Lab Members

Principal Investigator

James Welsh, M.D.
Professor, Radiation Oncology

I have had a singular focus in my life to help humanity, and during my college years I became intrigued by the power of the immune system and astonished that cancer cells could adapt by evading immune detection. This interest led to my first job at Genentech, where I witnessed the development of some of the first targeted therapies, including trastuzumab (Herceptin). During this time, I first learned of antibody-dependent cellular immunity and how a drug like trastuzumab could be used to influence an immunologic response. During my residency in Radiation Oncology, I began to realize that radiation has the ability to stimulate immune responses by killing cancer cells within the patient and that that process can produce an immunologic T-cell response. Also during my residency, I was lucky enough to run a lab that led to a patent on a novel c-Met kinase inhibitor, which we licensed to industry. Although it was rewarding to see a drug I developed enter into clinical use, I came to realize that blocking a single part of a signaling pathway was too simplistic an approach in cancer and could in fact facilitate treatment resistance. Thinking there must be a better way, I began to consider combining radiation therapy with immunotherapy as a potential opportunity to permanently control cancer. In my current position as a tenured professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, I am fortunate to be able to realize my mission on a daily basis. Seeing first-hand the devastation that cancer causes only serves to galvanize my determination. As an independent investigator, I am now focused on enhancing the effects of immunotherapy through its rational combination with radiation. This work includes running many of the first trials of anti-CLTA-4 and anti-PD1 with radiation, as well as testing preclinical models of immunotherapy with radiation. Running a lab in addition to treating patients provides me with unique clinical insights that come from seeing firsthand how best to combine immunotherapies with radiation, with the ultimate goal of developing truly personalized therapeutic approaches.

Maria Angelica Cortez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Phone: 713-563-5654
Email: macortez@mdanderson.org

Maria Angelica received her masters and Ph.D degree from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2009. She completed part of her thesis in the lab of George Calin, M.D., Ph.D., at MD Anderson, where she devoted her thesis to understanding the roles of noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs, in the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor progression. She joined Welsh’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2011 and was appointed as an instructor in the Radiation Oncology department in 2015. Cortez’s long-term career goal is to discovery novel therapeutic strategies to target immunotherapy resistant lung and breast cancer cells. Her current projects include 1.) Understanding the mechanisms by which tumors evade the immune system and 2.) Exploring the interaction between radiation and immunotherapies in lung cancer treatment.

Nahum Puebla-Osorio, Ph.D, DVM
Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: npuebla@mdanderson.org

Nahum finished his masters and Ph.D at Texas A&M University. His research includes studying multiple components of cell therapy, including designing chimeric antigen receptors for T cells. He designs and studies novel expression constructs (e.g., scFv-specific CARs, receptor switching and expression of chemokine receptors) for engineering T cells to enhance their infiltration, expansion and survival within the TME. He is working on different fronts to learn more about the components of the TME and how we can modulate the stroma and resident immune cells using radiotherapy to promote a more welcoming environment for adoptively transferred T cells. Understanding the mechanisms by which radiotherapy modulates the immune landscape in the tumor environment will lead to the design of better therapeutic approaches. His research represents reliable alternatives for treating solid tumors with a novel combination of radiotherapy and enhanced cell therapy.

Hampartsoum Barsoumian, Ph.D.
Instructor, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: hbarsoumian@mdanderson.org

Hampartsoum received his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Louisville (2016), where his research was focused on the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines and immune adjuvants bridging innate and adaptive immunity together to eliminate tumors. He joined Welsh’s research group as a postdoc in September 2016. His current research interests are combining different radiation strategies with immunotherapy to promote systemic/abscopal anti-tumor effects, as well as fine-tuning radiation to modulate the tumor microenvironment to overcome resistance to therapy over time. Hampartsoum is also involved in grant writing and collaborating with pharmaceutical companies.

Yun Hu, Ph.D.
Sr Research Scientist, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: yhu9@mdanderson.org

Yun Hu earned his Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Prior to MD Anderson, Yun’s research focused on developing therapeutics against addiction to drugs of abuse. He has invented numerous nanoparticle-based vaccines for smoking cessation. At MD Anderson, he combines nanoparticle radioenhancer (NBTXR3), photon radiotherapy, proton radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and antisense therapy to activate the systemic antitumor immune response to achieve the abscopal effect in metastatic lung cancer. His research on immunoradiotherapy has been published in journals, including International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Journal of Nanobiotechnology, Frontiers in Immunology, etc. His research goal is to personalize immunoradiotherapy for cancer patients

Zahid Rafiq, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: zrbhat@mdanderson.org

Zahid received his M.S (Pharm) and Ph.D. (Pharm) in pharmacology and toxicology from National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Mohali, India. His current research involves the modulation of various, latest strategies to enhance TME susceptibility and augment the systemic abscopal antitumor effects of immuno-radiotherapy. The activation of immune responses by radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors and directing towards specific tumor antigens via adoptively transferred CAR T cell therapy will help to personalize the anticancer therapy.

Lotis Batan
Program Coordinator, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: lbbatan@mdanderson.org

Lotis received her B.S in Elementary Education from West Visayas State University, Philippines. She is currently the program coordinator for the lab, coordinating daily activities, staff travel, conference registration, hotel, ground, and air travel, and submits expenses for reimbursement. She also manages purchase requisitions, including ordering office and lab supplies, and coordinates with legal to put in place confidentiality agreements. She also assists in developing contracts and serves as administrative liaison with HR and the Welsh Laboratory on hiring, promotions and onboarding.

Fatemeh Masropour 
Research Investigator
Email: FMasrorpour@mdanderson.org 

Mina received her B.S in biology in Iran before attending Queen’s University of Charlotte for her graduate work. She is currently the lab manager for the Welsh lab and also assists on experiments as well as in vitro work. She is incredibly excited to be embarking on new research projects this year and cannot wait to discover more about the intricacies of immunotherapy and radiation.

Claudia Kettlun Leyton, Ph.D.
Research Investigator, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: cskettlun@mdanderson.org

Claudia Kettlun Leyton received her Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Chile. She completed her postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine in the Departments of Nephrology and the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine investigating different methodologies for gene targeting in cell therapy. She joined the laboratory of Dr. James Welsh in 2020. Currently, her research interests are on the effect of radiation on predetermined cancer cell therapies.

Jiang Hong, M.S.
Research Investigator, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: hjiang2@mdanderson.org

Hong Jiang received her master's degree from East China University of Science and Technology. She joined the Welsh Laboratory in 2021. Her current research interests involve studying the novel therapeutic strategies to target immunotherapy resistant lung cancer cells.

Tiffany Voss
Research Assistant II, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: tavoss@mdanderson.org

Tiffany graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 2020 with a bachelor's in biology and chemistry. She joined the Welsh lab in November 2020 where she assists with clinical samples and cell therapy projects.

Selene Nanez
Research Assistant I, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: snanez@mdanderson.org

Selene received her undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and joined the Welsh lab in January of 2022. She currently works in in-vivo experiments combining radiation with immunotherapy. She is also responsible for mice colony management and lab work including cell culture and tissue processing. Her future goal is to become a physician.

Thomas Riad
Research Assistant I, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: tsriad@mdanderson.org

Thomas received his Bachelor of Science pre-medical degree from the University of Houston in 2021. He joined the Welsh Lab in June of 2022. Currently, Thomas works in projects that include in-vivo experiments combining radiation with various immunotherapeutic drugs and cell therapy. He is also responsible for mice colony management, lab work and data analysis. His future aspirations are to become a physician and to continue working in cutting edge medical research.

Ailing Huang
Research Technician, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: ahuang3@mdanderson.org

Ailing is an experienced research technician with nearly 20 years of work experience in medical institutions including the Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine and MD Anderson. She is highly skillful with cell culture, immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and western blot. In the Welsh Laboratory, Ailing is supporting numerous research projects through maintaining mouse colony by breeding, genotyping and performing therapeutic treatment and surgical procedures in in vivo research.

Lisa Duong
Research Technician, Radiation Oncology - Research
Email: lkduong@mdanderson.org

Lisa graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021 with a BSA in biochemistry and a BA in Iberian and Latin American languages and cultures. She joined the Welsh Lab in 2022 and has been involved with in vivo experiments.

Arya Amini, M.D.
Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology
Denver, CO

After working in the Welsh Laboratory, Arya completed his residency at the University of Colorado in the Radiation Oncology department. He is now an attending at City of Hope.

Ailin Li, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Scientist, China Medical University

After finishing her research years at the Welsh lab, Ailin has returned to China to continue her work as a radiation oncologist. She is finishing her research on investigating the effects and mechanisms of combining radiotherapy and IDO1 inhibitor in animal models.

Steven Seyedin, M.D.
Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology
Iowa City, IA

Steven worked in the Welsh lab as a clinical research intern and then went on to start his residency as a radiation oncologist at the Chicago Medical Center at the University of Illinois. He is now completing his residency at the University of Iowa in the Radiation Oncology department.

Mauricio Da Silva Caetano, Ph.D.
Clinical Studies Coordinator
Houston, TX

Mauricio worked in the Welsh Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow for two years. He recently shifted to clinical studies as a Clinical Studies Coordinator at the Investigational Cancer Therapeutics department at MD Anderson Cancer Center. 

Jonathan Schoenhals
Medical Student
Dallas, TX

Jonathan worked in the Welsh Laboratory for two years, primarily focusing on regulatory T-cell immunotherapy and radiation combinations. He is currently a second-year medical student at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX with his future plans still to be determined.  

Alexandra Cadena
Houston, TX 

Alex was a research intern working in the Welsh Lab. She conducted her research on the effects of inhibiting glycosylation in combination with immunotherapy for the treatment of thoracic malignancies. She's currently studying to take the LSAT and will apply to law school this fall, so she can pursue her dream of becoming a patent lawyer with an emphasis on cancer therapeutics.

Taylor Cushman, M.D.
Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology
Phoenix, AZ/Columbus, OH 

Taylor recently finished medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. He conducted a year of research between his third and fourth years of medical school here in the Welsh Lab. He is about to embark on a Radiation Oncology residency with a preliminary year in Phoenix, AZ, followed by his formal residency at Ohio State University.

Meidi Gu

Meidi Gu received her Ph.D. degree in Immunology from Zhejiang University, China, in 2015; she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, in which she worked on metabolic programmes and signaling networks that regulate the T cell response in anti-tumor immunity. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Welsh as a research scientist in 2019. Her current research interests are combining metabolic coordination with immunotherapy and discovering new tumor antigens for the design of novel CAR T cells.

Liang Peng Yang, Ph.D.

Liang received his master’s in biochemistry from the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology before he went on to receive his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Montreal in Canada. He went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the NCI in Experimental Immunology where he continued on as research faculty for several years. He eventually found his way to the Welsh lab where he worked on Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines and new drug discovery research by applying his extensive, intensive research experience and expertise in immunology and molecular biology.

Ahmed Younes, M.D.

Ahmed received his medical degree from Cairo University in 2014. He joined the Welsh lab in March 2016 to help assist on clinical and translational research projects. His current research interests involve studying the impact of providing direct treatment to multiple oligometastatic targets to enhance responses provided by immunotherapy. His future passion is to complete his residency and continue conducting research to bring new advances from the bench to the bedside.

Mark Wasley, B.S.

Mark received his bachelors in Biochemistry from the University of Houston. He joined Dr. Welsh’s lab in March 2019 where he assisted with In Vivo research projects.

Dawei Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Dawei Chen joined the Welsh Laboratory in his second year of Ph.D. in Radiation Oncology in Shandong University, China. He received M.D. degree in 2017. His research focused on the role of selective metabolic inhibitors with radiation and immunotherapy to develop durable response.

Hari Menon

Hari joined the Welsh Laboratory on a gap year from medical school at the University of Arizona COM – Phoenix. His research interests are concerned with the mechanisms surrounding radiation’s effects on the immune system. He assisted with clinical trial analyses with a focus on immunoradiation trials and plans to pursue a career in academic Radiation Oncology with the hopes of developing his own clinical trials and translational projects in the near future.

Roshal Patel

Roshal joined the Welsh Laboratory as a medical student at Albany Medical College with a keen interest in radiation and immune oncology. His research at MD Anderson Cancer Center focused on both clinical and preclinical projects utilizing immuno-radiotherapy as well as ventures related to biology-guided radiation delivery and autonomous radiation planning software development. Roshal plans to pursue a career in academic radiation oncology.

Rishab Ramapriyan

Rishab Ramapriyan joined the Welsh Laboratory in January 2017 while completing a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice University. Rishab was involved with both preclinical and clinical studies relating to the combination of immunotherapy and radiotherapy. He hopes to eventually pursue a career as a physician-scientist in the field of oncology.