Jim Brugarolas – PI

I'm Jim Brugarolas and I'm the principal investigator of the group. I received my M.D. degree from the University of Navarra Medical School in 1993, and my Ph.D. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998. I did my graduate research in the laboratory of Tyler Jacks, where I focused on understanding the mechanism of tumor suppression by the p53 gene, the most commonly mutated gene in human cancer. After I finished my Ph.D., I went to Duke University Medical Center for internal medicine training, and subsequently to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for a clinical fellowship in oncology. At the Dana-Farber, I joined the laboratory of Bill Kaelin where I started a new line of research to investigate the role of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in kidney cancer. In December of 2005, I was privileged to accept an Endowed Scholar Assistant Professor position at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and on February 1^st 2006, Silvia (who had been working with me for a year), Samuel (who had just joined the group to spearhead the Kidney Cancer New Pathway Discovery Project), and I, moved to Dallas to start the new lab. While 90% of my time is dedicated to research, I also have a weekly clinic for kidney cancer patients.

Born and raised in Dallas, I have enjoyed studying science and medically-related subjects since I was young. I attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock from 2003 to 2007 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with Honors (with a minor in Chemistry). I began working in the lab in February 2008 and am working on a functional genomic screen using RNAi to identify novel pathways involved in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) development. I hope to complete the screen soon and reveal a number of genes that may possibly be targeted to enhance treatments for RCC patients.

I was born and raised right here in Dallas, but spent the last four years in Austin where I attended The University of Texas. I graduated in 2008 with a double major in biology and Spanish and a minor in business. I only began working in the Brugarolas lab September 2008 but have already learned so much. I am looking forward to identifying and characterizing novel biomarkers for renal cell carcinoma.

Hi, my name is Aneesa. I was born and raised in Dallas, TX. I graduated from Southern Methodist University where I studied Biology and Psychology. I joined the Brugarolas Lab in December 2007, and am currently working on an exciting project developing a mouse model for the evaluation of molecularly targeted therapies in RCC.

Blanka Kucejova - Postdoc

I was born in Slovakia, a small country in central Europe. I obtained my MSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry (1997) as well as PhD in Biochemistry (2003) from Comenius University in Bratislava. During this period, I worked with yeast in the group of Prof. Ladislav Kovac, whose work is well known in the mitochondrial community. I studied mtDNA replication, ion homeostasis and mitochondrial telomeres. In 2004, I joined the group of Prof. Ronald Butow here at UTSW and worked with yeast mitochondrial transporters on a project of Dr. Xin Jie Chen. When the laboratory of Prof. Butow closed, I was looking for project that would enable me to move from the yeast world to higher organisms. In December of 2007, I joined the Brugarolas lab and started to work on a very interesting project studying several aspects of VHL function in renal cell carcinoma cell lines as well as in mouse models.

Samuel Peña–Llopis - Postdoc

I was born in Castellón (Spain) in October 1975. With both my parents working in science, my father a biologist doing research at the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) and my mother a chemistry teacher, I grew up very interested in science. I obtained my BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1997. I got my Ph.D. from the University of Valencia (Spain) in 2003, where I started an independent line of research studying oxidative stress in aquatic animals. This work led to several publications including one that was awarded the ‘Best Publication Award on Environmental Research 2004' by the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry and AstraZeneca. At the completion of my Ph.D., I received a postdoctoral fellowship to study the effects of oxidative stress on gene regulation with Bruce Demple at the Harvard School of Public Health. The opportunity then arose of leading a project to uncover molecular events that lead to kidney cancer using a variety of genomic and bioinformatic tools. To carry out this project, I moved with Dr. Brugarolas to UT Southwestern Medical Center on February 1^st, 2006. Shortly thereafter, I was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship of Excellence from the Valencian Government (Spain).

Anh Tran - Postdoc

I am originally from Vietnam. I came to the U.S. after I finished high school. I continued my education at Stephen F. Austin State University, where I received both a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in biology and chemistry as well as a Master of Science degree in biotechnology. Subsequently, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program in biochemistry at Texas A&M University. During my graduate work in Dr. Ryland Young’s lab, I studied the mechanism of bacterial lysis (and lysis inhibition) by the bacteriophage T4. In the spring of 2007, I obtained my Ph.D. I was interested in cancer and shortly thereafter I joined the Brugarolas lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center.   

Silvia Vega–Rubín-de-Celis - Postdoc

I was born in Torrelavega, Spain, in September of 1977. I went to college at the University of Navarra (Spain) and graduated in 2000 with a double major in Biology and Biochemistry. I did my graduate work at the Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal (Spain), where I studied the regulation and mechanism of action of a hormone that regulates energy metabolism in fish. My work was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the CSIC (National Research Spanish Council). Towards the end of my Ph.D., I became interested in cancer research and in September of 2004 I joined Dr. Brugarolas at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. On February 1^st 2006, Dr. Brugarolas moved to UT Southwestern Medical Center and I decided to join him to start the new lab.

Nick Wolff – Research Associate

My name is Nick Wolff and I’m originally from Wharton, Texas, which is about 60 miles southwest of Houston. I went to Texas A&M University, where I got my Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry. I’ve been at UT Southwestern since 1996, and I joined the Brugarolas lab in April 2006. Previously, I worked on mouse models of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), where I tested experimental protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors and in which I studied STAT5 signaling. I look forward to achieving new success with Jim as we unlock the mysteries of REDD1.

Xian-Jin Xie (Jin) - Collaborating Biostatistician

 I am currently an Assistant Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Clinical Sciences and at the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. I received a Bachelor’s degree (Physiology and Biophysics) from Beijing University in China. Subsequently, I received both a Doctorate degree in biostatistics, as well as a Master’s degree in neurobiology, from the University of Iowa. After my training, I stayed at the University of Iowa as an Associate Research Scientist (Project Lead Biostatistician). In June of 2005, I joined the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center. My scientific research interests focus on biostatistics and bioinformatics methodologies and their application to collaborative research projects between biomedical and clinical disciplines.

Brad Hicks - Administrative Assistant

Hello, I’m Bradley Hicks. I am the beans and the bullets (support) for the Brugarolas Lab. I was born and raised here in Texas, but have been many places over the US, particularly during my tour of duty in the United States Army for four years during Desert Shield. After the military, I graduated with an Associate of Technology from UCSD. Focusing mainly on computers and software. I have used those skills in many fields including the Dept of Veterans Affairs and most recently in Real Estate. Working with the Brugarolas Lab now is not only fun, but very rewarding. Glad to help support and witness a good cause and in my home state of Texas.