Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Raghu Kalluri, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Adjunct Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, Rice University

Dr. Kalluri earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Kansas Medical Center and his M.D. from Brown University Medical School. Kalluri was a postdoctoral fellow and a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and studied immunology and mechanisms associated with tissue injury and repair employing organ fibrosis as model system. In 1997, he moved to Harvard Medical School as an assistant professor of medicine and as a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2006, Kalluri was appointed the Chief of the Division of Matrix Biology and was promoted to professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He held faculty appointments in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute in the division of nephrology of the Children’s Hospital Boston. Kalluri was recruited to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2012 as a professor and chair of Cancer Biology and the director of the Metastasis Research Center. His laboratory is broadly interested in investigating the functional contribution of cell and tissue microenvironment and exosomes in cancer progression and metastasis.

Michelle Kirtley, B.S., MPH.
Laboratory Manager and Research Investigator
MLKirtley@mdanderson.org
Phone: 713-745-9528

Michelle graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. degree in marine biology and from Florida International University with a master's degree in public health. Prior to joining the Kalluri Lab in 2017, she worked at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where she investigated virulence gene regulation, pathogenic mechanisms and vaccine candidates for select agent pathogens. Currently, Michelle functions as the laboratory manager for the Kalluri Laboratory and handles reagent purchasing, oversight of the animal colonies, supervision of the laboratory-related logistics, monitoring IACUC and IRB submissions and approvals and general laboratory maintenance. Additionally, Michelle participates and aids in several research projects as a research investigator. 

Nancy C. Andres, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2019

Nancy received a Ph.D. in biology in 2016 from the National University of South Argentina and the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. During her Ph.D. studies, she was focused on the role of Heme-Oxigenase 1(HO-1) in metastatic colorectal cancer. She then performed a postdoctoral fellowship engineering Mg2+ - Hydroxyapatite nanorods for orthopedic implants and testing the cellular response associated with mechanisms of bone regeneration. She joined MD Anderson as a postdoctoral fellow dissecting the roles of Hippo-YAP and mTOR signaling in NF2 mutant tumors. Her current research focus is on elucidating the function of exosomes in cancer metastasis. 

Yang Chen, B.S., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2014

Yang received his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China in 2014. His current research project focuses on the roles of investigating the functional heterogeneity of fibroblasts in health and disease with specific emphasis on pancreatic cancer progression and metastasis. Yang also employed novel mouse models to study tumor lymphangiogenesis and its contribution to lymphatic metastasis.

Meagan Conner, B.S., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2022

Meagan received her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2016 from Texas A&M University. She then attended Stony Brook University in New York where she earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2021, investigating influences of androgen on Parkinson’s disease-related cognitive decline. Her research interests include exploring the biology, trafficking therapeutic potential in healthy brain and pathogenesis of brain.

Kate McAndrews, B.S., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2015

Kate received her B.S. from the University of Nevada Reno in chemical engineering in 2010 and her Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology in chemical and biomolecular engineering in 2015. Kate is investigating the mechanisms associated with generation, release and uptake of exosomes by normal cells and cancer cells. Kate is employing siRNA and CRISPR screens coupled with 3D culture systems, novel transgenic mice, spheroids and organoids to identify novel pathways associated with creation of exosomes.

Lakshmi Kavitha Sthanam, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2022

Kavitha earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2019, where she worked extensively on mechanobiology of stem cells and fibroblasts. Her research led to multiple first author publications, a patent and an Excellence in Ph.D. research award. After a short postdoc at Georgia Tech during Covid, she joined the Kalluri Lab in November 2022 to study evolution of fibroblast heterogeneity during PDAC progression and metastasis. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of CAFs in modulating immune response in solid tumors specially PDAC.

Thao Tran, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2022 

Thao received her Ph.D. degree in biochemistry in 2021 from Kangwon National University, South Korea. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on the function of exosomal miRNAs-derived from KRAS mutant-breast cancer on osteolytic bone metastasis. She joined the Kalluri Laboratory in April 2022 to investigate further the functional role of exosomes in KRAS mutated cancers.

Xunian Zhou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Joined the lab in 2019

Xunian received her Ph.D. from the School of Biomedical Sciences from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Dec. 2017. During that time, she investigated the underlying anti-cancer mechanisms of a small molecule in breast cancer model. She studies the function of tumor stroma and exosomes in cancer.

Yasaman Barekatain, B.S., M.S.
Ph.D. Student, Medical Physics Program, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Yasaman received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, and her master’s degree in physics from the University of Delaware in 2017. She joined the Kalluri Lab as a Ph.D. student in 2021 to complete her thesis work. Her research interests include cancer metabolism and metabolic imaging. Her project is to develop a non-invasive imaging method to diagnose metabolic-genomic alterations and exploit exosomes as oncometabolite biomarkers of brain tumors.

Kshipra Kapoor, B.S. 
Ph.D. Student, School of Engineering, Rice University 

Kshipra received her B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Mumbai (India) in 2016. She joined Rice University in 2016 for her M.S./Ph.D. integrated degrees and joined the Kalluri Laboratory for her thesis work in 2017.  Kshipra received her master's in electrical and computer engineering in 2019 from Rice University. Currently, Kshipra is investigating electrical and biomechanical properties of exosomes.

Bingrui Li, B.S.
Ph.D. Student

Bingrui received his bachelor's degree in bioinformatics from Qingdao University, China in 2018. During his undergraduate studies, he was actively involved in various projects, including bioinformatics tool development, binding affinity prediction between antibody and antigen, and deep learning model development for drug repurposing. He joined the Kalluri lab in 2020. His current studies focus on tumor microenvironment and predicting and tracking immunotherapy outcomes based on the biology and therapeutic capabilities of exosomes.

Xin Luo, B.S.
Ph.D. Student, School of Engineering, Rice University

Xin received her bachelor’s degree in science from Nankai University, China, in 2019. She joined Rice University in 2019 for her Ph.D. degree in engineering and joined the Kalluri lab in 2020 for her Ph.D. thesis work. Xin’s current research focuses on the mechanistic properties of exosomes, elucidating single exosome biology and explaining translational potential of exosomes in cancer and COVID-19.

Krishnan Mahadevan, B.S., M.D.
Ph.D. Student

Krishnan completed his M.D. from JIPMER, India in 2013. He worked as a clinical research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston until 2015. He joined the Kalluri laboratory in 2016. His thesis goal is to understand the role of T-cells in pancreatic cancer progression and therapy response.

Yuanyuan Zhu, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School

Yuanyuan Zhu received her bachelor’s degree in medicine from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in 2022. She joined the Kalluri Lab as a graduate student in 2022. Her research interests include PDAC-associated CAF metabolism and its contribution to disease progression and metastasis.

Kent Arya Arian, B.S.
Research Assistant

Kent received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the Kalluri Laboratory in 2021 where he is focusing on elucidating the biology of exosomes and exploring their role in therapies against cancer and infectious diseases. His research interests include further studying the utility of exosomes to potentially alter disease progression.

Wafaa Hassen B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Research Scientist

Wafaa Hassen received her Ph.D. in molecular toxicology from the University of Monastir, Tunisia and participated in several doctoral and postdoctoral internships in France. In 2006, she was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Toxicology, University of Monastir. In 2012, she joined an INSERM-CNRS research group at the Institute of Human Genetics, Montpellier, France to study Multiple Myeloma.

In 2016, Wafaa moved to Duke University and joined the Department of Neurosurgery to study the efficacy of oncolytic viral therapy in medulloblastoma. She joined the Kalluri lab in 2021 as a research scientist to study tumor microenvironment and exosomes as they relate to cancer progression and metastasis.

Zahra Hooda, B.S.
Research Assistant

Zahra received her bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences in 2021 from Auburn University in Alabama. After graduation, she worked as a research technician for NASA exploring microbial interactions on solid motor rockets for the upcoming Europa Lander Mission. She joined the Kalluri Lab as a research assistant in 2022, and her research focuses on the role of exosomes as a therapeutic delivery mechanism in various disease states, including breast cancer, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Patience Kelly, B.S., M.S.
Research Assistant II

Patience received her B.S. in biochemistry and her B.A. in psychology from Texas State University in 2015. She continued her education at the University of Delaware, where she studied developmental models of neuron migration and completed her M.S. in biological sciences in 2019. Patience joined the lab in 2020 as a research assistant and provides technical support for a project related to translational biology of exosomes and organ tropism.

Barbara Moreno Diaz, B.S.
Research Assistant 

Barbara received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University in 2021. She joined the Kalluri Laboratory as a research assistant in 2021 and provides histology and immunohistoclonal support. Additionally, she is involved in tumor microenvironment research.

Sami Morse, B.A.
Research Assistant I

Sami received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis of immunology and pathogenesis from the University of California, Berkeley in 2020. After his graduation, Sami worked as a medical assistant for two years at an allergy, asthma and immunology practice in San Jose, California. He joined the Kalluri Laboratory in 2022 and is currently working on developing exosome-based vaccines and therapeutics to control pancreatic cancer.

Hariyadarshi Pannu, Ph.D.
Director, Research Planning and Development

Hariya earned a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences, focusing on human genetics, from the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2000. After completing postdoctoral studies in cardiovascular and neurovascular genetics, she was appointed to faculty at UTHealth McGovern Medical School. In 2012, she left academia to explore consulting opportunities before returning to UTHealth as an executive administrator for research and education and then moving to MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she joined the Kalluri lab as the director of research planning and development. Hariya organizes the operation of the laboratory and helps the lab and the trainees with grant submissions and manuscript submissions.

Sarah Patel
Research Technician

Sarah received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston in 2022 and joined the Kalluri Laboratory in 2022. Her research interests include studying exosomal biology, and she is currently involved in a project relating to the trafficking of exosomes between organs.

Amari M. Sockwell, B.S. 
Research Assistant I

Amari attended Houston Baptist University, where she studied medical humanities and developed an interest in biological sciences. From there she focused on cellular and molecular biology before receiving her bachelor's degree in 2020. Amari joined the Kalluri lab in 2021, where she assists in research related to tumor microenvironment and cancer biology.

Hikaru Sugimoto, B.S., M.D., Ph.D.
Research Scientist

Hikaru completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in medicine at Okayama University, Japan. After having finished the residency program as a general physician, he trained as a diabetes specialist and a nephrologist. He moved to Boston in 1999 for a postdoctoral fellowship to study mechanisms associated with diabetic nephropathy. In 2001, he joined the Kalluri Lab in Boston to study tumor angiogenesis and develop novel angiogenesis inhibitors for treatment of cancer. His current research interests are to find new therapies for organ fibrosis and cancer metastasis. Hikaru also serves as the resident mouse surgeon in the laboratory and trains new graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

Sujuan Yang, B.S., M.S.
Senior Research Assistant

Sujuan received her master’s degree from Peking University in China in 2011 and joined the Kalluri laboratory as a research assistant in 2015. Her research interests include nucleic analysis of exosomes, engineering exosomes for treatment of pancreatic cancer and development of novel methods to utilize single cell sequencing in identifying novel mediators of pancreatic cancer. 

Mia Brakebill
Rice Undergraduate Research Intern
Joined the lab in June 2021

Mia is an undergraduate at Rice University pursuing a B.S. in biosciences. She is interested in studying the potential therapeutic applications of engineered exosomes.

Kristen Harris
Undergraduate Research Intern
Joined the lab in June 2021

Kristen is an undergraduate student in the Honors College at the University of Houston majoring in biochemical & biophysical studies. Her research interests include studying cancer metabolism and diagnostic applications as it relates to exosomes.

Chloe Seoyun Kong
Undergraduate Research Intern
Joined the lab in summer 2021

Chloe is an undergraduate student at Rice University studying for a B.S. in materials science and nanoengineering. Her research interests include 3D-modeling the tumor microenvironment using biomaterials engineering approaches and investigating its mechanical and structural properties.

Danielle Wills, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate Trainee
Joined the lab in fall 2022

Danielle received her bachelor's degree in biology from Howard University in spring 2022. Her research project is related to tumor immunology in the context of pancreatic cancer and metastatic melanoma.

Kevin Yin
Undergraduate Research Intern
Joined the lab in February 2020

Kevin is an undergraduate student at Rice University studying bioengineering. His research interests include studying exosomal biology and engineering exosomes for therapeutic applications.

Krystal English, B.S., Ph.D.
Medical Student Researcher
Joined the lab in 2021

Krystal received her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Amherst College in 2014. and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School in 2020. She is currently a medical student at UTHealth McGovern Medical School. Her dissertation, titled “Astrocytes rescue neuronal health after cisplatin treatment through mitochondrial transfer,” focused on how astrocytes transfer mitochondria to neurons damaged upon cisplatin treatment. This not only improves neuronal survival, but also mitochondrial function. Her current research interests include investigating new methods for chemotherapeutic drug delivery, and communications between the brain and other systems especially with focus on exosomes.

Caleb Johnson, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate Student
Joined the lab in July 2021

Caleb Johnson graduated from Prairie View A&M University in May 2021 and received his bachelor's degree in biology while serving in the Army Reserve. Caleb joined the Kalluri lab to conduct cancer research with a focus on tumor microenvironment and fibroblast biology.

Jacqueline Parchem, B.A., M.D.
Physician Scientist Trainee

Jackie received her bachelor's degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and her M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 2010. She completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at UCSF in 2014. She trained as Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow at Baylor College of Medicine and currently is an attending physician in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center.

In 2015, Jackie joined the Kalluri lab as a Physician Scientist Research Fellow. Her research interests include discovering the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and investigating the function of exosomes in pregnancy and fetal development. In 2017, Jackie was appointed as an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology/ Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UT Health. She continues to conduct her research in the Kalluri Laboratory.