Lab Members
Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
American Cancer Society Research Scholar
Dr. Wen Jiang earned his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Toronto and his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his radiation oncology residency at MD Anderson. Clinically, he is a practicing radiation oncologist who cares for patients with primary and secondary CNS tumors. In research, his laboratory has received funding from NCI, NINDS, CPRIT, the Department of Defense, American Cancer Society and Susan Komen Foundation, among others. Dr. Jiang’s work has been recognized and critically acclaimed numerous times. His laboratory focuses on developing therapeutic strategies to enhance immune clearance within the tumor microenvironment, discovering mRNA-based therapeutics for cancer treatment and elucidating the effects of aging on the efficacy of cancer nanotherapeutics.
Mengyu Chang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
MChang4@MDAnderson.org
Mengyu Chang obtained her Ph.D. at University of Science and Technology of China in 2021 before moving to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as a postdoctoral fellow in 2022. She joined the Jiang Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2023. So far, she has published several peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Angewandte Chemie International Edition and Advanced Materials, and these articles have been cited more than 1700 times. Her main research interests are nanomedicine and immunotherapy.
Yen-Tzu Chang, M.S.
Ph.D. Student
YChang10@MDAnderson.org
Yen-Tzu received his B.S. in pharmacy from Kaohsiung Medical University and practiced as a licensed pharmacist for two years. He then earned his M.S. in pharmaceutics from Chang Gung University, where he developed neutrophil-targeted nanoparticles for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, with his work published in Acta Biomaterialia. In 2025, he joined the Jiang Lab as a Ph.D. student, where his research focuses on exosome-based mRNA delivery and cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and singing.
Weiye Deng, M.D., M.P.H.
Postdoctoral Fellow
WDeng2@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Deng completed her medical training in China and obtained her Master of Public Health degree from The University of Texas School of Public Health in 2018. She completed postdoctoral research training at UT Southwestern Medical Center and MD Anderson under the mentorship of Dr. Wen Jiang. Her research interest is population-based study and bioinformatics with a focus on clinical and genetic factors in the prognosis of cancer patients. She has published several research papers in journals such as JAMA Network Open, JNCI and Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
Shiyan Dong, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
SDong@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Dong earned his Ph.D. in microbiology and biochemical pharmacy from Jilin University. He joined the Jiang Lab in 2020 as an exchange student and now works as a postdoctoral fellow. His research focuses on mRNA-loaded exosomes for targeted immunotherapy of cancer. His projects involve drug delivery and the production and purification of exosomes. Outside of the lab, he is an aviation aficionado.
Maurice Dufilho IV
Research Technician
MJDufilho@MDAnderson.org
Maurice has been working in research since January 1999, when he started with Veterinary Medicine and Surgery as an attendant in the facility. After 2 years of experience, he went into histology within Veterinary Medicine and Surgery to work as an assistant. His time there included around 13 years of hard, productive work. Thereafter he went to Stillmeadow Inc. as a research technician for 3 years and gained further experience. Following that he spent 6 years at Baylor College of Medicine as a research technician. Now back at MD Anderson in the Jiang Lab as a research technician, he helps guide experimental needs and coordinate what is needed for animal studies.
Jared Edwards, Ph.D.
Research Investigator
JLEdwards1@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Edwards attended and received his B.S. from Northern Michigan University in 2016, following which he attended Michigan Technological University for his doctorate in chemistry that was earned in 2022. After this, he moved to Houston with his partner and began working at MD Anderson, joined the Jiang Lab in 2024. While his early work during his Ph.D. focused on glycobiological and purification techniques, he has since been incorporated into the world of immunology, surrounded by the best scientists he has met while in the Jiang Lab. Outside of research, he enjoys fishing, music and attending medieval and renaissance activities with his wonderful partner Tess.
Adam Grippin, M.D., Ph.D.
Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology
AGrippin@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Grippin completed his medical and doctoral training at the University of Florida, where he developed a personalized mRNA-nanoparticle platform that is currently in first-in-human clinical trials for treatment of brain tumors. He has published several peer-reviewed papers, including in ACS Nano and Nanoletters. Dr. Grippin’s research accomplishments have been recognized by several awards and scholarships, including the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award and induction into the University of Florida Hall of Fame. His research interest is the development and translation of novel cancer immunotherapy agents.
JongHoon Ha, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
JHa1@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Ha received his B.S. in chemical and biomolecular engineering from Yonsei University in Korea, followed by his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the same field from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He joined the Jiang Lab in 2021 as a postdoctoral fellow. He is actively engaged in two different projects in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The first project revolves around blocking multiple phagocytosis checkpoints, aiming to enhance phagocytic clearance and promote sequential antitumor immune responses against glioblastoma. In the second project, he is investigating epigenetic alterations associated with immunosenescence.
Anthony Lim, B.S.
M.D./Ph.D. Student
Anthony received his B.S. in neuroscience from The University of Texas at Austin in 2022 and subsequently enrolled as an M.D./Ph.D. student at the MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. His prior work in primary brain tumor oncogenesis and therapeutic strategies led him to join the lab in 2026. His current research focuses on elucidating and translating mechanisms of immunotherapy and nanotherapy for the treatment of central nervous system tumors. Outside the laboratory, he enjoys martial arts, gymnastics and exploring new restaurants.
Yifan Ma, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
YMa10@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Ma received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in materials science and engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2014 and 2017 and earned his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from The Ohio State University in 2023. His early research focused on developing advanced biomaterials and technologies for tissue regeneration. After joining the Jiang Lab, Dr. Ma expanded his work to the bioengineering of extracellular vesicles, advancing the development and clinical translation of novel delivery platforms for cancer therapy.
Michelle Najarro Torres
Research Assistant
MNajarro@MDAnderson.org
Michelle joined the Jiang Lab after graduating from University of St. Thomas with her bachelor's in cell and molecular biology. She manages the lab and is involved in supporting various projects with a focus on bioengineering EVs for cargo delivery. She is dedicated to learning more about omics data analysis.
Ansel Nalin, M.D., Ph.D.
Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology
APNalin@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Nalin is a current radiation oncology resident at MD Anderson. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. He then completed his Ph.D. and M.D. degrees at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). His Ph.D. research in immunology studied the mechanisms of human natural killer cell development. He is currently working in the Jiang Lab studying the development of novel targeted therapies for cancer.
Timothy Peitsch
Research Intern
TPeitsch@MDAnderson.org
Timothy is a current radiation oncology research intern at MD Anderson. He graduated from Texas A&M University at College Station with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He is currently working under the direction of Dr. Jiang, focusing on utilizing EV to deliver mRNA to specific cell targets. His future goals are to attend pharmacy school and to continue human health advancement.
Xiaotian Wang
Ph.D. Student
XWang51@MDAnderson.org
Xiaotian Wang earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in biochemistry from New York University. He joined the Jiang Lab as a graduate student in 2024 and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. His research focuses on engineering nanoparticle-based systems for drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy, with an emphasis on immune modulation and therapeutic development. Outside of the lab, he enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors.
Yifan Wang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
YWang45@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Wang earned his B.S. from China Agricultural University in 2013 and his Ph.D. from the MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2018. Dr. Wang’s graduate research focused on the development of therapeutic strategies to enhance the radio sensitivity of lung cancer. He joined the Jiang Lab as a postdoctoral fellow after graduation. His current research interests are developing novel cancer immunotherapy agent delivery methods via bio-engineering approaches. He has published several peer-reviewed papers as leading author in journals such as Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Communications and Clinical Cancer Research. Dr. Wang’s research accomplishments have been recognized by several awards and scholarships, including the Marie Curie Award from the Radiation Research Society, the President’s Research Scholarship, the Odyssey Outstanding Research Publication Award, the Thomas H. and Mayme P. Scott Fellowship in Cancer Research, the Scholarship for Excellence in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the T.C. Hsu Memorial Scholarship from MD Anderson. He was selected as one of the Wunderkinds by STAT News in 2022.
Annette Wu
Ph.D. Student
AWu4@MDAnderson.org
Annette is a third year Ph.D. student in the immunology program from Toronto, Canada. She completed her Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree at the University of Western Ontario and completed an undergraduate internship in the laboratory of Dr. Tak W. Mak at the University of Toronto. In the Jiang Lab, she works on immunostimulatory antibody drug conjugates and has been awarded the Sylvan Rodriguez Foundation Scholarship, as well as the Marilyn and Frederick R. Lummis Jr. MD Fellowship.