Lab Members

Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, M.D., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.A.S.
Professor, Neuro-Oncology

Juan Fueyo, M.D., F.A.A.N., F.A.A.A.S.
Professor, Neuro-Oncology

Xuejun Fan, B.S.
Laboratory Technician and Laboratory Coordinator

Xuejun received her B.S. degree in nursing specialty from Guangxi Medical University, China. She has worked as a laboratory technician coordinating Drs. Fueyo and Gomez-Manzano’s laboratory since 2010. She is leading the amplification of oncolytic viruses and animal experiments, as well as participating in translational studies.

Maria Frost, M.D.
Pediatric Oncology Clinical Fellow

Maria received her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean in 2019, and completed her pediatrics residency at the Salah Foundation Children's Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She then started her Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Maria recently joined the Viroimmunotherapy Lab due to her interest in immunotherapy for refractory pediatric malignancies.
 

Andrew Gillard, B.Sc.
Ph.D. Candidate

Andrew earned his bachelor's degree in molecular biology and genetics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He then relocated to Houston, Texas, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. His thesis research in the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory centers on exploring host innate immune responses to oncolytic virotherapy.

Jiasen He, M.D.
Clinical Fellow

Jiasen received his medical degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China, in 2017. He completed his residency at the University of Florida in Pensacola before joining MD Anderson Cancer Center for his pediatric hematology-oncology training. During his fellowship, Jiasen joined the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory, where he has been researching the combination of oncolytic virus and CAR T cell therapy for pediatric diffuse midline glioma. His work was awarded with the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation Fellowship. Jiasen is also deeply interested in pediatric rare cancers and the adverse events associated with immunotherapy. He plans to pursue a fellowship focused on pediatric brain tumors after his current training.

Hong (Helen) Jiang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Helen received her Ph.D. in cell biology and molecular biology from Beijing Normal University, China. After joining the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory in 2001, her research has been focused on using oncolytic adenoviruses to develop effective therapies for solid tumors and dissect the mechanisms of virus/host cell interactions. Currently, Helen’s work is exploring the oncolytic adenovirus-mediated anti-tumor immunity through constructing novel oncolytic adenoviruses expressing immune stimulators and combining them with CAR T cell therapy. Her long-term goal is to develop more efficacious and safer therapeutic regimens that can be tested in patients with advanced metastatic solid tumors that are refractory to other conventional therapies.

Andres Lopez-Rivas, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant

Andres received his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus, where he began his research as an undergraduate researcher in the Comprehensive Cancer Center lab of Dr. Magaly Martinez-Ferrer. He is affiliated with the U54 dual degree program (M.D./Ph.D.) at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Andres joined the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory in 2023, and his Ph.D. thesis research focuses on enhancing the adaptive immune response after oncolytic virus treatment to maximize its anti-tumor potential.

Angelis M. Morales Rivera, B.S.
Postbaccalaureate Trainee

Angelis recently graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey with a Bachelor of Science in biology. She is currently enrolled in the Partnership for Careers in Cancer Science and Medicine (PCCSM) Postbaccalaureate Program. Her long-term goal is to pursue a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree, with research interests spanning neuroscience, neuro-oncology and immunology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Shin, Angelis contributes to research focused on characterizing the spatial organization of glioma tumor immune components and elucidating immune system dynamics within the tumor microenvironment in response to virotherapy.

Akhila Parthasarathy, M.S.E.
Graduate Research Assistant

Akhila is a graduate student at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She completed her Bachelor in Technology in biotechnology from PES University, Bangalore, India. She then pursued a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, where she worked on testing the effect of epigenetic modifiers in pediatric diffuse midline gliomas. She joined the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory in 2023, where she currently studies the role of epigenetic alterations upon adenoviral infection and how this process can be modulated to increase the efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy in diffuse midline gliomas in children.

Dong Ho Shin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Dong Ho received his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Cornell University. After joining the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory, he completed his Ph.D. in cancer biology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. His dissertation research focused on investigating the role of anti-viral immunity on the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic virotherapy for brain tumors. After graduating with his Ph.D. in 2024, he was appointed as a postdoctoral fellow. His current research focuses on understanding the effects of immunodominance during virotherapy.

Clàudia Solbes-Godina Riera, B.S.
Research Assistant

Clàudia received her Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She works in the Viroimmunotherapy Laboratory generating glioblastoma mouse models through intracranial bolting and tumor cell implantation as part of the Brain Tumor Center Animal Core. She is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in cancer biology and immunology. Currently, she is involved in projects related to the study of the innate and adaptive immunity in brain tumors.