Lab Success at Cancer Biology Retreat
We are thrilled to announce the achievements of our lab members at the recent Cancer Biology Retreat, held on October 18 by the Cancer Biology Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Our researchers showcased innovative approaches to advancing cancer immunotherapy.
Mina Kord Heydari presented her award-winning poster, “From Canine to Human: Accelerating Immunotherapy Development with Novel Canine-Specific Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.” Mina’s work focuses on a unique translational pathway from canine to human cancer therapies, demonstrating the potential of canine-specific immune checkpoint inhibitors to speed up the development of new treatments. Her dedication and impactful research were recognized with a prestigious award, underscoring her significant contributions to the field.
Sri Vidhya Chandrasekar also made an impressive presentation with her poster, “Overcoming Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Using Calreticulin-Inducing Nanoparticle.” Her research explores the role of calreticulin-inducing nanoparticles in overcoming cancer cell resistance, paving the way for improved efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment.
Congratulations to Mina and Sri Vidhya for their remarkable contributions and recognition at the retreat!
Dr. Ashish Ranjan Presents at the 2024 Focused Ultrasound Annual Meeting at Oxford
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ashish Ranjan, Endowed Professor and Vice Chair of Comparative Oncology, was an invited speaker at the prestigious Focused Ultrasound 2024 Annual Meeting, hosted by the University of Oxford. During his visit, Dr. Ranjan explored the cutting-edge research facilities at the Oxford Botnar Research Center, where he engaged with leading experts, and observed the latest innovations in nano- and focused ultrasound technologies.
This visit underscores Dr. Ranjan’s ongoing commitment to advancing cancer research and therapeutic innovation through collaborative efforts. We look forward to sharing more updates on exciting developments in this evolving field.
August 2024
We are excited to welcome Dr. Faraz Chamani and Dr. Punarvasu Puttaswamy to our lab as postdoctoral researchers!
Lab members presented their work at the 2024 Society for Thermal Medicine Conference
Our lab members presented at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Medicine in Houston.
Dr. Ashish Ranjan, PI, was an invited speaker at the conference, presenting his research on "Chemo-immunotherapy of Solid Tumors with Focused Ultrasound and Nanomedicines." In his talk, Dr. Ranjan highlighted the clinical relevance of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) as a therapeutic technology for chemo-immunotherapy applications.
Sri Vidhya Chandrasekar, Ph.D. student, won the Scholar in Training award and Best Poster award for her research on "Boiling Histotripsy-Induced Local Tumor Immunomodulation Impacts the Gut Microbiome at a Distant Site."
Dr. Akansha Singh, Research Assistant Professor, delivered a presentation on "Adrenergic Receptor Signaling Regulates the CD40-Receptor Mediated Anti-Tumor Immunity." We showed that combining CD40 with propranolol reverses the suppression of anti-tumor immunity by adrenergic receptor signaling, laying the foundation for improved CD40 immunotherapy outcomes in patients using beta-blockers.