Lab Members
Principal Investigators
Hubert L. and Olive Stringer Professor in Medical Oncology
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Director, CPRIT Multidisciplinary Training
Program
Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
Email: kkeyomar@mdanderson.org
Dr. Keyomarsi is a Professor in the Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson.She made the seminal observation that cyclins are deregulated in breast cancer and that they can provide novel targets for therapy. Dr. Keyomarsi joined the MD Anderson faculty as an Associate Professor in the Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology in 2000. She has established that one of the key cell cycle regulators in the G1 to S phase transition of the cell cycle, cyclin E, is a powerful prognostic indicator for breast cancer patients. She has also elucidated the mechanism of cyclin E deregulation in breast cancer and how this mechanism can be exploited therapeutically. Most recently, her laboratory has discovered how to increase the effectiveness of CDK4/6 inhibitors by targeting the autophagy pathway, which has recently been translated into a clinical trial. Other work ongoing in her lab is focused on novel therapeutic strategies to protect normal cells against the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents using animal model systems. She has published 130 peer reviewed papers in high impact journals such as J Natl Cancer Inst, Nat Commun, Nat Med, N Engl Med, and Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. Together, Dr. Keyomarsi and Dr. Hunt have built a very productive translational team of scientists and have merged their laboratory efforts. The Keyomarsi/Hunt laboratory is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01), the Department of Defense, Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Cancer Prevention Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and is composed of 1 graduate student, 6 post-doctoral fellows, 4 research investigators, 1 research scientist, 3 biostatisticians and 2 technicians. Dr. Keyomarsi initiated the TRIUMPH training program at MD Anderson which provides postdoctoral trainees with a certificate from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) for training in translational and clinical research. She is also the PI of a multidisciplinary training grant awarded by CPRIT ($4M) that funds the TRIUMPH fellows as well as graduate and undergraduate students.
Hamill Foundation Distinguished Professor of Surgery in
Honor of Dr. Richard G. Martin, Sr. Chair, Department of
Breast Surgical Oncology
Leader, CCSG - Breast Cancer
Program
Program Director, American College of
Surgeons Clinical Research Program (Alliance)
Email: khunt@mdanderson.org
Dr. Hunt is Chair of the Department of Breast Surgical Oncology at MD Anderson. She is an internationally recognized expert in the surgical management of breast disease, particularly sentinel lymph node biopsy. She is the Member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. She also serves as the Program Director for the American College of Surgeons Clinical Research Program in the Alliance and is the MD Anderson institutional PI for the Alliance. She serves as a Co-PI for the MD Anderson Lead Academic Participating Site (LAPS) grant funded by the NCI and has led several investigator-initiated and industry sponsored trials. She also leads the CPRIT Multi-Investigator research grant titled "Rational Combination Treatment Options to Reverse Resistance in Hormone Receptor Positive Breast Cancer Refractory to Standard Therapy" with Dr. Keyomarsi as the Co-PI. She has been in active practice for 23 years and performs several hundred breast surgeries each year. She has an active laboratory with a focus on cell cycle deregulation in cancer. Her research has been funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute (U10 CA076001, U10 CA180858 and R44 CA211013 (subward)), the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BC113114), American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG),Endomagnetics and Introgen Therapeutics and Susan G. Komen Foundation. She also serves as a Co-PI on a training grant funded by the Susan G. Komen Foundation (GTDR17498270), which focuses on reducing breast cancer disparities in Black and Hispanic women. She collaborates with Dr. Keyomarsi in exploring the role of cyclin E as a prognostic and predictive factor in breast cancer and evaluating the interaction between other important cell cycle regulators. She has published 56 book chapters, 6 books, several editorials and commentaries, and over 590 peer-reviewed papers including articles in high impact journals such as Science, Nature, Nat Commun, J Clin Oncol, Lancet Oncol and JAMA.
Members
Tuyen N. Bui, B.S.
Research Investigator (2003 - present)
Tuyen N. Bui received his B.S. degree in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama. He joined the KeyHunt lab as a Research Assistant in 2003 and was promoted to Research Investigator, a role in which he has served since December 2017. Tuyen is experienced in a vast array of lab techniques and protocols in molecular and cell biology. His numerous areas of expertise integrates him in all projects within the laboratory. Tuyen also serves as the lab manager, overseeing the lab operations, compliance, and organization.
Yan (Esther) Wang, Ph.D.
Research Scientist (2019 - present)
Dr. Wang earned her Ph.D. from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (China) and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the KeyHunt lab in 2019 and works on identifying biomarkers in breast cancer and provides her expertise in clinical studies. Specifically, she studies changes in cyclin E expression during tumor progression to identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis and new prognostic factors to predict recurrence or drug resistance.
Nicole Kettner, Ph.D.
TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellow (2017 - present)
Dr. Kettner received her B.S. in Biology from Winona State University and her Ph.D. in Molecular & Cellular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. She joined the KeyHunt lab in 2017. Her research focuses on identifying the biological mechanism(s) of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors, identifying independent biomarkers to predict response and/or resistance, and to provide novel therapeutic strategies. When she's not in the lab, Dr. Kettner enjoys gardening, cooking/baking, photography, and completing home renovation projects.
Amriti R. Lulla, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow - (2018 - present), ORCID: 0000-0002-7085-5755
Dr. Lulla received her Bachelors in Biotechnology from the University of Pune in India. She then moved to the US for her Masters in Biotechnology from SUNY, followed by her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from Penn State. Her work in the lab broadly includes understanding the mechanisms by which immune cells, such as neutrophils and MDSCs, prime the primary tumor to metastasis in breast cancer using different in vivo model systems. Specifically, she investigates the mechanistic link between neutrophil elastase and cancer stem-like cells and other such pathways that enrich metastatic cells from the primary tumor. In addition, her work will also provide the pre-clinical rationale to use neutrophil elastase inhibitors as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. For fun, Amriti enjoys Bollywood dancing and performing at Indian cultural events. She loves watching movies and cricket. Her goal is to visit all US National Parks.
Juliana Navarro-Yepes, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow - (2018 - present)
Dr. Navarro-Yepes earned her B.Sc., in Biology from the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Columbia. She later earned her M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Toxicology from Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CNVESTAV) in Mexico City, Mexico. Juliana joined the KeyHunt lab in late 2018, where she evaluates new therapeutic target pathways in breast cancer CDK4/6i acquired resistance models. Juliana also works on models derived from ER+ breast cancer patients that progress on standard of care and in TNBC patients. She also studies the role of ALK as a mediator of low molecular weight cyclin E-mediated mammary tumorigenesis and as a therapeutic target in TNBC. During her free time, Juliana enjoys CrossFit and running or walking with her dog.
Sofia Mastoraki, Ph.D.
TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellow - (2018 - present)
Dr. Mastoraki received her Ph.D. in 2018 from the University of Athens in Greece. Her Ph.D. thesis work focused on the development and clinical evaluation of blood-based biomarkers in liquid biopsy samples of cancer patients. As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the KeyHunt Lab, Dr. Mastoraki's research involves unraveling biomarkers of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and identifying novel therapeutic strategies for palbociclib-resistant advanced breast cancer patients using single-cell sequencing methods. Outside of lab, she enjoys CrossFit and spending time with her friends.
Mi Li, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant - (2018 - present)
Mi Li is a Ph.D. candidate in the KeyHunt Lab. He received his B.S. in Biology from Sichuan University in China after starting his research career as a technician at West-China Hospital of Sichuan University. Before starting his graduate studies at GSBS, he received training at MD Anderson Cancer Center as a Research Assistant. In the KeyHunt lab, Mi is interested in the oncologic functions of low molecular weight cyclin E (LMW-E), particularly the association between LMW-E and genomic instability in breast cancer development, the different effects of LMW-E and full-length cyclin E on DNA replication and DNA damage responses, and how LMW-E facilitates DNA replication stress tolerance and cell proliferation with damaged DNA. Since childhood, Mi is a fan of model ships and planes. He enjoys upgrading toys for his two kids with 3-D printing.
Min Yi, M.D., Ph.D.
Data Integration Developer
Dr. Min Yi earned her Ph.D. in Biostatistics and a master degree of Health Informatics. She has many years of experience working with clinical researchers and basic scientists and is responsible for the application of standard statistical methods in many projects within the KeyHunt Lab.
Marc Pina, B.S.
Research Assistant (2018 - present)
Marc earned his B.S. in Biology from the Honors College at Houston
Baptist University in 2019. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually
become a teacher to inspire the next generations of scientists. His
work in the KeyHunt lab involves finding optimal cell growth
conditions for specific cell lines that can be used to screen with
different experimental drug concentrations to find one that may have
the biggest impact at the lowest possible concentrations.
Tuyen Duong Thanh Nguyen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-present)
Dr. Nguyen received her B/S. in Medicinal Chemistry from Cantho University, Vietnam. She then came to the United States and earned her PhD in Chemistry at Kansas State University. As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the KeyHunt lab, Dr. Nguyen's research focuses on monitoring cell /tumor proliferation and determining the efficacy of combination therapy targeting different phases of the cell cycle in soft tissue sarcoma models using functional imaging. Aside from her postdoctoral studies, Dr. Nguyen enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and doing small DIY projects.
Min Jin Ha, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor (2016 - present)
Dr. Ha received her Ph.D. from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. She serves as Assistant Professor in the
Department of Biostatistics and has worked with the KeyHunt lab since 2016.
Xiayu Rao, M.S.
Research Statistical
Analyst (2019 - present)
Xiayu earned her B.S. in Biotechnology and M.S. in Biology from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangdong, China. She relocated to the United States and completed her M.S. in Food & Nutrition with a specialization in cancer nutrition from Purdue University, followed by M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Texas at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. Xiayu began working with the KeyHunt lab in 2019 and works on bioinformatics/biostatistics related data analysis for the lab. She enjoys cooking, exercising, watching movies, and traveling in her free time.
Chen Braun, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow - (2020 - present)
Dr. Braun graduated Cum Laude with a B.Sc in Biotechnology
Engineering from ORT Braude college, Israel. Prior to graduate school
she gained research experience both at the TECHNION, Israel Institute
of Technology and Protalix, a biopharmaceutical company. She then
moved to the U.S. to pursue her M.Sc and her Ph.D in Pharmacology and
Physiology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and
Dentistry, Rochester, NY. Using her expertise in pharmacology, her
postdoctoral work in the Key/Hunt laboratory focuses on investigating
G2/M checkpoint inhibitors to target LMW-E forms of cyclin E (LMW-E)
expressing breast cancer tumors. Additionally, she is studying
mechanisms of resistance to standard of care treatments, such as
CDK4/6 inhibitors, in estrogen receptor (ER) positive pre-clinical
models of breast cancer. Outside of the lab scope, she is engaged in
community activities, enjoys extreme sports and traveling with her
family.
Linjie Luo, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2021 - present)
Dr. Luo received her M.D. degree from the Sino-France medical program at Wuhan University, China, and Lorraine University, France. She obtained her Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center in 2020 and joined in KeyHunt lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2021. Her current research interests are investigating therapeutic strategies and mechanisms of drug resistance in breast cancer, particularly the CDK4/6 inhibitors in the treatment of HER2-enriched breast cancer. She also interests in studying breast cancer initiation, risk factors, ethnic disparities, and determinants for outcomes. Her career goal is to improve breast cancer prevention and patient outcomes from basic, translational research to clinical practice. She loves all kinds of tasty food and green tea worldwide and explores new restaurants in her spare time. She also loves classical music, particularly Frederic Chopin, and watching a variety of entertainment shows.
Staff & Administrative Support
Komal Rasaputra, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist, Department of Breast Surgery - Research
Email: KSRasaputra@mdanderson.org
Dr. Rasaputra received her B.S. in Biochemistry (2003) and M.S. in Biotechnology (2005) from Madras University (India). She completed her Ph.D. degree in the field of Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Arkansas and the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS) in 2010 with research focused on identification and characterization of proteins and peptides associated with avian metabolic skeletal diseases. Her postdoctoral research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (New York), focused on studying the proteins associated with Type-IV secretion system, involved in bacterial pathogenicity. At the University of Houston, Dr. Rasaputra studied the molecular dynamics, immune response and virulence mechanisms involved in host-pathogen interactions during infections. She joined MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2016, as a Clinical Research Scientist, to facilitate development of programmatic and multi-investigator grants, and provide administrative oversight for the basic science researchers in the Breast Surgical Oncology Department.
In her current role as a Staff Scientist, her expanded duties include providing administrative oversight to the CPRIT Multi-Investigator award and serve as a key member in the scientific advances to the ongoing and future projects in the KeyHunt lab. She devotes time to develop philanthropic initiatives and works on projects that focus on dissemination and implementation of clinical trials. She works with the Breast Surgical Oncology fellows and onboarding faculty to identify appropriate funding opportunities to help develop their research program. She also organizes the Breast Cancer Program scientific and operational activities under the leadership of Drs. Hunt, Keyomarsi, and Tripathy to promote collaborations among translational and clinical research faculty. She loves reading scientific fiction and enjoys running half-marathons.
Gracie Cantu
Administrative Coordinator in the Dept. of Experimental Radiation Oncology, and assistant to Dr. Keyomarsi.
Email: gcantu@mdanderson.org
Gracie provides administrative and coordinating support to Experimental Radiation Oncology, and to Dr. Keyomarsi. When not working, Gracie enjoys spending time with her family and working out.
Nicole Perez
Executive Assistant in the Dept of Breast Surgical Oncology and executive assistant to Dr. Hunt.
Email: niperez@mdanderson.org
Nicole earned her B.S. in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Upon graduation she deferred plans to attend law school and began a career as an administrative professional. She joined the KeyHunt Lab in the fall of 2019 as Dr. Hunt’s Executive Assistant. In her free time she enjoys live music, visiting new art exhibits in the museum district and spending time with her family.
Collaborators
Bisrat
G. Debeb, DVM, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Breast Medical
Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The major goal of the Debeb lab is to identify and target the molecular determinants of brain metastasis, and to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the unique pathobiology of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a very aggressive and clinically distinct form of breast cancer. The lab conducts both basic laboratory investigation and translational breast cancer research with an overarching goal of developing novel and effective therapeutic strategies to improve survival of patients with aggressive breast cancer. Current efforts in the lab include developing mouse models of brain metastasis, identification and targeting of novel drivers of IBC tumorigenesis and brain metastasis, and evaluation of patient serum to identify biomarkers of aggressiveness, brain metastasis and therapy resistance.
Aysegul
A. Sahin, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pathology
Section
Chief of the Breast Pathology Section
Director,
Educational Operations, Department of Pathology
MD Anderson
Cancer Center
David J. Tweardy, M.D.
Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. David Tweardy is a physician-scientist and Head of Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center with a career-long interest in cytokine signaling and oncogenesis, in particular the identification of structural and biochemical features of signaling proteins and oncoproteins that render them susceptible to modulation by small-molecules. The discovery by his group that the major eukaryotic chaperonin, TRiC, contributes to STAT3 protein folding and function led to the discovery that some primary immunodeficiency disorders, such as autosomal-dominant hyper-IgE (Job’s) syndrome (AD-HIES), were caused by LOF STAT3 mutations that result in destabilization of STAT3 protein. On the other hand, cancers caused by GOF STAT3 mutations were found by his group to result in STAT3 homodimer stabilization. In collaboration with Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc., a small drug development company, his group exploited structural insights into the SH2 domain to develop STAT3 inhibitors that block homodimerization. In addition to targeting WT STAT3, these molecules effectively target GOF mutations. In separate studies, the stability of LOF functions mutations were shown to be improved with small-molecule proteostasis modulators. Preclinical studies are ongoing in the lab to explore the utility of proteostasis modulators to treat AD-HIE and to further develop the lead STAT3 inhibitor, TTI-101, into a drug to treat and/or prevent multiple cancers, including cancers of the liver, colon, breast, and respiratory track, as well as diseases characterized by chronic inflammation and/or fibrosis, including inflammatory bowel diseases, cachexia, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and liver fibrosis.
Debasish (Debu) Tripathy, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Breast Medical Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Tripathy’s clinical research focuses on the evaluation and development of novel therapeutics in breast cancer, specifically, growth factor receptor and cell cycle pathway targeting as well as biomarkers that predict sensitivity and resistance. He has conducted and led multi-center clinical trials that have eventuated in new approvals for breast cancer agents shown to improve survival. His current projects are exploring drivers of resistance to cyclin-dependent kinase and HER2 growth factor-targeted therapies and with this information, developing clinical trials with novel agents and combinations to improve patient outcomes.
Hannah Wingate, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Chair Department of Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Houston Baptist University
Dr. Wingate's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of breast cancer. She continues to collaborate with researchers in the medical center. Dr. Wingate’s teaching focus is on establishing a solid foundation of knowledge and interest in the General Biology courses. She specializes in teaching cellular and molecular biology courses and developing critical thinking and laboratory skills in the upper-level courses.
Alumni
Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellows
Francisco Saenz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2020)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Xian Chen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2018)
Current Position: Research Scientist at UTHealth Cancer Genomics Cancer Center
Merih Guray Durak, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-2018)
Current Position: Pathologist
Ege University
Turkey (since 2018)
Dong Yang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2015)
Current Position: Sr. Research Scientist
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Sira Macalou, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2018)
Current Position: Researcher
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2012)
Opoku Adjapong, M.D., M.P.H.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2012-2014)
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Health
Amanda Say, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2015)
Current Position: Chemistry Instructor
Minnetonka Public Schools (since 2019)
Ashleigh Francis, M.D.
Clinical Residents and Fellow (2012-2014)
Jason P. Carey, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2018)
Current Position: Clinical Research Scientist, IPTC, MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2019)
Angela Alexander, Ph.D.
TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2017)
Current Position: Coordinator of Clinical Studies
Breast Medical Oncology
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Chun-Hui Su, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2015)
Anna Bieracka, M.D , Ph.D
Postdoctoral Fellow (2008-2010)
Current Position: Assistant Professor
University of Chicago
Elizabeth Mittendorf, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2007-2009)
Current Position: Director of Breast Immuno-Oncology Program
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Nikki Delk, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2006-2009)
Current Position: Assistant Professor (since 2014)
The University of Texas at Dallas
Tomoya Yakota, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2005-2008)
Current Position: Senior Staff
Shizuoka Cancer Center
Laura Ann Lambert, M.D.
Clinical Residents and Fellows (2004-2005)
Current Position: Professor
University of Utah
Baohua Sun, M.D., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2004-2006)
Current Position: Research Scientist
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Timothy Pawlik, M.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellows (2003-2004)
Current Position: Chair
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (since 2016)
Isabelle Bedrosian, M.D
Clinical Resident and Fellows (2002-2003)
Current Position: Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Weihau Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2002-2003)
Ekem Efuet, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2001-2005)
Current Position: Clinical Laboratory Scientist
Christus Santa Rose Hospital (since 2017)
Said Akli, Ph.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2001-2003)
Current Position: Assistant Professor
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Matthew Calliser, M.D.
Clinical Resident and Fellow (2001)
Current Position: Chief Medical Office
Concord Medical Services (since 2019)
Graduate and Undergraduate Trainees
Rebecca Chen
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2016 & 2017)
Current Position: Undergraduate,
Rice University
Selena (Hernandez) Carmona, M.S.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (2014)
Current Position: Physician Assistant Program
Baylor College of Medicine (since 2017)
Chloe Friedman, MPH
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (2015)
Current Position: Database Coordinator
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (since 2017)
Smruthi Vijayaraghavan, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2013-2017)
Current Position: Scientist
The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (since 2018)
Donald (Chris) Ellis, B.S.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2013)
Current Position: Account Manager
Agilent Technologies (since 2019)
Robert Lusi, Ph.D
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2013)
Current Position: Graduate Student
University of California, Berkeley (since 2017)
Iman Doostan, M.D., Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2012-2017)
Current Position: Resident Physician
New York Medical College (since 2016)
Jolie Graf Schafer, Ph.D.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2012)
Current Position: Medical Science Liaison
TEVA Pharmaceuticals
Shayda Alaghemand, MSN
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2012)
Current Position: Nurse
Amanda Hanks, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2011-2016)
Current Position: Clinical Research Coordinator
University of California, San Francisco (since 2015)
Leila Salehi
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate Student (Summer 2011)
Natalie Jabbour, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2019-2015)
Current Position: Clinical Research Associate
DJO Global (since 2008)
Richard A. Meena, M.D.
CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2013)
Current Position: Surgery Resident
Emory University School of Medicine (since 2018)
Michelle Bouche
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2011)
Kimberly Symanski Lucenay, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2015)
Joseph (Tony) Caruso, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2009-2014)
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California- San Francisco
MyLing Dong, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2007-2012)
Current Position: Research Scientist
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals (since 2015)
Angela Nanos Webb, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2005-2011)
Current Position: Math Instructor
Trinity Classical School of Houston
Johnny Shen, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant (2006-2008)
Sonia Javan-Moghadam, Ph.D
Graduate Research Assistant (2004-2011)
Resting eternally in peace
Benjamin Mull, MS., Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2003-2010)
Current Position: Associate Director
University of Houston (since 2015)
Hannah Wingate, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2002-2007)
Current Position: Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Houston Baptist University (since 2008)
Molliane (McGahren) Murray, Ph.D.
Graduate Research Assistant (2001-2007)
Current Position: Research Scientist
Cancer Systems Imaging
MD Anderson Cancer Center (since 2017)
Research Staff
Sanaz Ghotbaldini, B.A.
Research Technician, Research Assistant (2019-2021)
Current Position: Medical school bound
Yanlai Lai, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Investigator (2019-2021)
Current Position: Senior Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA)
Xian Chen, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2018), Bioinformatic Analyst (2019-2020)
Current Position: Research Scientist at UTHealth Cancer Genomics Cancer Center
Cansu Karakas, MD
Visiting Scientist, Instructor (2011-2017)
Current Position: Associate Research Scientist, Department of Pathology
New York University Medical Center (since 2017)
Mehrnoosh Kohansal, B.S.
Research Assistant (2018-2019), CPRIT CURE Summer Undergraduate (2015)
Current Position: M.S. Program, MD Anderson UTHealth GSBS (since 2019)
Yanna Liu, M.S
Research Investigator (2002-2008)