Labgram

Publication Alert!

Make sure to head over to Gut and give the latest publication from the McAllister Lab a read. Graduate Student Vidhi Chandra and Dr. Florencia McAllister discuss the relevance of various microbiomes in pancreatic cancer and the future of treatments for PDAC patients.

After a tough, long year, the McAllister Lab gathered to celebrate our successes and the many challenges we have overcome. 

The latest addition to the McAllister Lab publications repertoire looks at neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and their role in connecting pancreatic cancer with immunosuppression. Be sure to give this paper a read!

The McAllister Lab has joined the Twitter-sphere. Be sure to give us a follow for updates and publication notifications!

Former McAllister Lab member, Pompeyo Quesada, graduated on May 22, 2020 from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Pompeyo graduated  with a Medical Doctor Degree, with a Distinction in Research and Scholarship.

Despite the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the McAllister Lab finds a way to continue its work. Frequent online meetings help us to keep moving forward, share what we have learned, and keep each other company. This is a truly remarkable group of people.

Pompeyo Quesada, former McAllister Lab member, matched with the residency program at The University of Kansas School of Medicine, Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery in March 2020.

Chirayu Mohindroo, former McAllister Lab member, matched with the residency program at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore - Categorical Internal Medicine, in March 2020.

Vidhi Chandra, Graduate Research Assistant in the McAllister Lab, attended the AACR: Microbiome, Viruses, and Cancer with Florencia McAllister. She was selected to present her abstract “Elucidating role of bacteria during pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).” Vidhi received the GSBS Cancer Biology Travel Award, and was one of five presenters selected for the AACR Scholar-In-Training Award for travel support.

Dr. Florencia McAllister was awarded one of three Individual Investigator Research Awards for Clinical Translation for her project, Modulating the Gut Tumor Microbial Axis to Reverse Pancreatic Cancer Immunosuppression. For more information, see Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas Awards $78 Million in New Grants. 

Vidhi Chandra was selected to give a flash talk at the Prime TR Retreat – Microbiome and Translational Research. She won the Flash Talk award for her presentation. Here she is with Dr. Jennifer Wargo.

The McAllister Lab gathered on Thanksgiving to celebrate the day with friends, colleagues, and family.

The EACR recognized the McAllister Lab paper published in Cell (Tumor Microbiome Diversity and Composition Influence Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes) as one of the Top 10 Cancer Research Publications for 2019.

The McAllister Lab joined in turning the world purple to raise awareness of Pancreatic Cancer on World Pancreatic Cancer Day on November 21, 2019. 

The McAllister Lab gathered today for lunch to welcome its newest member, Pinar Kanlikilicer (right). Pinar joined the lab as a Senior Clinical Research Scientist.

Rian Morgan, a second year student with the McAllister Lab, received an award for her poster presentation at the annual Cancer Biology Retreat hosted by the Cancer Biology Program.

Vidhi Chandra was awarded the GSBS Endowment Scholarship, which recognizes a GSBS student who is conducting outstanding research in the biomedical area.

The McAllister Lab published a paper in the journal Cell detailing a potential link between the microbiome and pancreatic cancer patient survival.
 

The McAllister lab gathered at Argentina Cafe to celebrate Maria Montiel (middel) and her new position as a Resident at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Dr. McAllister and Chirayu Mohindroo with a poster presented by Chirayu at the High Risk Clinic  Moonshot Meeting. Poster created by Maria Montiel.

Dr. Florencia McAllister with MD Anderson President Peter WT Pisters (left) and Andrew Sabin of the Sabin Family Foundation (right). Dr. McAllister was one of eight awardees of the Andrew Sabin Family Fellowship for 2019.

The McAllister Lab represented along with former lab member Yu Zhang at the AACR.

A farewell lunch for Yu Zhang (far left). Yu has been part of the lab since its inception in 2015.

Yu Zhang will be wearing his work wherever he goes!

The McAllister Lab members and their families celebrating the festive season.

Dr. McAllister supporting Michelle Zoltan, Lab Technician, at her graduation celebration. Michelle has been with the lab since 2015.

Graduate Student Vidhi Chandra presenting a poster on her work during the Cancer Biology Program retreat. 

Vidhi Chandra (left) and Susana Castro-Pando (right) at the lab coat ceremony, where graduate students receive their lab coats.

The McAllister Lab welcomes the summer students with Indian food.

Farewell for Pompeyo Quesada, medical student who ventured into our lab and contributed heavily to several projects related to immunological characterization of tumors.  

Celebrating Yu Zhang’s first author manuscript on the role of IL-17 in promoting stemness just published in Gastroenterology, the premier Gastroenterology journal (IF: 20.7) 

Birthday celebration after a Lab meeting 

Cancer Prevention- Research in Progress (CP-RIP) meetings were launched for our department trainees to discuss their ongoing research.

McAllister's Lab starts operations!