Research Investigators
Ravi Amaravadi, MD
Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
ravi.amaravadi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Ravi Amaravadi, MD Website
Dr. Amaravadi's research focuses on 1) conducting preclinical and translational studies to understand how the lysosome is a druggable resistance mechanism in cancer, 2) launching multiple clinical trials that target the lysosome in cancer 3) synthesizing and characterizing autophagy inhibitors that target multiple types of cancer, 4) developing clinical trials for melanoma using combination strategies of BRAF inhibitors and immunotherapy, and 5) elucidating how to use RNA to treat advanced melanoma.
Qing Chen, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Immunology, Microenvironment & Metastasis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, The Wistar Institute
qichen@wistar.org
Qing Chen, MD, PhD Website
Dr. Chen's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of brain metastasis originating from primary tumors, and the interplay between cancer cells and the stromal cells that populate the brain microenvironment. Dr. Chen's lab has developed many mouse models to study melanoma, breast, and lung cancers.
Michael Farwell, MD
Associate Professor of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
michael.farwell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Michael Farwell, MD Website
Dr. Farwell's research focuses on oncologic applications of molecular imaging, with an emphasis on developing new imaging tools for the rapidly growing field of cancer immunotherapy. His lab develops novel radiotracers / reporter genes for CAR T cell tracking, as well as the development of radiolabeled antibodies for PET imaging of the immune system.
Phyllis Gimotty, PhD
Professor of Biostatistics in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
pgimotty@upenn.edu
Phyllis Gimotty, PhD Website
Dr. Gimotty's research focuses on statistical methods and their applications in cancer translational research, risk assessment and prevention and control. She has served, and is currently serving, as the biostatistics and bioinformatics core director for the Wistar/Penn SPORE on Skin Cancer and collaborates with cancer research investigators nationally and internationally. Her biostatistics methodological interests include methodology for the development of predictive and prognostic models, the evaluation of biomarkers and methods for incomplete data.
Wei Guo, PhD
Hirsch Family President’s Distinguished Professor, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
guowei@sas.upenn.edu
Wei Guo, PhD Website
Dr. Guo's research focuses on understanding how 1) MAP kinase pathway contributes to melanoma invasion 2) how signal transduction pathway re-wiring leads to drug resistance, and 3) novel mechanisms by which melanoma invades the immune system using exosomes.
Meenhard Herlyn, DVM, DSc
Professor, Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center Director, Melanoma Research Center, The Wistar Institute
jkohn@wistar.org
Meenhard Herlyn, DVM, DSc Website
Dr. Herlyn's research focuses on the normal and malignant tissue environment to develop rational approaches to cancer therapy, with a focus on melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. His lab has 1) developed complex, 3-D models that mimic human skin and are using it to reconstruct each step in the melanoma development and progression cascade, 2) described numerous molecules expressed by melanoma cells to understand their biological significance for tumor cells and how they contribute to tumor-host crosstalk, 3) defined signal transduction pathways that are constitutively activated in melanoma through autocrine and paracrine growth factors and genetic alterations, 4) been working to understand the mechanisms of both forms of resistance and how to overcome them, and 5) developed 3D models for in vitro and in vivo models studies on melanoma-immune cell interactions.
Alexander C. Huang, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
alexander.huang@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Alexander C. Huang, MD Website
Dr. Huang's research focuses on translational cancer immunology, taking advantage of innovative clinical trials to 1) identify targets for novel immunotherapies in cancer, 2) understand mechanisms of response and resistance, and 3) ultimately to implement precision immuno-oncology in the clinic. His research involves the integration of immunotherapy trials, flow cytometric and transcriptional approaches, and advanced computational analysis to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immunotherapies in humans. Specifically, he has a long-standing interest on the role of checkpoint blockade on CD8 T cell reinvigoration in human cancer, and defined the early pharmacodynamic immune response to PD-1 blockade in melanoma.
Jessie Villanueva, PhD
Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, The Wistar Institute
jvillanueva@wistar.org
Jessie Villanueva, PhD Website
Dr. Villanueva's research focuses on developing effective therapies for melanoma that result in durable responses. To achieve this objective her laboratory is focusing on two main areas: 1) identifying critical vulnerabilities and evaluating novel targets, and 2) investigating the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in melanoma.
Xiaowei (George) Xu, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Professor of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
xug@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Xiaowei (George) Xu, MD, PhD Website
Dr. Xu's research focuses on melanoma biology and developing new biomarkers and therapies for melanoma. His lab has 1) developed gamma delta T cell-based therapies for melanoma, 2) developed extracellular vesicle-based therapies for melanoma and other cancer, and 3) developed biomarkers that may be used to predict the treatment efficacy of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies.