Research Projects
2025 - Current
Optical genome mapping (OGM) for pediatric brain tumors
Analyzing samples from Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago to support the clinical use of optical genome mapping (OGM) in diagnosing and targeting therapies for pediatric brain cancers (National Cancer Institute award)
Wildcat 2.0
Leveraging optical genome mapping (OGM) through Bionano Genomics to characterize complex structural variants (SVs) and improve genomic resolution beyond conventional cytogenetics, such as karyotyping, FISH, and microarrays. The second phase will evaluate the clinical utility of OGM and build a multi-institutional SV database for hematological malignancies.
GO2 for Lung Cancer turnaround time (TAT)
Comparing next generation sequencing (NGS) testing turnaround time of NSCLC specimens by standard of care (SOC) to in-house Thermo Fisher Genexus NGS testing in the community setting.
1Cell.AI (formerly OneCell Diagnostics) OncoIncytes from circulating tumor cells (CTC)
Capturing and isolating live, single cells from blood to facilitate the detection of protein targets for precision oncology applications.
2024 and earlier
SARS2 seroprevalence and respiratory tract assessment (SPARTA)
The goal of this project is to understand the immune responses that emerge in response to this Sars-COV-2 infection in health care workers and their immediate families.
Understanding the role of JAK inhibition (with Ruxolitinib) on the donor T-cell population
The goal of this project is to investigate by pulsing donor cells with Ruxolitinib in the presence or absence of G-CSF, donor cells do not cause GVHD or cause only minor GVHD after transplantation.
Shaping the future of hereditary cancer testing in minorities
The major goal is to sequence 86 hereditary cancer genes on paired tumor/blood (germline) samples of all patients with solid tumors who undergo their surgery at AU Medical Center. While universal paired testing of tumor and blood (germline) provides direct clinical value to patients, we propose to study whether we can define and overcome minority barriers among Georgia Cancer Center patients.
Clinical validation of Saphyr technology for the identification of constitutional genomic variants in a pediatric neurodevelopmental cohort
The goal of this study is to determine the performance of optical genome mapping as it compares to results from a standard of care genetic testing by chromosomal microarray, or karyotyping, or FISH. Concordance of results will be documented and analyzed in a pediatric neurodevelopmental cohort.
Validation of optical genome mapping (OGM) technology for the identification of constitutional genomic variants in a multisite prenatal study
The goal of this study is to determine the performance of optical genome mapping as it compares to results from a standard of care genetic testing by chromosomal microarray, karyotyping or FISH. Concordance of results will be documented and analyzed in prenatal cases.
Cellular heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment in triple-negative breast cancer disparities
The goal of this project is to develop innovative therapeutic strategies targeting tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which disproportionally affects African American and other minority populations. We hypothesize that differential cellular subpopulations comprising tumor cells and the TME may contribute to disparate TNBC prevalence and treatment outcomes.
Clinical validation of optical genome mapping (OGM) for the identification of somatic genomic variants in hematological malignancies
The goal of this study is to determine the performance of optical genome mapping as it compares to results from a standard of care genetic testing by chromosomal microarray, karyotyping or FISH in hematological malignancies.