I am a visiting graduate student in Dr. Boothman’s Lab. I recieved my M.D. (2003~2010) in Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, one of the best medical schools in China. I started my ph.D. training in general surgery, specializing in breast cancer research in Central South University since 2010, I am now in my third year of my ph.D, and focusing on the DNA damage and repair effects of the NQO1-specific anti-tumor agent, Deoxynyboquinone(DNQ87).

I am a postdoctoral associate, working with Dr. Boothman since 2011. I completed by PhD in April, 2009 From University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics. I worked with Dr. Hongtao Yu at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, department of Pharmacology from 2009 to 2011. My main research focus is to understand the DNA-double strand break repair mechanism in mammalian system.

I joined the Boothman Lab in July 2011. My core work is to study beta-lapachone and its pH-sensitive prodrugs for the eradication of non-small cell lung and pancreatic cancers. I received my B.S. in 2001 from Soochow University. In 2007, I earned my M.S. at Xiamen University and in the same year was accepted into a Joint Doctoral Program in Cell Biology from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla & Xiamen University, China. Under the guidance of Dr. Huaxi Xu, I received my Ph.D. in December 2010.

I joined to Dr. Boothman’s lab as a visiting scholar in 2012 from South Korea (Professor at Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry; e. mail: drkim@gnu.ac.kr). I received PhD degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and carried out post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical School. I am very interesting in understanding the mechanistic basis about interplay between autophagy and energy metabolism during cancer progression.

Dr. Luo received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at SUNY Upstate Medical University in 2006. He is interested in Cancer Biology. Currently, He’s working on β-lapachone, a tumor specific killing agent. His project is to elucidate its action mechanism and to enhance it effect by modifying DNA damage repair pathway.

Zach’s first experience in a cancer research lab was a summer internship at MD Anderson Cancer Center when he was a junior in high school. He subsequently attended the University of Texas at Austin and obtained a BS in Biomedical Engineering while working on a variety of projects in cancer biology, biomaterials, drug delivery, and cancer therapeutics at UT Austin, MDACC, and local biotech enterprises. He enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program at UT Southwestern in 2011 and joined the Boothman lab to pursue his goal of developing better cancer therapies through research and applying them in clinical practice. He is focusing his efforts on the factors that regulate NQO1 levels in cancer cells.

I am currently an assistant instructor with the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. I received my Bachelors of Science in Molecular Biology from The University of Texas in Austin and my PhD from The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. The focus of my research as a PhD student was to understand how the cell repairs DNA Double strand breaks, which is what I continue to work on today. When I am not in lab I either like to be doing something active or screaming in to a microphone.

Education: Gannon University, B.S. in Chemistry, magna cum laude, 2006. Case Western Reserve University, Ph.D. in Chemistry (Cancer Pharmacology Training Program) under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony Berdis and Dr. Irene Lee, 2012.
During the course of Edward’s graduate work, he became very interested in the mechanism of drug resistance and/or carcinogesis induced by endogenous and exogenous DNA-damaging agents. His doctoral work was focused on understanding the chemistry and enzymology of translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), or the replication of damaged DNA (particularly noninstructional or nontemplated DNA lesions), using rationally designed non-natural nucleotides as biochemical probes. The mechanistic insights gained from this work has led to the development of a novel chemical agent with combined therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) potentials – an innovative strategy for improving the treatment of cancer patients. Currently, he is investigating the biological function(s) of Kub5/Hera and a close homolog in DSB repair and genomic instability. Critical insights into the mechanism(s) by which cancer cells repair and survive the deleterious effects of genomic lesions caused by DNA-damaging agents could lead to the development of novel therapeutics and innovative strategies for personalized cancer therapy.

He was born and grew up in a small town, Anjad (MP, India). Since childhood he had a natural inclination toward biology and was always eager to learn more about how biomolecules work. He completed his B. Sc. (Biology) and M. Sc. (Life Sciences) from Devi Ahilya University, Indore (India). During his graduate studies, he had an opportunity to work in an enzymology laboratory (at BARC, Mumbi (India)) and be engaged in biochemical studies on a protein complex involved in chromosomal translocation. These short training experiences fascinated him and further deepen his interest in enzymology of proteins that play critical roles in DNA repair. Then he joined NM State University to complete his Ph. D. in Biochemistry. During his doctoral studies he worked on bacterial RecN protein (an SMC family member) that promote HR-mediated repair of DNA DSBs. His dissertation research was focused on investigating the molecular function of D. radiodurans RecN protein and doing structure-function studies. Currently, he is pursuing postdoctoral studies in the Boothman laboratory and working on understanding the role of human KUB5/HERA protein in maintaining genomic integrity. His postdoctoral studies are focused on investigating protein complexes involving KUB5/HERA and understanding the functions of these complexes in cancer biology.

I am interested in the relationship between Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and program changes in Cell metabolism. I came to Dr. Boothman’s lab to study Cancer cell metabolism changes during EMT in 2011. I am a nephrologist, originally from Tokyo, Japan. I received my Doctoral degree from the Tokyo Women’s Medical University.

I am a postdoc researcher in Dr. Boothman’s lab since 04/2012. I have over 7 years of biomedical research particularly in cancer biology. I feel very lucky to join this lab with different cultural and ethnic environments. My career goal is to understand the mechanism of human diseases in molecular level and finally develop drugs for treatment.

Although my background is in neuroscience, I’ve joined Dr. Boothman’s lab to get a better understanding of cellular and molecular biology of cancer, and to improve on my research skills. I received my Bachelors of Science in Psychology at the University of Houston in 2009. I received my Masters of Science in the field of Applied Cognition and Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2012. My future goals involve starting research projects of my own or possibly applying to medical school. Its an honor to be part of a greater cause and I hope to learn skills that will be contributable to our society.