Texas Tech University

TC3R Team and Members

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Leadership Team

Klementina Fon Tacer, DVM, PhD

Director

Expertise: Stem cells, Spermatogenesis, Cancer-Testis Antigens, Cancer Metabolism, Stress

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Klementina Fon Tacer, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research director

Wei Li, PhD

Associate Director

Expertise: Responsive LbL nanofilms, Cell microenvironments, Soft materials, Exosomes, Cell capture and release, Biomedical microdevices

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Wei Li, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate director

Fernanda Rosa MS, PhD

Co-leader

Expertise: Metabolism, Nutrition, Immune system

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Fernanda Rosa, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research co-leader

Heidi Villalba, Ph.D.

Co-leader

Expertise: Cancer cell lines and primary cultures

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Heidi Villalba, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research co-leader

Stephanie Myers, DVM, PhD, DACVP

Co-leader

Expertise: Anatomic pathology, Pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Stephanie Myers, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research co-leader

Jenny Wilkerson, PhD

Co-leader

Expertise: Cancer pain, natural products, neuron to glia

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Jenny Wilkerson, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research co-leader

Mahmoud Salama Ahmed, PhD

Co-leader

Expertise: Metabolism, Signaling casade, Cancer, Drug development

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Mahmoud Ahmed, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research co-leader

Advisory Board Members

Laszlo M. Hunyadi, DVM, MS, DACVIM (LAIM)

Advisory Board Member

Expertise: Equine medicine, Equine tumors

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Laszlo Hunyadi, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research advisory board member

Nancy Zimmerman, DVM, MS, CCRT, DACVS

Advisory Board Member

Expertise: Companion animal surgeon

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Nancy Zimmerman, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research advisory board member

Lauren Gollahon, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Expertise: Breast cancer, Cancer metabolism, Natural cancer therapeutics

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts and Sciences

Lauren Gollahon, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research advisory board member

Nadezhda German, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Expertise: Medicinal chemistry

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Nadezhda German, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research advisory board member

Andrey Karamyshev, PhD

Advisory Board Member

Expertise: Protein translation, Protein biochemistry

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Andrey Karamyshev, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research advisory board member

Members

Annelise Nguyen, PhD

Member and Associate Dean for Research

Expertise: Cancer biology, Hormonal carcinogenesis, Toxicology Organoids

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Annelise Nguyen, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Emily Sundman, DVM, DABVP

Member

Expertise: Clinical Trial Design, Equine Therapeutics, and Diagnostics

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Emily Sundman, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Guy Loneragan, DVM, PhD

Member and Dean

Expertise: Epidemiology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Guy Loneragan, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

John Gibbons, MS, PhD

Member

Expertise: In vitro fertilization, bovine, embryo

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

John Gibbons, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Jon Thompson, MS, PhD

Member

Expertise: Analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Jon Thompson, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Marcelo Schmidt, PhD

Member

Expertise: Sharepoint, data management, data analysis

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Marcelo Schmidt, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Michael Cruz Penn, DVM, PhD

Member

Expertise: Pathology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Michael Cruz Penn, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Nanny Wenzlow, DVM, MRCVS, PhD, Dipl. ACVP

Member

Expertise: Forenisc veterinary pathology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Nanny Wenzlow, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Olufemi Akinkuoto, DVM, MVSc, PhD

Member

Expertise: Parasite, Co-infection, CRISPR

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Olufemi Akinkuoto, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Prasanth K. Chelikani, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, FTOS

Member

Expertise: Physiology, Nutrition, Obesity, Diabetes

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Prasanth Chelikani, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Josimar Dornelas Moreira, PhD

Member

Expertise: Immunology, Epigenetics, Metabolism

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Josimar Moreira, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Clarissa Strieder-Barboza, DVM, PhD

Member

Expertise: Obesity

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Department of Veterinary Sciences and School of Veterinary Medicine

Clarissa Barboza, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Amanda Brown, PhD

Member

Expertise: Microbiome

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts and Sciences

Amanda Brown, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Kuan-Hui (Ethan) Chen, PhD

Member

Expertise: Tumor stem cells, Immune regulation, Hormones, Tumor metabolites

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts and Sciences

Kuan-Hui Chen, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Breanna N. Harris, PhD

Member

Expertise: Stress; behavior; integrative physiology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts and Sciences

Breanna Harris, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Joshua Tropp, PhD

Member

Expertise: Bionanotechnology, near infrared, nanomaterials

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts and Sciences

Joshua Tropp, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Naïma Moustaïd-Moussa, PhD

Member

Expertise: Metabolism

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Human Sciences

Naima Moustaid-Moussa, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Diego Gomez-Maldonado, PhD

Member

Expertise: Material Sciences, Bionanotechnology, Surface Chemistry

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil Science

Diego Gomez-Maldonado, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Beverly S. Chilton, PhD

Member

Expertise: Helicase-like transcription factor, colorectal cancer, pancreatic beta cell

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Beverly Chilton, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Jannette Dufour, PhD

Member

Expertise: Sertoli cells, Immune regulation, Diabetes

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Jannette Dufour, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Lindsay Penrose, PhD

Member

Expertise: Andrology, embryology, innovation

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Lindsay Penrose, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Igor Ponomarev, PhD

Member

Expertise: Single-cell RNA sequencing

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Igor Ponomarev, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Josee Guindon, PhD

Member

Expertise: Cannabinoids, Ovarian cancer, Breast cancer

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Josee Guindon, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Srinivas Nandana, PhD

Member

Expertise: Prostate cancer, exosomes, cell-cell signaling in cancer

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Srinivas Nandana, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Tetyana L. Vasylyeva

Member

Expertise: Nephrotoxicity, prevention, rare disease

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Tetyana Vasylyeva, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Zemfira Karamysheva, PhD

Member

Expertise: mRNA translation, ribosome specialization, drug resistance

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Zemfira Karamysheva, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Changxue Xu

Member

Expertise: 3D bioprinting, cancer cell migration and invasion, tumor microenvironment (TMC)

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Changxue Xu, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Indrajit Srivastava, PhD

Member

Expertise: Diagnostics, drug delivery, nanoparticles, biomimicry

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Indrajit Srivastava, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Sun Hee Yim, PhD

Member

Expertise: Proteomics, Metabolomics, Mass spectrometry, Data analysis

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Sun Hee Yim, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Abraham Al-Ahmad, PhD, MS

Member

Expertise: Blood-Brain Barrier, Drug Permeability, Drug Transporters

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Abraham Al-Ahmad, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Hiranmoy Das, PhD

Member

Expertise: Stem cells, CAR-T cells

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Hiranmoy Das, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Ulrich Bickel, MD, PhD

Member

Expertise: Blood-brain-barrier

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Ulrich Bickel, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Duke Appiah, PhD, MPH, MS

Member

Expertise: Epidemiology, health disparities, statistics and data science

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Julia Jones Mathews School of Population and Public Health

Duke Appiah, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research member

Associate Members

Barbara Breznik

Associate Member

Expertise: Cancer biology, glioma, therapeutic targets

Affiliation: National Institute of Biology

Barbara Breznik, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Constantinos Mikelis, PhD

Associate Member

Expertise: Cancer angiogenesis, RhoA GTPases, Metastasis

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Constantinos Mikelis, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Margarita Lamprou

Associate Member

Expertise: Tumor microenvironment, angiogenesis, metastasis

Affiliation: University of Patras Department of Pharmacy

Margarita Lamprou, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Andriana Plevriti

Associate Member

Expertise: Vascular physiology, angiogenesis, metastasis

Affiliation: University of Patras Department of Pharmacy

Andriana Plevriti, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Antonia Marazioti

Associate Member

Expertise: Animal models of disease, thoracic migraines, oncogenes

Affiliation: University of Patras Department of Pharmacy

Antonia Marazioti, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Elias Liolis, MD, MSc, cPhD

Associate Member

Expertise: Medical oncology, molecular biology, PK/PD

Affiliation: University of Patras Department of Pharmacy

Elias Liolis, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research associate member

Junior Members

Brooke Foster

Junior Member

Expertise: Melanoma, MAGEs, equine cancer

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Brooke Foster, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Denis Stepihar

Junior Member

Expertise: Neurobiology, Proteomics, Molecular biology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Denis Stepihar, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Farzana Popy

Junior Member

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Farzana Popy, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Juan Diego Tejeda Echeverry

Junior Member

Expertise: Predictive Analytics,Process Optimization, AI Integration

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Juan Echeverry, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Luciana Mayer Klüppel

Junior Member

Expertise: Therapy, diagnostic, genotyping

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Luciana Kluppel, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Maria Camila Hoyos Sanchez

Junior Member

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Maria Sanchez, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Rafaela Rodrigues dos Santos

Junior Member

Expertise: Immunology, colostrum, nutrition

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Rafaela Santos, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Rebecca Florke Gee, PhD

Junior Member

Expertise: Cancer, research, biology

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Rebecca Gee, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

SaraBeth Hill

Junior Member

Expertise: Parasitology, wildlife, one health

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

SaraBeth Hill, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Sarah Cate Hyde

Junior Member

Expertise: Genotyping, PCR, DNA gel electrophoresis

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Sarah Cate Hyde, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Sima Tozandehjani

Junior Member

Expertise: Cancer microenvironment, cancer metabolism, cancer therapy

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Sima Tozandehjani, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Tara Bayat

Junior Member

Expertise: Prader-Willi Syndrome, Hormonal Regulation, Translation

Affiliation: Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Tara Bayat, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Helena Garza

Junior Member

Expertise: Polymers, bioimaging, and nanomaterials

Affiliation: Texas Tech University College of Arts & Sciences

Helena Garza, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Cristian Camilo Rodriguez Almonacid

Junior Member

Expertise: Molecular biology, bioinformatics, drug resistance

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Cristian Almonacid, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Melissa McHann

Junior Member

Expertise: Ovarian & breast cancer, cannabinoids, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Melissa McHann, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Robert Barnes

Junior Member

Expertise: Ovarian & breast cancer, cannabinoids, pain

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine

Robert Barnes, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Rayna Bandy

Junior Member

Expertise: Combination therapy, mechanistic studies, structural activity relationship studies

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Rayna Bandy, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Sadisna Shahi

Junior Member

Expertise: Medicinal chemistry, synthesis, discovery

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Sadisna Shahi, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Yuma Ortiz

Junior Member

Expertise: Natural products, peripheral neuropathy, chemotherapy

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy

Yuma Ortiz, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Asma Harun

Junior Member

Expertise: Fluorescence, multimodality, tumor targeting

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Asma Harun, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Isabella Vasquez

Junior Member

Expertise: Nanoparticles, biomimetic, tumor-targeting

Affiliation: Texas Tech University Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Isabella Vasquez, Texas Center for Comparative Cancer Research junior member

Become a Member/Join Us

Eligibility

Membership is open to all active faculty at the Texas Tech University or Texas Tech University Health Science Center interested in applying their expertise in collaborative projects addressing cancer-related questions.

Junior membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows whose mentors are TC3R members.

Associate membership is open to collaborators from external institutions interested in applying their expertise in collaborative projects addressing cancer-related questions.