PEOPLE

Bio: Hello and thanks for stopping bi-o! 

Initially pursuing interests in dietetics, I quickly discovered my passion for cancer research after taking a class taught by Dr. Tiziani. Knowing that I wanted to continue natural product research, I was fortunate enough to get a research position with Dr. Tiziani as an undergraduate exploring effects of natural products on primary rheumatoid arthritis FLS cells in hypoxia and normoxia. This project served as a foundation and launched me on the path to working on my current research in exploring the crossroads of epigenetics and metabolomics in glioblastoma. 

In my free time I pursue my nutrition studies in a different way by cooking up fresh herbs from my organic garden, as well as spoiling my pet rabbit, and digital art.

Research Interests: epigenetics, glioblastoma, translational medicine, chronic disease

Bio: I started as a volunteer in the Tiziani lab as an undergraduate, at the time and until recently, I was mostly focused on evaluating the additive relationship between therapeutic agents, drugs, and natural products in leukemia. Currently, my project focuses on discovering novel biomarkers in pediatric leukemia. I have learned so much with being a part of this lab and can't wait for more!!

In my personal life, before COVID-19, I enjoyed getting outside with friends and family. Now working on more hobbies like baking, gardening, and remodeling a classic car.

Research Interests: cancer metabolism, drug discovering, biomarker discovery  

Bio: Hi, I’m Lavender! My research focuses on natural product synergy and antagonism with chemotherapeutics for prostate cancer treatment.   My work employs high-throughput drug screening, metabolomics, and metabolic flux analysis to investigate the mechanisms of these interactions and uncover biomarkers.

In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, collecting vinyls, and hanging out with my dog, Elio! 

Research Interests:  drug discovery, cancer metabolism, prostate cancer, natural product synergy and antagonism 

Bio:  Hi guys, my name is Maripat. I finished my undergraduate and master’s degrees both at Peking University. I learned some basic medical experiments in my undergraduate. During my master, I learned to use metabolomics and metagenomics methods to investigate the nutritional substances' preventing and curing roles for metabolic disease. Now I am super excited to start my new journey in Dr.Stefano’s lab and eager to explore more of the effect of the integration of drugs and nutrients on cancer by metabolomics approach. 

In my spare time, I like working out, dancing and would love to try every kind of exercise. I also like music, grabbing coffee, reading, and interest in photography and video editing.

Bio: Vietnamese, Japan-educated and new to Texas! For my undergrad, I spent time learning about metabolic engineering of microbial hosts for plant metabolites production. I enjoy developing analytical methods to verify the quality and quantity of my metabolites, and to mitigate the manual work involved in data analysis.  I'm excited to expand my knowledge on cancer research in the Tiziani lab!

When I'm not in the lab, I'm on a motorcycle exploring places, listening to music and trying out new good food!

Research Interests: cancer metabolism, analytical method development, drug discovery

Bio: Hi, I'm Valeria! I've lived all my life in Italy, and now I'm in Texas for my Ph.D.

As an undergraduate student in Italy my research interests were focused on mitochondrial metabolism, and in particular on the characterization of mitochondrial carrier proteins. Since this organelle plays a key role in rewiring the metabolism of cancer cells, I hope to further investigate its contribution to the highly proliferative metabolism of these cells.

I spend my free time reading and watching TV series, but I'm always up to meet with my friends for a beer or a pizza night. 

Research Interests: mitochondrial carrier proteins, mitochondrial metabolism, cancer metabolism.

Bio:

Dr. Tiziani received his Laurea in Chemistry at the University of Trieste, Italy. In 2006, he completed his Ph.D. in Food Science and Nutrition at The Ohio State University where he developed a strong interest in phytochemicals and their role in disease prevention. His interest in biomarker identification was subsequently extended during his postgraduate training in the field of translational chemical biology to study cancer metabolism.

In 2006 he joined the School of Cancer Sciences at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, where he investigated the outcome of drug treatment in leukemia cell lines, human biofluids, and tumor biopsies using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based metabolomics. He continued his postdoctoral training in systems biology at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) where he combined metabolomic data with in silico modeling of the human metabolic network to gain a better understanding of the role of the tumor microenvironment in childhood leukemia. He developed a novel NMR-based high throughput screening method suitable to study combinatorial drug treatment and to investigate survival and metabolism in cell lines and primary leukemia cells after drug intervention. 

Bio: Hello! I'm Madi, and I'm from Sugar Land, TX. I'm an undergraduate majoring in Honors in Advanced Nutritional Sciences on the pre-dental track. During the height of COVID, I found my passion for cancer research and cell metabolism as a student in Dr. Tiziani's metabolomics class. My current project analyzes various drug effects on malignant tumor cells, specifically glioblastoma. In the future, I hope to become a dentist and utilize my knowledge of nutrition, cancers, and epigenetic factors to combat health disparities and work on the front lines as an advocate for oral health and wellness.

In my free time, you can find me baking, swimming laps, or racing sailboats on Lake Travis with the Texas Sailing Team!

Research Interest: cancer metabolism, drug screening, glioblastoma, chronic diseases

Hi! My name is Trisha and I am from Short Hills, New Jersey. I am an undergraduate majoring in Public Health on the pre-dental track. I became passionate about cancer research after interning at an OB-GYN’s office where I watched many biopsies be performed. I am excited to learn from this lab and contribute in any way possible. In my free time you’ll find me serving as an EMT, going on long walks, trying new foods, and reading. 

Bio: Hi! My name is Aarushi and I am currently an undergraduate biochemistry major, perusing the pre-medical track and a certificate in computer science. My ambition is to become a doctor and enjoy the journey of achieving this goal: utilizing my skills to contribute in the improvement of lives, one step at a time. My interests in research lay in the exploration of various sciences, particularly cancer metabolism and drug discovery. In my free time, you can find me improving education and health systems both locally and globally, horse-back riding, or skiing!