UT MD Anderson
Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology
1515 Holcombe Blvd.
Houston, TX 77030