Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Filippo Giancotti, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor, Cancer Biology
Olla S. Stribling Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research
Scientific Director, David H. Koch Center for Applied Research of Genitourinar Cancers
Co-Leader, Prostate Cancer Moon Shot™

Lauren T. Abrahams, BBA
Program Coordinator (2016-present)

Dimple Chakravarty, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (2016-present)

Qingwen Xu, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor (2016-present)

Qingwen Xu obtained his Ph.D. degree in immunology from Peking University in Beijing, focusing on identification of tumor-specific antigens for immunotherapy. He then joined Kun Ling’s lab at Mayo Clinic as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a research associate. He explored the role of lipid signaling in centrosome duplication, and found that PIPKIg suppresses centrosome overduplication by inhibiting PLK4. In subsequent work, he discovered that the ciliopathy-associated phosphatase INPP5E localizes at the ciliary base and cooperates with PIPKIg to regulate ciliogenesis. In our laboratory, Qingwen is using cell biological and genetic methods to explore the mechanisms through which Merlin/NF2 suppresses tumorigenesis. His current studies focus on dissecting the roles of Hippo-YAP and mTOR signaling in NF2 mutant tumors, including malignant mesotheliomas and Schwannomas.

Intissar Akalay, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-present)

Intissar Akalay performed her graduate studies in Khaleb Chouaib’s laboratory at the Institute Gustave Roussy in Villejuif and was awarded her Ph.D. degree from the University of Paris XI in 2013. With Chouaib, she demonstrated that the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transformation (EMT) program reduces T-cell-mediated immune recognition and linked this effect to autophagy-mediated downregulation of the immunological synapse. Intissar joined our laboratory at MSKCC as a postdoctoral fellow at the beginning of 2015 and in the summer of 2016 moved with the laboratory to MDACC. She is examining the potentially multifarious roles of the EMT in breast cancer metastasis, with emphasis on the potential role of this process in immune evasion at target sites. As model systems, Intissar is using genetically engineered mice and immortalized stem-like Comma-D cells, in which she inactivates the EMT-preventing tumor suppressor Rnd1. In addition, she aims to develop novel therapeutic approaches for metastasis prevention or therapy based on our identification of non-canonical DDR1 signaling as a key and seemingly general pathway for metastatic reactivation.

Yuxia Zhang, M.D.
Senior Research Scientist (2016-present)

Yuxia Zhang received her M.D. degree from Peking University in 2004 and then joined Hong Zhang’s lab at the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS) in Beijing to study the function of SEPA-1 in autophagy. Yuxia's work with Zhang provided the first mechanism for selective autophagic degradation of unnecessary proteins in C. elegans. In 2010, she joined Jinghua Hu’s laboratory at the Mayo Clinic to investigate the role of the Intraflagellar transport (IFT) complex in ciliogenesis and defined a role for the BBSome in the assembly of the IFT and turnaround in cilia. In addition to managing the technical staff of our laboratory, Yuxia is investigating the molecular mechanisms governing pancreatic cancer dormancy and reactivation through genetic screening in mice.

Yan Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-present)

Yan Wang received his Ph.D. in 2014 from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, working with Guohong Li on histone variants. Yan’s graduate studies provided key insights into the mechanisms through which histones H3.3 and H2A.Z coordinate chromatin dynamics over enhancer and promoter regions and hence regulate gene transcription. Yan is following up on our observation that blockade of the AR induces prostate adenocarcinoma cells to undergo an EMT and acquire stem cell traits. He is currently examining the epigenetic mechanisms that re-program prostate adenocarcinoma cells to castration-resistance and metastasis using high resolution epigenomic analysis and fate mapping in PDX and tumor organoid models.

Hyunho Han, M.D.
Visiting Scientist (2016-present)

Hyunho Han received his M.D. degree from Yonsei University in 2008 and did a residency and internship in urology at Severance Hospital in Seoul. In 2013, he enrolled in the Ph.D. Program in Medical Sciences of Yonsei University. Hyunho’s clinical and scientific interests focus on castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In our laboratory, Hyunho is using forward genetic screening in combination with mechanistic analysis to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that contribute to immune-evasion in CRPC and possibly in other cancer types that become resistant to therapy through acquisition of mesenchymal and stem cell traits. He anticipates that this work may contribute to the identification of novel rational targets for combination therapy in these cancers.

Shimin Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-present)

Shimin Wang performed her graduate studies with Lei Zhang at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (SIBCB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2016. With Zhang, she discovered that the polarity-inducing protein Par-1/MARK binds to Hippo and Sav and restricts Hippo kinase activity in D. melanogaster. In addition, she defined a novel non-canonical Nuclear Localization Signal in Yorkie/YAP that interacts with importin alpha-1. In our laboratory, Shimin is using 3D systems and genetically engineered mice to examine the integrin-mediated mechanotranduction pathways that regulate the invasive growth of breast and prostate cancer cells.

Yan Jiang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-present)

Yan Jiang performed her graduate studies with Gaoxiang Ge at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (SIBCB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2014. In the Ge laboratory, Yan found that Snail and Slug promote resistance of ER+ breast cancer cells to tamoxifen by upregulating EGF-R signaling. After a subsequent stint in biotech in Shanghai, Yan decided to join our laboratory to study metastatic dormancy and reactivation. Yan is currently defining the role of the asymmetric cell division determinant Numb in metastatic dormancy of breast cancer by conducting mechanistic studies in vitro and 2-photon confocal imaging in mice.

Yan Ji, Ph.D.
Senior Research Assistant (2016-present)

Yan Ji performed her graduate studies with Yaowu Zheng at the Transgenic Research Center of Northeast Normal University in China and obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2014. With Zheng, she used mouse genetics to examine the role of VEGF signaling in implantation. Yan provides mouse genetics support to our laboratory and is currently developing novel genetically engineered mouse models of mesothelioma.

Yi Du, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-present)

Yi Du performed graduate and postgraduate studies in the laboratory of Mien-Chie Hung at MDACC. With Hung, Yi first examined the molecular mechanisms that enable a fraction of the EGF-R to translocate to the nucleus and later focused on the identification of mechanisms mediating resistance to PARP inhibitors of BRCA1/2 mutant breast cancer. Intriguingly, he discovered that c-Met directly phosphorylates PARP1 inhibiting inhibitor binding and hence increasing enzymatic activity. In our laboratory, Yi is interested in defining the stem cell pathways that drive Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) and in identifying novel therapeutic targets for this disease.

Junfeng Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-present)

Junfeng Zhang performed his graduate studies with Anming Meng at Tsinghua University and received his Ph.D. degree in developmental biology in 2016. In the Meng laboratory, Junfeng studied the function of Eph-Ephrin signaling in tissue boundary formation during zebrafish embryogenesis. After a brief stint Rong Wang’s laboratory at UCSF to learn mouse genetics, Junfeng joined our laboratory to study the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate metastatic dormancy and reactivation. Junfeng is currently studying a common group of epigenetic regulators isolated from two ORFEome screens performed in a model of breast and a model of pancreatic cancer dormancy.

Xing Ma, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-present)

Xing Ma received her PhD degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology in 2014 from the University of Kansas with honors. During her Ph.D. training, she worked with Ting Xie, Ph.D. at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research on the DNA damage response of stem cells and the role of a PIWI protein Aubergine in the translation regulation of stem cell differentiation genes in the Drosophila ovary. In our laboratory, Xing is applying what she learned from the fruit fly to determine if dysregulation of PIWI proteins and piRNAs is involved in tumor metastasis using pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as a model.

Boyu Zhang, Ph.D.
Research Scientist (2017-present)

Boyu Zhang obtained her Ph.D degree from Peking Union Medical College in 2005 with a thesis on SNP variants associated with schizophrenia. She performed her first postdoctoral studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, exploring the possibility of improving the efficacy Cetuximab by conjugating it to the TRL-9 ligand CpG ODN. In 2009, Boyu joined Li Xin’s lab at Baylor College of Medicine, where she participated in the development of GEMMs of prostate cancer and demonstrated a role for Dicer in sustaining Pten loss-driven prostate tumorigenesis. Her major contribution was to show that mosaic deletion of the AR compromises luminal cell survival but it promotes non-cell autonomous proliferation through paracrine signals that recruit an immune infiltrate to the gland. She also contributed to a study, indicating that both luminal and basal cells can serve as cells-of-origin for Pten loss-driven prostate tumorigenesis. In our laboratory, Boyu is examining the role of the immune microenvironment in prostate cancer metastasis to the bone.

Hao Zhou, Ph.D.
Visiting Scientist (2017-present)

Hao Zhou obtained his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from Nankai University in Tianjin, focusing on the role of phosphorylation of histone H3 during mitosis. He then joined Jiafu Long’s laboratory at Nankai University as an instructor and then as an associate professor. With Jiafu Long, Hao performed biochemical and structural studies on the regulation of the potassium channel Kir2.3 by TIP1. Later, he found that Amot binding provides a major mechanism for activation of Merlin. In our laboratory, Hao is using cell biological and genetic methods to explore the mechanism through which the Merlin/Amot complex suppresses tumorigenesis. His current studies focus on dissecting the roles of Hippo and mTOR signaling in NF2 mutant tumors, including malignant mesotheliomas and schwannomas.

Sara Laudato, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-present)

Sara Laudato performed her graduate studies at the German Cancer Center (DKFZ) and obtained her Ph.D. from the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in 2016. Her graduate studies, which were performed in the laboratory of Heike Allgayer, focused on the identification of p53-regulated miRNAs involved in colorectal cancer progression. She then did a brief postdoctoral stint in the laboratory of Christoph Plass at the DKFZ, where she worked on the effects of epigenetic drug treatments on transcription and chromatin. In our laboratory, Sara is studying the role of epigenetic reprogramming in metastatic dormancy and reactivation, with a specific focus on prostate cancer. By using genetic screening in mice, she aims to identify new regulators that maintain a dormant state or promote metastatic reactivation, and to elucidate their mechanism of action as well as their clinical relevance.

Dhiraj Kumar, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-Present)

Dhiraj Kumar received his PhD degree in 2016 from the National Centre for Cell Science in India, working with Gopal Kundu on tumor progression, metastasis and angiogenesis. Dhiraj’s graduate studies demonstrated that a Notch1-MAPK signaling axis regulates melanoma stem cells, metastasis and angiogenesis. In our laboratory, Dhiraj is currently examining the role of the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 in metastatic reactivation of breast and prostate cancer.

Seongyeon Bae, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-Present)

Seong-Yeon Bae received her Ph. D. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Ewha Womans University in Seul, Korea in 2016. During her Ph. D. studies, she focused on the biological functions of TPT1 (tumor protein, translationally-controlled 1) in tumorigenesis. She found that TPT1 activates mTOR signaling and thereby modulates EMT and autophagy. Having just joined the lab, Seongyeon is exploring various potential projects.