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Marwa Afifi, B.D.S, M.D.S, Ph.D, Assistant Professor
Marwa Afifi, BDS, MDS, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. Dr. Afifi is currently working in Dr. Louis Weiner's lab, where she is interested in understanding early events leading to pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). She is a clinical pathologist deeply interested in using spatial proteomic and transcriptomic analyses to combine gene expression profiling with spatial information to map the molecular and cellular landscape of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN). Dr. Afifi believes that characterizing premalignancies is crucial for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms of malignant transformations, the role of the complex microenvironment in promoting carcinogenesis, and the development of therapeutic resistance in PDAC.
Prior to joining Georgetown, Dr. Afifi completed her postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute in the laboratory of Dr. Steven Cappell. Her postdoctoral research focused on studying cell cycle behavior, using high-throughput single-cell analysis during early carcinogenesis.
Dr. Afifi earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Dentistry and Surgery from Alexandria University, Egypt. Following graduation, she joined the Oral Pathology Department as a faculty member while pursuing her postgraduate studies. Her Master’s research centered on cancer pathogenesis, specifically high-risk oncogenic viruses. For her PhD, Dr. Afifi's research focus was on nanomedicine, developing targeted therapies for oral cancer using gold nanoparticles. Her work addressed significant issues in traditional treatments, such as the severe side effects of surgery and radiotherapy. She gained substantial experience in both basic and translational research, including cell culture and animal models.
Annie (Hong) Zuo, MD, Research Technician III
Annie (Hong) Zuo, MD, Research Technician III
Dr. Zuo graduated from Hunan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (1979-1984, Bachelor Degree of Medicine) and Hunan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (1987-1989, Master Degree of Internal Medicine) in China. She worked as a physician and researcher at Hunan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (1989-1995) and as a head of science grand office at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences (1995-1998) in China. In 1999 she came to Georgetown: from 1999 to 2015, she worked at Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center as research assistants in Dr. Dajun Yang’s lab (1999), Tissue Culture Shared Resources (1999-2000) and Dr. Michael Johnson’s lab (2001-2015). In March 2015, she joined Dr. Louis Weiner’s lab in the LCCC as a research assistant for supporting general lab research activities, maintaining her2 and cas9 transgenic mouse strains and assisting other investigators in the lab with their research needs, especially animal studies.
Annabel Lee (AJ), PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Annabel Lee (AJ), PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Alex Lekan, MD/PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Alex Lekan, MD/PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Alex joined the MD/PhD program at Georgetown in 2020 and is interested in developing novel immunotherapy approaches to treat cancer. He is currently in the first year of completing his PhD in Tumor Biology. Originally from Edgewater, NJ, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgetown University in May 2020. As an undergraduate, he worked in in the lab of Dr. Richard Schlegel, utilizing Conditionally Reprogrammed Cells (CRCs) to help develop novel models of understanding cancer growth and metastasis. Previously, he also worked as a summer research assistant in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Columbia University, in the lab of Dr. Catherine Wang, where he studied patient outcomes after aortic valve replacement, developed an online database for research studies, and participated in organ transplant operations. After successfully completing Step 1, he joined the Weiner Lab in July 2022 where his research interests include modulating NK cell migration, understanding pancreatic cancer immune suppression mechanisms, and using zebrafish cancer xenograft models to better understand patient responses to immunotherapy treatments.
Selime Arslan , PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Selime Arslan , PhD Student, Tumor Biology
Selime Arslan started her PhD in Tumor Biology at Georgetown University in 2023. Prior to attending Georgetown University, she earned her bachelors in Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware. She then continued her education at Johns Hopkins University where she earned her Master of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During her master’s program, she studied the molecular mechanisms of how ER+/HER2-mutant cancers acquire therapy resistance in Dr. Utthara Nayar’s lab. After graduating, she continued her research in the Nayar Lab for another year as a research technologist. Selime joined the Weiner Lab in 2024 and is interested in investigating immune regulatory mechanisms involved in pancreatic cancer as well as the role cancer-associated fibroblasts play in altering pancreatic cancers tumor microenvironment.
Brian Li, Undergraduate Student, Economics
Brian Li, Undergraduate Student, Economics
Brian Li is a current sophomore at Georgetown where he is studying Economics while on the premed track. Originally from Warren, New Jersey, Brian joined the Weiner Lab in June 2023 and is working with MD/PhD student Alex Lekan to develop cutting edge immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer. He recently helped conduct an experiment on the movement of natural killer cells as directed by chemokines to understand their behavior and if they can be harnessed to target a specific region. Prior to the Weiner Lab, Brian conducted research on the VirF regulatory protein in Shigella bacteria at the Pingry School in partnership with the Kull Laboratory at Dartmouth. Besides working in the lab, Brian also enjoys playing on Georgetown's Men's Club Squash team, working with the Asian American Student Association, and reading about history.
Nuan Wang, MS student, Tumor Biology
Nuan Wang is a master student from Tumor biology program at Georgetown University. Prior to attending Georgetown University, she earned her bachelor degree in biology from Boston University. After graduation, she continued her eduction at University of Southern California where she earned her master degree of science in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. During her master’s program, she investigated novel immunology therapy that sensitize efficiency of immunotherapy targeting hepatocellular carcinoma. She joined Weiner lab in 2024 and is interested in modulating NK cell to enhance envision in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
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