Meet the PI
Dr. Stephen Skapek, M.D.
Principal Investigator, Professor
Dr. Skapek completed his undergraduate and medical school education at Duke University, pediatric residency at the Wilford Hall Medical Center, a U.S. Air Force facility in San Antonio, and pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital. He also secured laboratory research training by working in mentored positions with Andrew Lassar, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, and Eva Lee, Ph.D., UT Health Sciences Center San Antonio. Before moving to UT Southwestern to lead the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Steve held faculty appointments at The University of Chicago and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
He is currently the Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. He holds the UT Southwestern Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research. He also serves as the Medical Director of the Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Health.
Although Dr. Skapek trained as a clinician, his academic work is largely focused on applying molecular, cell, and computational biology tools to carry out laboratory research focused on the intersection of cancer and normal developmental biology. For example, certain oncogenic drivers can corrupt normal developmental programs, whereas many tumor suppressor proteins play essential roles to drive cellular differentiation or organism development. An overlying premise in his laboratory is that gaining insight into normal developmental processes may lead to new therapeutic approaches, especially for forms of soft-tissue sarcoma, namely rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in children. The Skapek lab primarily studies the role of oncogenic drivers and tumor suppressor genes in these types of cancers and how soft-tissue sarcoma cells mimic aspects of developing muscle cells.
Skapek Lab Members
Yanbin Zheng, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Zheng received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Tsinghua University, China. His research interests involve understanding the molecular basis of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), an aggressive and highly malignant form of childhood cancer of muscle origin. He has utilized high-content screens, integrated computational analyses, CRISPR-Cas9 screens, mouse models, and cell culture models to understand derailed differentiation programs in RMS and to identify RMS disease genes and therapeutic targets. When not in the lab, Dr. Zheng likes to watch movies and read books.
Erin Butler, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Butler is a physician-scientist specializing in soft tissue sarcomas such as rhabdomyosarcoma. Her research focuses on developing new soft tissue sarcoma models to identify novel biomarkers and designing functional assays of newly discovered cancer mutations. She earned her medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical Center, then subsequently completed an internship and residency in Pediatrics and a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship with post-doctoral training at UT Southwestern/Children's Health. When she is away from the lab, Dr. Butler cares for patients in the clinic and has a clinical expertise in sarcomas and histiocytic disorders. Before starting her medical career, she was an opera singer and still enjoys performing from time to time.
Yen-Ting (Tim) Liu, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Dr. Liu is originally from Taiwan but came to Texas to attend The University of Texas at Austin for his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology. In the Skapek Lab, Tim studies the association of CDKN2A/B regulation with disease models in human and mouse models. In his free time, Dr. Liu likes to spend time with his wife and two kids.
Celeste Romero
Graduate Student (Genetics, Development and Disease)
Celeste received her B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from San Diego State University in 2018 where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant studying the mechanisms underlying planarian flatworm tissue regeneration. She then worked at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, California in the lab of Dr. Nicholas Cosford. There she developed a novel assay to assess protein-drug interactions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Celeste is a Ph.D. candidate studying the role of the epigenetic modifier, EZH2, in RMS formation and progression. Outside of the lab, Celeste enjoys baking for her friends and going hiking with Shireen.
Shireen Toubbeh
Research Assistant I
Shireen received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 2020 where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant developing bioactive hydrogel coatings for cardiovascular medical devices. She then moved to Dallas to join the Skapek Lab where she studies potential drivers of pediatric neuroblastoma. Outside of the lab, you can find Shireen in Austin at Texas Football games or visiting National Parks with Celeste.
Juan Shugert Aguayo
Research Assistant I
Juan graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Arizona State University in 2019. Previously, Juan worked in a lab studying population genetics and evolution by looking at the genetic consequences of loss of recombination. He also worked at PepsiCo Inc. as an R&D Assistant Scientist performing chemical analyses of oil degradation products and natural antioxidants. His main project in the lab is focused on the overexpression of PLAG1 and its role in RMS. Juan likes to spend his free time with his dog Nina, going on long walks and taking her to parks.
Amelia Insley
Research Assistant I
Amelia received her B.A. in Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College. Amelia previously interned at UT Southwestern in a dermatology clinic where she worked on a quality improvement study for skin cancer patients. Amelia is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and learning more about the genetic components of cancer. In her free time, Amelia enjoys exploring Dallas and spending time with her fiancé, their dog, and their three cats.
Jenny Liu
Research Technician II
Jenny graduated in May 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University where she researched the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. Originally from College Station, she moved to Dallas and now studies the effects of degrading the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion protein in RMS cells. She is interested in the pathways underlying cancer hopes to apply the knowledge she learns to medical school. Outside of lab, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, painting, and playing the piano.
Skapek Lab Alumni
Students
Jared Hooks, Ph.D. Candidate, Cancer Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2014-2016
Caroline Sung, Ph.D. Candidate, Genetics and Development, University of Texas Southwestern School of Biomedical Sciences, 2012-2015
Nida Iqbal, Ph.D. Candidate, Genetics and Development, University of Texas Southwestern School of Biomedical Sciences, 2012-2015
Daniel Taylor, MS-track graduate student in the Integrated Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2007-2008
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Arockia (Vibha) Jayaraj, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2016-2020
Yen-Ting Liu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2014-2018
Lin Xu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2013-2018
Jie Mei, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2012-2013
Ryan Widau, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of Chicago, 2010-2011
Natalie Anderson, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2005-2007
Clinical Fellows
Erin Butler, M.D., Clinical Fellow, Hematology/Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2015-2018
Dipti Dighe, M.D., Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago, 2008-2010
Raya Saab, M.D., Clinical Fellow, Hematology/Oncology, 2004-2007
Research Assistants and Technicians
Blake Schwettmann, Research Assistant II, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2018-2022
Xiaoyun (Sharon) Zhou, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Mohammed Hassan, Research Assistant II, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center