Stanford University
Showing 41-50 of 54 Results
-
Sneha Ramakrishna
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)
BioSneha Ramakrishna obtained her B. A. from the University of Chicago and her M.D. from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. In medical school, through the Howard Hughes Medical Research Scholar Award, she joined Dr. Crystal Mackall’s laboratory, where she designed and developed various GD2 CAR-Ts and tested them in preclinical models. During her residency training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she cared for some of the first patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells, learning the power of this therapy first-hand. During her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Johns Hopkins/National Cancer Institute combined program, she worked with Dr. Terry Fry. She evaluated the mechanism of CD22 CAR T cell relapse in patients by developing an antigen escape model and establishing a deeper understanding of the effects of antigen density on CAR-T phenotype, expansion, and persistence (Fry…Ramakrishna…Mackall Nat Med, 2018; Ramakrishna, et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2019). Since arriving at Stanford, Dr. Ramakrishna leads an interdisciplinary team that designs, develops, and successfully implements a robust correlative science platform for our novel CAR-T therapies. Analyzing patient samples from our first-in-human GD2 CAR-T trial (NCT04196413) treating a universally fatal cancer, diffuse midline glioma (DMG), we identified that intracerebroventricular CAR-T administration correlates with enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced immunosuppressive cell populations in cerebrospinal fluid as compared to intravenous CAR-T administration (Majzner*, Ramakrishna*, et al., Nature 2022 *co-first authors). Her research program evaluates unique sets of patient samples using novel single-cell immune profiling to identify the drivers of CAR-T success or failure. Building on these findings, her team assesses approaches to enhance CAR-T efficacy and translate these findings to the clinic.
Clinically, Dr. Ramakrishna cares for children with solid tumors and treats hematologic, solid, and brain tumor pediatric patients with CAR T cell therapies in the Cancer Cellular Therapies program. -
Katherine Jane Ryan
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology
Clinical Assistant Professor (By courtesy), Adult NeurologyCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Katherine “Katie” Ryan is a pediatric neuro-oncologist whose research focuses on developing and translating cellular immunotherapies for children with malignant brain tumors. She leads the first-in-human trial of GPC2-directed CAR T cells for CNS Embryonal Tumors. As a member of Stanford Children’s world-renowned pediatric brain tumor team, she diagnoses and treats children with CNS tumors while advancing innovative trial design, intracerebroventricular delivery, and correlative science.
-
Raya Saab
Lindhard Family Professor of Pediatric Cancer Biology
BioOur laboratory focuses on investigating molecular mechanisms of oncogene-induced tumorigenesis and tumor suppressor pathways, and oncogenic signaling in the pediatric solid tumor rhabdomyosarcoma. Our earlier work identified the tumor suppressors p53 and p18Ink4c as inhibitors of Cyclin D1-driven tumorigenesis in a pineoblastoma model, through senescence induction, and highlighted distinct roles for the the RB and p53 pathways in induction and maintenance of oncogene-induced senescence. We also identified CDK2 as a potential target for inducing senescence in premalignant lesions to inhibit tumor progression.
Our current focus is on studying oncogenic signaling and tumor suppression in the childhood tumor rhabdomyosarcoma, to identify key mediators of invasion and metastasis, which is the most common cause of treatment failure clinically. We use preclinical in vitro and in vivo models, including murine and human cell lines, and mouse models of disease.
We have recently uncovered a paracrine role for rhabdomyosarcoma-secreted exosomes in impacting biology of stromal cells. Rhabdomyosarcoma-derived exosomes carry specific miRNA cargo that imparts an invasive and migratory phenotype on normal recipient fibroblasts, and proteomic analysis revealed specific and unique pathways relevant to the two different molecular rhabdomyosarcoma subtypes that are driven by distinct oncogenic pathways. We identified that the driver oncogene in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma, PAX3-FOXO1, modulates exosome cargo to promote invasion, migration, and angiogenic properties, and identified specific microRNA and protein cargo acting as effectors of PAX3-FOXO1 exosome-mediated signaling, including modulation of oxidative stress response and cell survival signaling.
Our ongoing work is focused on interrogating specific paracrine signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of metastatic disease progression in rhabdomyosarcoma, for potential therapeutic targeting. -
Julien Sage
Elaine and John Chambers Professor of Pediatric Cancer and Professor of Genetics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe investigate the mechanisms by which normal cells become tumor cells, and we combine genetics, genomics, and proteomics approaches to investigate the differences between the proliferative response in response to injury and the hyperproliferative phenotype of cancer cells and to identify novel therapeutic targets in cancer cells.
-
Kathleen M. Sakamoto
Shelagh Galligan Professor in the School of Medicine
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on the molecular pathways that regulate normal and aberrant blood cell development, including acute leukemia and bone marrow failure syndromes. We are also studying novel drugs for treatment of cancer.
-
Mona D. Shah, MD, MBA
Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology
BioDr. Mona Shah is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, who earned her MD degree at the University of Maryland in 2001. She completed both her categorical pediatrics and global health residencies in 2004, followed by a pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship in 2007. She earned her MS in Clinical Investigation as part of the Clinical Scientist Training Program (CSTP) at Baylor College of Medicine in 2011, and more recently, completed an Executive MBA at Rice University Jones School of Business in 2018.
Dr. Shah was an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine (2007 - 2020) in both Pediatrics and Medicine, local site PI on a number of pediatric hemostasis/thrombosis clinical trials, and spent 10 years as an Associate Medical Director of Clinical Operations, Quality, and Safety at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX.
Dr. Shah joined Genentech (a Member of the Roche Group)’s Rare Blood Disorders Franchise (Product Development - Oncology-Hematology) in February 2020, quickly advancing to Lead Medical Director, where she served as Medical Monitor for 2 Phase III Clinical Trials (crovalimab in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, aHUS). She was also engaged with the Renal Franchise (I2O) in developing crovalimab in Lupus Nephritis (Phase I & II Clinical Trials in development), and with Human Factors/Pediatric Formulations Working Group on autoinjector devices and oral formulations.
After completing a rotation in Early Development Safety (EDS), she was promoted to Senior Medical Safety Director in Late Stage Product Development, and was appointed Safety Strategy Lead for giredestrant in early and metastatic breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer global clinical trials. She has experience in innovative study designs (adaptive/multi-drug), with FDA/EMA pediatric investigational plans, and health authority interactions. In June 2023, she was appointed Pediatric Safety Lead, in collaboration with the iPODD Team, supporting safety for pediatric indications and devices, and serves as the Co-Chair of the Pediatric Safety Expert Group.
Dr. Shah has kept and completed a bucket list since she was 7 years old (keeps growing): Running wild bouldering/rock climbing as a child in the Shenandoah/Blue Ridge Mountains, swimming with dolphins/piranhas in the Amazon, climbing inside a volcano caldera in Iceland, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef ... have passport/will travel!
Since July 2022, she has joined Stanford University School of Medicine, as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, where she enjoys teaching MSII students, and at the bedside in the Lucille Packard Bass Center Hematology Clinic. Dr. Shah enjoys free time in her new home base near San Francisco, where she hosts her visiting parents, friends, and extended family. -
Stephanie Melissa Smith
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am involved with clinical research related to cancer survivorship, with a particular focus on late effects of childhood cancer treatments and community partnerships to improve health equity for adolescent/young adult cancer survivors in under-resourced settings.
-
Jennifer Tsai
Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology
BioJennifer is a researcher in clinical development of novel therapeutics for hematologic diseases. She has a special interest in rare pediatric disorders.
