The Azab Lab strives to cultivate an enjoyable yet intellectually rigorous environment that promotes both scientific and professional development. The diverse cultural and scientific backgrounds of our team members provide us with a unique ability to approach and solve scientific problems with broad perspective, while fostering teamwork and collaboration.
.
In our Lab, Professor Badea will spearhead nanoparticle-based genetic engineering of T cells, a pivotal area with promising implications for immuno-therapy
Professor Badea, a distinguished figure in Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, brings a wealth of expertise in the realm of nanoparticle drug delivery systems. Her research is dedicated to advancing the field, particularly in the realm of DNA and cytotoxic agent delivery to cancer cells. By targeting cancer cells specifically, her work aims to enhance treatment efficacy while minimizing side effects.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.Sc. |
Pharmacy | University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Targu Mures, Romania |
| Ph.D. |
Drug Delivery and Nanotechnology | University of Saskatchewan, Canada |
Beyond her professional endeavors, Ildiko cherishes moments with her family, relishing in elaborate family dinners. She also channels her creativity into upcycling furniture to promote sustainability and enjoys cultivating organic vegetables in her garden.
Feda's current project is focused on advancing the understanding of the interaction between cancer cells and immune cells in the TME, in context of drug resistance
Before joining our UTSW, Mrs. Azab worked as a research assistant at the Department Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem between 2002 and 2003, focusing on organic synthesis of boron-compounds. She completed her Pharmacy studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2005, and worked as a community pharmacist between 2005 and 2007. Then, she worked for five years in the Lab of Prof. Irene Ghobrial at Dana Farber Cancer Institute-Harvard Medical School started as a Lab Technician and left it as a Leading Lab Tech, focusing on Multiple Myeloma research. Then she worked as a senior scientist and lab manager in the Azab Lab, Washington University in St. Louis (2012-2015). Then, she worked as senior scientist at Cellatrix LLC (2015-2022).
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.Pharm. |
Pharmacy |
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel |
Outside of her professional pursuits, Feda likes drawing, reading novels (especially romantic ones), travelling and learning to prepare new dishes from different cuisines and learning about the cultures behind them.
Seti's research is focused on the development of local delivery of cancer therapeutics to the tumor bed, for higher efficacy in the tumor, and lower side effects in distant normal tissues.
During her PhD dissertation, Dr. Arsalani developed advanced multifunctional nanoparticles designed for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Her research encompassed the synthesis, comprehensive characterization, and rigorous testing of these nanoparticles, specifically for their efficacy in magnetomotive ultrasound imaging and magnetic hyperthermia.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. |
Biomedical Engineering |
Azad University of Tehran, Iran |
| M.S. |
Medical Physics |
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Ph.D. |
Medical Physics |
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil |
Outside of her professional pursuits, Dr. Arsalani is proficient in three languages—Farsi, English, and Portuguese—and finds pleasure in delving into the customs, culinary delights, and languages of diverse cultures. With a keen interest in music, she derives enjoyment from both classic Persian melodies and Western compositions. Additionally, Dr. Arsalani is passionate about traditional Persian dance and Brazilian Forro.
Tithi's research is focused on the development of NanoImmunoThreapy for hard-to-treat cancer. She is focused on novel strategies to use nanoparticles to improved response to Immunotherapy in liver, pancreatic, and brain tumors.
During her PhD dissertation, Dr. Bhattacharyya focused on:
• Nuclear receptor targeted liposomal delivery in cancer.
• Immunomodulation and immunotherapeutic aspect of tumor microenvironment.
• Engineering Myeloid Derived Suppressor cells and its effect in colon cancer.
• Nanoaggregate formation and its targeted delivery in colon cancer.
• Glycolipids and glycophospholipid effect in brain cancer.
• Gene transfection in cancer cells.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. |
Zoology |
University of Calcutta, India |
| M.S. |
Genetics |
University of Calcutta, India |
| Ph.D. |
Drug Delivery |
CSIR-IICT (AcSIR), India |
Outside of her professional pursuits, Dr. Bhattacharyya is a classical Indian singer, with an MS. in Classical Indian Music. She performed nationally in several public performances.
In addition, she likes reading detective books, and classic Satyajit Ray novels.
Obed's research focuses on the immune microenvironment in multiple myeloma, particularly the mechanisms underlying the role of macrophages in myeloma progression and drug resistance. Ultimately, he aims to translate his insights into novel treatments for myeloma.
Obed's master's thesis at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), under the supervision of Dr. Kim, focused on elucidating the complex interplay between autophagy and apoptosis in the context of Ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced skin carcinogenesis. This research aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the crosstalk between these two cellular processes and their contributions to the development and progression of skin cancer in response to UVB exposure.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. |
Biochemistry |
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| M.S. |
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Having lived in many places, Obed has developed a deep appreciation for cultural diversity, but is originally from Obuasi, Ghana (West Africa). This area is renowned for its stunning natural beauty and abundant natural resources, including one of the largest gold deposits in the world. In his free time, Obed enjoys playing soccer (football), traveling, sightseeing, and playing the piano.
In the Azab Lab, Winston's research is centered on reactivating the tumor microenvironment. His work involves developing innovative nanoparticle systems for gene delivery to enhance T cell activation in both in vitro and in vivo settings.
Following his graduation, he worked as a Research Associate at Academia Sinica, the top national research institution in Taiwan, where he focused on developing novel liposomal platforms for enhanced drug delivery.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. |
Biotechnology |
National Chung-Hsing University |
Proudly Taiwanese, Winston hails from a country renowned for its friendly people and delicious food. Outside the lab, he enjoys sports, traveling, movies, and TV shows.
Anne is currently pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering through the joint UTA/UTSW program, with a concentration in computational bioengineering. Her research focuses on the normalization of disrupted vasculature and the development of computational methods to analyze fluorescence images related to this work.
Anne's prior research focused on developing a deep learning-based pipeline for the automatic segmentation and tracking of thousands of cells, significantly reducing analysis time and enhancing the accuracy of traditional methods, which require manual cell outlining and multiple software packages. This pipeline enables the identification of specific calcium spiking patterns and spatial localization of cells over time-series image stacks.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. |
Biomedical Engineering |
University of Texas, Arlington |
Outside the lab, Anne enjoys quality time with her parents at their ranch near Fort Worth and exploring new restaurants with friends. She spends her weekends contributing to the upkeep of the garden and caring for the horses, cows, and goats.
In the Azab Lab, MIna's Research focuses on development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies targeting the TME, in which he harnesses the uniqueness of reprogrammed normal cells (such as endothelial cells and macrophages) in the TME to foster cancer immunotherapy.
Before joining the Lab as a PhD student, Mina worked in the Azab Lab, for 2 years, as a Senior Research Associate. And before that, he also finished his MSc thesis in the Azab Lab, as part of the requirements to graduate in his MSc program in Germany.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| M.Sc. | Microbiology | The Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany |
| B.Pharm. |
Pharmaceutical Sciences |
Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, Cairo, Egypt. |
In his free time, Mina is passionate about traveling, sports, playing guitar, and he loves teaching science.
Alreem is an undergraduate student of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas).
Alreem's project in the Lab focuses on increasing the sensiof cancer cells to immunotherapy.
Alreem has previous experience working in a biomedical research lab where she interned at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar and conducted research on MDA-MB-231 brcell lines.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.S. (in progress) |
Biomedical Engineering |
UT Dallas |
Alreem was born in Qatar and moved to the United States to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Her interests entail baking, trying new foods, and playing with her three cats.
Anvita is an undergraduate student at Rice University, majoring in Biosciences , and minoring in Business, Spanish and Portuguese, Medical Humanities.
Anvita's project in the Lab focuses on specif targeting of therapeutic and imaging modalities to the liver.
Anvita has worked before as a Research Assistant focusing on CAR-T cell signaling, immune glycoprotein analysis, and cancer biology using flow cytometry and molecular cloning. in addition, she previously investigated GCNA’s role in genome stability in Drosophila, combining genetic, PCR, and microscopy techniques. Presented findings at multiple symposia and contributed to clinical data analysis in transplant care process improvement.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.Sc. (in progress) |
Bioscience |
Rice University, Houstun, TX |
Outside the lab, she enjoys exploring new cuisines and her current favorites include Mediterranean and Vietnamese dishes. She also practices yoga and has been performing Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, since the age of six.
Yoksha is an undergraduate student at Rice University majoring in Biosciences with a concentration in Cell Biology and Genetics. She joind our Lab as a SURF/ AMGEN Scholar.
Yoksha's project in the Lab focuses on normalizing blood vessels in to improve drug delivery.
Yoska's research interest is in immunology. She is passionate about exploring how innate immune cell signaling can be harnessed to improve the therapeutic response to cancer and infectious diseases. She has participated in several internships, including at the National Cancer Institute.
| Degree |
Area of Study |
Institution |
|---|---|---|
| B.Sc. (in progress) |
Bioscience |
Rice University, Houstun, TX |
Outside the lab, Yoksha enjoys working out, baking, playing card games with friends, and watching movies with her family.