Wellen Lab

Kathryn E. Wellen, PhD
Principal Investigator
 wellenk@upenn.edu
 215-746-8599

I opened my lab at Penn in 2011.  My interest in biomedical research was sparked while I was an undergraduate at the College of William and Mary, where the opportunity to carry out a research project, mentored by Dr. Lizabeth Allison, hooked me on the puzzle-solving aspect of research.  I carried out my PhD thesis work in the lab of Gökhan Hotamisligil, where I studied adipose tissue inflammation and systemic metabolic health.  Towards the end of my graduate work, I became fascinated by the re-emerging field of cancer cell metabolism and joined the lab of Craig Thompson for postdoctoral work.  There I worked on two projects, one focused on the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway in the regulation of growth factor signaling and one in which we demonstrated the sensitivity of histone acetylation to the availability of the metabolite acetyl-CoA. My lab continues to investigate metabolic signaling mechanisms in both cancer and physiology.  We have devoted substantial effort to studying regulation of the enzymes that produce acetyl-CoA and their roles in histone acetylation and lipid metabolism, as well as how such regulation impacts health and disease.  We are also increasingly interested in the interface between systemic metabolism and cancer biology. My goals are to carry out impactful research that advances knowledge in our field and to provide outstanding research training in a supportive and collaborative environment to help lab members grow as scientists and meet their career goals.  When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy spending time with my family, running, dining out, and reading good books.

B.S., Biological Psychology, the College of William and Mary

PhD, Harvard University, School of Public Health

Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania

Current position: Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania

Affiliations: Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute; Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; Penn Epigenetics Institute

Charles Salinas
Research Specialist
 charles.salinas@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I joined the lab in the summer of 2025 as a research specialist and lab manager after graduating from Swarthmore College with a double major in Neuroscience and Spanish. At Swarthmore, I served as a Lead Writing Associate Fellow, supporting peers in scientific writing and program development, and worked in the Diet, Behavior, and Cognition Lab to investigate how maladaptive dietary experiences shape motivation and neurobiological function in mice. Complementing this work, I am excited to explore related questions through a cancer biology lens with the Wellen Lab. Outside of the lab, I enjoy journalism, language learning, traveling, and spending time with my dog, and I also have a black belt in karate!

Christina Demetriadou
Postdoctoral Researcher
 Christina.demetriadou@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I joined the Wellen lab in February 2022 as a co-mentored Postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Nathaniel Snyder at Temple University. Broadly, my research interests focus on the fascinating link between epigenetics and metabolism in cancer. In the Wellen lab, my project aims to understand the effects of branched-chain amino acid metabolism on nuclear acyl-CoA abundance and histone acylation in pancreatic tumorigenesis. I came to Philly from Nicosia, Cyprus after completing my PhD in the lab of Dr. Antonis Kirmizis at the Univeristy of Cyprus. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy doing zumba, cooking and exploring Philly!

Alison Jaccard
Postdoctoral Researcher
 Alison.Jaccard@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am a Postdoctoral researcher who joined the Wellen lab in September 2023 and who is co-mentored by Dr. Nathaniel Snyder. I came to Philly from Switzerland where I obtained my PhD at the University of Lausanne, in the labs of prof. Pedro Romero and prof. Ping-Chih Ho. I am very interested in the interconnection between immune cell metabolism, their epigenetic landscape and differentiation in physiology and disease. In the Wellen lab, I look forward to studying acyl-CoA metabolism and histone acylation in immune cells. Outside of research, I love cheese, traveling, playing sports, going to restaurants and art exhibitions.

Sanat Bhadsavle
Postdoctoral Researcher
 Sanat.bhadsavle@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I earned my veterinary degree and a master’s in Animal Biotechnology in India, where I studied the role of pregnancy-associated microRNAs in buffalo. I then completed my PhD at Texas A&M University in Dr. Michael Golding’s lab, where I investigated how paternal alcohol exposure affects offspring development and metabolic health. I joined the Wellen Lab as a postdoctoral researcher in July 2025 to explore how diet and environmental factors influence the development of metabolic disease, with a focus on the mechanisms underlying fatty liver disease. Broadly, I’m interested in how parental environmental exposures shape the metabolic and developmental health of future generations, and my long-term goal is to establish an independent research program in this field. Outside the lab, I love talking and writing about food. I'm a big coffee person—feel free to ask me for bean recommendations! I also enjoy watching Formula 1 and cricket, and I'm hoping to learn how to ski while I'm in Philly.

Mike Noji
Graduate Student
 mnoji@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am a Cancer Biology PhD student within the Cell and Molecular Biology graduate group and joined the lab as a co-mentored student with Dr. Zoltan Arany in June 2019. I have a broad interest in cancer metabolism and how manipulation of nutrients and environmental factors can be leveraged as therapeutic targets to treat cancer. My research focuses on branched chain amino acid metabolism in the context of pancreatic cancer. Changes in availability of these nutrients may affect cancer initiation and growth and I am interested in better understanding these mechanisms and finding therapeutic vulnerabilities using the cancer cell’s own metabolism against them. Before joining the lab, I worked as a technician for Dr. Terence Gade at the University of Pennsylvania where I characterized metabolic changes in liver cancer cells exposed to low nutrient conditions, similar to those observed clinically in surviving tumors after standard treatment. Outside of lab, I enjoy participating in sports leagues, reading, biking around the city, and attending music concerts with friends.

Laura Pinheiro
Graduate Student
 laurapin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am a Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics PhD student and joined the lab in March 2020. I have a broad interest in cancer metabolism, and more specifically how nutrition can impact disease progression. I took special interest in the Wellen Lab because of the work on Acetyl-CoA as an important metabolite linking catabolic and anabolic pathways with epigenetics and signaling, especially in the context of tumorigenesis. Pancreatic cancer leverages metabolism to enhance cancer cell proliferation under nutrient stress conditions. My project aims to elucidate how differences in nutrient availability, in part through diet, can lead to epigenetic changes that contribute to this cancer progression. Metabolic alterations in response to nutrient availability may elucidate a unique therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. Outside of the lab, I enjoy running, cooking, traveling, and exploring Philly!

Nivitha Murali
Graduate Student
 Nivitha.Murali@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I joined the lab in the summer of 2024 as a PhD student in the Cell and Molecular Biology program. Prior to this, I worked with the Wellen lab as a research assistant while pursuing my master's degree at Penn Engineering. During that time, I developed a deep appreciation for the field of cancer metabolism, particularly the intricate interplay between cancer metabolism and epigenetics. My project aims to uncover the mechanism and contexts governing the metabolic reprogramming of BCAA catabolism in cancer, leading to nuclear localization of the BCKDH complex and histone lysine propionylation. Outside the lab, I enjoy making a cup of spiced chai, baking, exploring the city, dining out with friends, and traveling.

Madelyn Landis
Graduate Student
 Madelyn.landis@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I am a Cancer Biology PhD student and joined the lab in the summer of 2025. Prior to joining Penn, I worked as a research assistant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where I studied T cell metabolism in renal cell carcinoma. Currently, I am interested in how systemic metabolism and metabolic health impact cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic responses. I am particularly interested in identifying critical nodes of metabolic signaling pathways that are altered in pancreatic cancer in the context of systemic metabolic dysregulation. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending time with my 3 cats (Zeo, Turf, and Millie), baking, dining out, going to concerts, watching reality TV, and building/sharpening my micro-hobby repertoire (latte art, lock-picking, nail art, etc).

Alex Boyko
Undergraduate Researcher
 Aboyko@sas.upenn.edu

I am a Penn undergraduate student planning to major in either neuroscience or biology. I joined the Wellen lab in December 2023 under the guidance of MD-PhD student Prateek Sharma. Together, we have been studying the effects of diet on glucose homeostasis through the microbiome and host metabolism. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in medicine while also continuing research. If I’m not in lab, you might find me running along the Schuylkill or around campus as part of Penn Cross Country and Track.