Dr. Bingfei Yu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and a primary member of Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of California, San Diego, where she worked with Prof. Ananda Goldrath on differentiation pathways of T cells combating infectious diseases and cancer. During her postdoctoral research in the lab of Prof. Howard Chang at Stanford, Bingfei explored epigenetics, non-coding RNA, and single cell genomics to develop technologies that decode immune recognition and molecular blueprints. She is a recipient of the Parker Bridge Fellow award, supported by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the V Foundation.
In her free time, Bingfei enjoys searching for tasty boba teas and spicy food. She loves karaoke, pop music, and badminton.
Zilin completed her MS degree in Biology in Cal Poly Pomona and BS in Cell & Molecular Biology in Cal State University, Northridge.
Research Interests: Learning how cell-cell communication modulates T-cell plasticity
Hobbies: Violin, tennis, guitar and games
Shuo completed her B.S. of Clinical Medicine and M.D. of Hematology in Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. During her M.D. training, she depicted clinical outcomes of Chinese lymphoma patients in a real-world study. She then did her postdoctoral training in Shanghai Institute of Hematology, where she profiled lymphoma microenvironment through bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis.
Research Interests: Identifying and reprogramming tumor-reactive T cells
Hobbies: Swimming, traveling, and tea making
Jing Hu, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Jing completed his Ph. D. of Basic Medicine in Shanghai Jiao Tong University school of medicine. During his doctoral research, he explored the molecular mechanism of Stk40 in embryo development and skeletal muscle differentiation supervised by Prof. Ying Jin. Following his doctoral studies, he joined Prof. Hui Yang’s lab where he developed and optimized new gene-editing tools for lncRNA tracing and cell therapy.
Research Interests: Developing and applying new targeted delivery tools for immunotherapeutics
Hobbies: Soccer, traveling and food
Karolina W. Warzecha, M. S.
Rotation Graduate Student
PIBBS Program
Karolina earned her B.S. in Neurobiology and M.S. in Molecular Biotechnology from Jagiellonian University in Poland. During that time she studied the role of neurotrophic factor DmMANF in glial cells in the context of circadian rhythms, and then she has transitioned into cancer biology and investigated the influence of metabolic modulators on microevolution of cancer cells. Before coming to USC, Karolina worked for 2 years as a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago, where she was involved in the development of immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer.
Research Interests: Oncology, Immunology, Neurobiology
Hobbies: Violin, water sports, cinema, fantasy and music
Eric Abnoosian, B.S.
Master Student
Translational Biotechnology
Eric Abnoosian is currently a progressive degree student earning his masters in Translational Biotechnology and bachelors in Pharmacology and Drug Development. He is expected to graduate in July of 2024 and hope to begin a career in clinical research.
Research Interests: Epigenetics, Immuno-oncology, Translational medicine, Clinical trials
Hobbies: Swimming, running, and cooking
Raquel Rodriguez, B.S.
Rotation Graduate Student
PIBBS Program
Raquel completed her B.S in Biology at Cal State University San Bernardino. During that time, she researched Influenza A nucleoprotein interactions as potential antiviral targets. She then worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as a Research Assistant, learning about coronary artery disease (CAD) using zebrafish as a model organism. She is currently a PIBBS PhD rotation student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Research Interests: Immunology, Immunotherapy, Virology
Hobbies: Drawing, painting, crafting, and animating
Laura Yang, B.S.
Rotation Graduate Student
PIBBS Program
Laura recently completed her B.S in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Computer Science at Bowdoin College in Maine. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she delved into the intricacies of basic science research, ranging from exploring Drosophila evolution using ATAC-seq to investigating the cellular adhesion pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Motivated by her own struggles with allergies, Laura is deeply passionate about translational research and aims to contribute to bridging the divide between wet lab techniques and computational analysis.
Research Interests: Autoimmune Disorder, Immunology, Cancer Biology
Hobbies: Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, Tennis...watching and playing all types of sports! Crocheting and Knitting!
Hey, this might be you!
Adapted from Sammy Katta