Research Team

Dr. Koschmann is the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Research Professor in Pediatrics. His lab investigates molecular mechanisms by which mutations in pediatric high-grade glioma, diffuse midline glioma (DMG) and DIPG promote tumor growth and affect response therapy.

Dr. Venneti is the Al and Robert Glick Family Research Professor in Pediatrics. His group studies mechanisms including epigenetics and cancer metabolism that drive childhood brain cancers.

Maria Castro, Ph.D., and Pedro Lowenstein M.D., Ph.D., team up to study several aspects of pediatric high-grade gliomas, including immunotherapies, interactions between cancer cells with the tumor microenvironment, and growth and invasion patterns of cancer cells in both experimental models and in pediatric patients. Dr. Castro is the R.C. Schneider Professor of Neurosurgery and Dr. Lowenstein is the Richard C. Schneider Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery. Their work has uncovered mutations and gene therapy strategies that could soon be used in pediatric brain tumor treatment. 

Daniel Wahl, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor of radiation oncology and a physician-scientist specializing in central nervous system cancers. His research focuses on developing new treatments for brain tumors. His lab group is especially interested in the links between altered metabolism, DNA repair and treatment resistance in aggressive brain tumors. In the clinic, he cares for patients with malignant and benign tumors of the central nervous system. Visit the Wahl Lab website.

Costas Lyssiotis, Ph.D., is the Maisel Endowed Professor in Oncology in the Departments of Physiology and Medicine and the Director of the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology. His lab studies the biochemical pathways and metabolic requirements for tumor survival and growth. This work spans cancer metabolism, the tumor microenvironment and immunometabolism. Ultimately, his group aims to transition new information about these processes into targeted therapies for cancer and other diseases.

Meredith Morgan, Ph.D., is the Lawrence-Krause Research Professor of Radiation Oncology and associate chair for radiation and cancer biology. Dr. Morgan’s lab is focused on improving standard radiation and chemoradiation therapies by using novel agents targeting DNA damage response and repair. Her work prioritizes research with strong clinical and translational relevance, with specific areas of interest in DNA double-strand break repair, tumor immunology and experimental therapeutics.

Stefanie Galban, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Radiology and Surgery and the Associate Director of the Center for Basic and Translational Science. Her lab examines the mechanisms of resistance and the role of cancer stem cells in pediatric brain tumors in order to devise novel therapies. Dr. Galban’s lab has also developed imaging technologies to evaluate treatment paradigms in various mouse models of cancer, where key signaling events in high-grade gliomas can be visualized using optical imaging.

Jouha Min, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of chemical engineering. Her research aims to advance new technologies for various biomedical applications to improve patient outcomes. She integrates core concepts in chemical engineering, materials science, artificial intelligence and data science to find innovative engineering solutions to significant health problems. Her ultimate goal is to translate these new technologies for clinical use and transform care for cancer and infectious diseases.

John Prensner, M.D., Ph.D., is a pediatric oncologist who believes in using the power of science to improve treatments for children with brain tumors. He is focused on expanding our understanding of the most challenging brain cancers, including medulloblastoma, atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT) and DIPG. Dr. Prensner’s work seeks new answers in the genomes of these cancers and aspires to use these findings to transform the lives of patients.

Santhosh Upadhyaya, M.D., is a pediatric neurooncologist whose goal is to deliver leading-edge treatments to children who need a compassionate physician with a high level of expertise in this field. His research focuses on advancing treatment options by drafting and participating in clinical trials for children with brain tumors, with a special interest in AT/RT and other embryonal tumors, and ependymoma.

Andrea Franson, M.D., is a pediatric neurooncologist whose research focuses on clinical trial design, implementation and biocorrelate studies, with a particular emphasis on the development of targeted therapies. She leads numerous clinical trials locally and serves as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several national pediatric solid tumor and brain tumor clinical trials within the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) and the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).

Toshiro Hara, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Neurosurgery. His lab is focused on understanding how cells interact and communicate with their surrounding microenvironment in brain tumors. He seeks the mechanisms of cellular diversity and connection and leverages this knowledge to develop effective and precise therapies for patients with brain tumors.