Lab Members
Christopher Young, M.D., Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Christopher Young, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of Neurosurgery and the director of Endovascular Surgical Neuro-Oncology, specializes in conditions affecting blood vessels in the brain and spine. These include management of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations and subdural hematomas, as well as emerging cerebrovascular techniques for the treatment of brain and spinal tumors.
Siresha Bathina, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Siresha Bathina received her master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Hertfordshire, UK and her Ph.D. in biotechnology from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India, in 2018. Her Ph.D. work, supported by a senior research fellowship (SRF) from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), focused on investigating the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on cognitive dysfunction. With expertise in preclinical rodent models gained in India, the University of Rochester, and in human clinical trials during her research training at Baylor College of Medicine, she has developed a unique skill set that bridges laboratory research and clinical applications. Her primary research interest lies in brain physiology.
She joins the Young Lab to spearhead the establishment of a preclinical model for intra-arterial infusion combined with blood-brain barrier and blood-tumor barrier disruption. This innovative model aims to facilitate testing potential cellular therapies with cutting edge rapid translation to clinical trials with the potential to significantly impact the treatment of glioblastoma and other neurological conditions.
Tao Wang, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Tao Wang received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Fudan University in 2018. He has been working as an attending neurosurgeon in China for about 10 years. Dr. Wang’s research has been focused on USP8 mutations in Cushing’s disease and GPR68 in ischemic stroke. He has a strong interest in glioblastoma research.
Joy Gumin
Research Investigator
Joy Gumin received her bachelor’s degree in biology from University of Houston. Before joining the Lang Laboratory in 2001, Joy worked as a senior research assistant in Experimental Radiation Oncology for three years. Her current research in the Young Laboratory is looking into the sensitivity of glioma stem cells to the replication competent adenovirus Delta-24-RGD. She is also working on the characterization of patient-derived bone-marrow human mesenchymal stem cells as virus carriers for the treatment of glioblastoma.
Daniel Ledbetter (Lang Lab)
Daniel Ledbetter received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University and his master’s degree in biology from the University of Kentucky. His graduate research focused on discerning the roles of Bcl-2 family proteins in regulating apoptosis during development and tumorigenesis. His research contributes to identifying and characterizing the role of mesenchymal stem-like cells in glioblastoma.