Tran Lab
tranlaboratory.com
University of Maryland
School of Medicine
Audrey Lafargue, PhD
Research Associate of Radiation Oncology
Training: University of Nantes PhD
Postdoctoral Fellows, Graduate Students, and Research Technologists
Audrey Lafargue, PhD
University of Nantes
Department of Cell Biology
Audrey began her studies at the University Paul Sabatier of Toulouse, France and then received her PhD in Cell Biology at the University of Nantes also in France. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Tran lab, she will be studying mechanisms of epithelial plasticity during lung and pancreatic cancer progression with particular focus to the importance of EMT transcription factors such as Snail and Twist1 on cancer cell metabolism and cell fate decisions following treatment with radiation, chemotherapy and targeted treatments. Audrey's long term research interests are on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor and metastatic progression with special interest on the crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. Her ultimate aim is to determine new molecular targets to improve cancer treatments.
Francesca Anna Carrieri, PhD
University of Dundee
Division of Cell and Developmental Biology
Born and raised in Italy, Francesca graduated from University of Urbino with a BS in Biotechnology, and with two MS degrees in Industrial Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, respectively. In 2011, she joined the Laboratory of Genetics at the National Institute on Aging, NIH in Baltimore as visiting fellow for 3 years. She then moved to Scotland where she received her PhD in Cell Biology from University of Dundee. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Tran lab, Francesca will validate pharmacologically and genetically candidate genes involved in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) chemotherapy and radiation resistance as well as develop novel mouse models of SCLC. Francesca’s long-term research goals are to develop predictive biomarkers in order to improve patient therapy responses.
Matthew Deek, MD
Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Matthew is a fourth-year resident in Radiation Oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received his M.D. in 2016 from Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. His current research focus is in genitourinary oncology with a clinical interest in better understanding oligometastatic disease. He also is engaged in translational science efforts to investigate the genetic profile of prostate and bladder cancer to allow for better personalization of radiation therapy. Following residency Matthew would like to continue both clinical and translation investigation in an academic setting.
Noura Radwan, MD
Avalon University School of Medicine
Noura is a medical doctor working on completing her medical certification. She coordinates clinical efforts with Dr. Tran on a multitude of clinical trials (e.g. NCT04037358, & NCT02203695. She hopes to utilize these clinical research skills to achieve a strong foundation as a clinician for her further pursuit in practicing medicine.
Christine Lam, BA
Cellular and Molecular Medicine PhD Candidate
BA Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Christine Lam is a graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program at Johns Hopkins. Born and raised in Oakland, California, she attended UC Berkeley and graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology. After graduation, she worked on preclinical development and validation of new therapeutic strategies in multiple myeloma at UCSF. She is currently in the Tran Lab investigating the molecular mechanisms of metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the application of senolytics for lung cancer, and the combination of immunotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy in HCC. In the future, Christine aspires to pursue medical training and become a physician-scientist.
Jason (Xiangqian) Shi, BS
BSPH Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ScM Candidate
BS Pharmacology, Tongji Medical College
Jason is from Wuhan, China. He received his BS degree in pharmacology from Tongji Medical College in 2019. At Tongji, Jason participated in several types of research including pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and biophysics. Jason is enrolled JHU Bloomber School of Public Health in their BMB department. Jason is a ScM graduate student and will work on structure-functions studies of several EMT transcription factors. In the future, Jason plans to continue his research career and pursue a Ph.D.
Ismaeel Siddiqui, BA
Research Technologist/Pre-Med
BA Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley
Hailing from Tracy, California, Ismaeel is a recipient of Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholarship at UC Berkeley. Ismaeel was engaged in an eclectic course of study ranging from rationalist philosophy, medieval south asian history, and cognitive neuroscience before refining his interests to pursue a major emphasis in cell and developmental biology. Following graduation in May 2018, Ismaeel was at the Innovative Genomic Institute where he learned CRISPR-Cas9 and genome editing techniques. Ismaeel aspires to be a physician in the future and is currently managing our large transgenic mouse colony and general laboratory needs.
Caleb Smack, BS
Research Technologist/Pre-Med
BS Biology, Texas Christian University (TCU)
Caleb is from the small town of Chestertown, Maryland. He attended TCU, where he completed a BS in Biology and a minor in General Business. At TCU, Caleb spent 3 years in an ecological research lab studying the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia alata along with various healthcare and service experiences. Caleb is committed to becoming a physician and is currently co-managing our transgenic mouse colony.
Lab Alumni
Saravanan Thiyagarajan, DVM, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (10/09-12/10)
Position after Tran Lab - Scientist, Mitra Biotech Private Limited, Bangalore, India (12/10-11/13)
Current position - Principal Scientist and Group Leader of Oncology-Pharmacology, Mitra Biotech Private Limited, Bangalore, India (12/13-present)
Tarek Salih, BS
Research Technologist (1/10-5/11)
Position after Tran Lab - MSTP Student, Washington University (7/11-6/17)
Current position - Community physician (7/17-present)
Michael Armour, MS
Research Technologist (11/09-6/11)
Position after Tran Lab - Vet Student, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (7/11-6/15)
Current position - Chief of Staff Veterinarian, Banfield Pet Hospital (7/18-present)
Khaled Aziz, MS
Research Technologist (1/10-5/12)
Position after Tran Lab - MSTP Student, Mayo Medical School (6/12-6/20)
Current position - Radiation Oncology Resident, Johns Hopkins (7/21-present)
Postdoctoral Fellow/Resident (7/10-6/12)
Position after Tran Lab - Assistant Professor, University of Washington (9/12-5/17)
Current position - Associate Professor, University of Washington (6/17-present)
Nishant Gandhi, MS
Research Technologist (5/11-6/13)
Current Position - Graduate Student, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Therapeutics PhD Program (8/13-Present)
Sivarajan T. Chettiar, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (11/10-10/13)
Position after Tran Lab – Research Associate (Utpal S. Tatu Lab), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (7/14-9/16)
Current position – Scientist, Pandorum Technologies Private Limited, Bangalore, India (10/16-present)
Travis Peck, BS
Summer Research Student (1/13-5/13, 5/14-8/14)
Current position - Medical Student, University of Virginia
Aaron T. Wild, MD
Medical Student (8/11-6/14).
Position after Tran Lab – Radiation Oncology Resident, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (7/15-6/19)
Current position – Radiation Oncology Attending, Southeast Radiation Oncology (SERO)/Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, NC (7/19-present)
Sarah Manmiller, BSN
Summer Research Student (5/13-1/14)
Current position – Medical Student, Penn State College of Medicine (7/15-present)
Amanda Walker, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow/Resident (1/13-6/14)
Position after Tran Lab - Medical Officer, Division of Oncology Products 1, Office of Hematology and Oncology (OHOP), Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (7/15-7/18)
Current position – Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins (9/19-current)
Rajendra Gajula, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (10/10-9/14)
Position after Tran Lab – Research Associate (Shobhan Gaddameedhi Lab), Washington State University (5/15-12/16)
Current position - Faculty Scientist, Institute of Bioinformatics, Bangalore, India (9/17-present)
Russell Williams, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (4/12-3/15)
Current position – Scientist, GeneDx, Gaithersburg, MD (4/15-present)
Anvesh Annadanam, BSE
Biomed Engineering/Pre-Med Undergraduate Student (6/12-6/15)
Position after Tran Lab – Medical Student, Johns Hopkins (7/15-6/19)
Current position – Ophthalmology Resident, University of Michigan (7/20-present)
Jessica Cades, PhD
PhD Student (7/12-12/15)
Current position - Chemist, Office of Urologic Medical Devices, US FDA (1/16-present)
Katriana Nugent, BA
Research Technologist (4/13-1/16)
Position after Tran Lab - Masters Nursing Student, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (1/16-8/17)
Current position - PICU Nurse, Mayo Clinic (6/19-present)
Kekoa Taparra, PhD
PhD Student (3/13-6/16)
Position after Tran Lab - Medical Student, Mayo Medical School (7/16-6/20)
Current position - Radiation Oncology Resident, Stanford University (7/21-present)
Matthew Ballew, BS
Research Technologist (9/14-6/16)
Natasha Raman, BS
Summer Research Student (5/14-8/14, 11/16-6/17)
Current Position - Internal Medicine Resident, Virginia Commonwealth University
Ghali Lemtiri-Chlieh, MS
Research Technologist (4/16-6/17)
Current position - Medical Student, University of Connecticut (8/17-present)
Noura Radwan, MD
Clinical Study Coordinator/Postdoctoral Fellow (10/15-6/18)
Current position - Clinical Study Coordinator, NYU School of Medicine (6/17-present)
Xing Wang, MD, PhD
MD-PhD candidate (7/16-5/18)
Current position - Surgical Oncology Resident at 7th Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, China (7/18-present)
Roche Kapoor, MHS
Research Technologist (5/17-7/18)
Current position - Medical Student, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (8/18-present)
Mustafa Barbhuiya, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (8/15-7/18)
Current position - Clinical Chemistry Fellow, Penn State University Hershey Medical Center (8/18-present)
Reem Malek, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow (8/13-8/19)
Current position - Associate Director of Research Grants Program, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (9/19-present)
William T. Hrinivich, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow/Resident (6/18-6/20)
Position after Tran Lab - Medical Physicist, Johns Hopkins (7/20-present)
Ryan M. Phillips, MD, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow/Resident (12/16-6/20)
Position after Tran Lab - Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic (7/20-present)