Leadership Team
Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences and Associate Cancer Center Director for Organizational Excellence and Workforce Strategy
Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Biomedical Engineering
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The Leadership Team is the organizing body for Center-level planning and decision-making. The group i) monitors progress toward workforce strategy and excellence, ii) reviews intracenter pilot projects, iii) plans annual site visits with NCI staff and the External Advisory Board, and iv) discusses candidate cross-consortium projects in consultation with the NCI.
Data Management
Investigator
The Data Manager is the interface between the MC2 Center Research Coordinating Hub and the specific resource-development activities of the SASCO Center. The data manager i) ensures standards and platforms put forth by the Resource and Data Sharing Working Group are transmitted to the Center, ii) communicates Center-specific challenges with resource sharing to the MC2 Center, and iii) facilitates the timely sharing of data and resources.
Andrea Denton presented an update of the SASCO Data Management effort in November 2023.
In December 2024, Andrea presented a Citation Strategy in Practice seminar.
Andrea led the January 2025 SASCO Seminar, leading a LabArchives primer. You will find her slides, video and follow-up comments HERE.
Intra-Center Pilot Projects
The SASCO Center offers Intra-Center Pilot Projects with cost-matched support from the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center and UVA Office of the Vice-President for Research. Details on the Intra-Center Pilot Projects are released as an annual Request For Applications.
In its second year (beginning September 1), the Center will support $100,000 of pilot funding to UVA principal investigators. The broad goal of pilot funding is to introduce investigators to cancer systems biology research questions and approaches. While alignment with the theme of oncogenic stress on organelles is preferred, it is not a required component of a successful pilot project application. Pilot funding applicants can propose projects that integrate with existing SASCO themes, or they can propose new cancer systems biology projects. To aid applicants in designing their approach, the overall aims of the SASCO proposal are available upon request. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact U54 Center MPI Matthew Lazzara with questions and to discuss project alignment.
- RFA will post on InfoReady.
- Applications are not yet being accepted for Year 4 awards.
Year 3 Pilot Projects
Shayn Pierce-Cottler PhD, UVa Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from hypoxic endothelial cells as regulators of pancreatic cancer cell EMT
Sepideh Dolatshahi PhD, UVa Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Glycan-mediated interactions linked with tumor cell glycosylation and response in human melanoma
Nathan Swami PhD, UVa Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Correlating biophysical metrics of metastatic pancreatic cancer cells to their nuclear phenotypes
Year 2 Pilot Projects
Shayn Pierce-Cottler PhD, UVa Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as regulators of pancreatic cell EMT
Lakeshia Taite PhD, UVa Department of Chemical Engineering
- A Tunable Hydrogel Tumor Microenvironment to Refine Computational Modeling of EMT-associated YAP/TAZ Mechanotransduction
Year 1 Pilot Projects
Stephanie Redemann PhD, UVa Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Cell Biology
- Regulation of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) amount on the level of individual chromosomes during mitosis
Ahmad Jomaa PhD, UVa Department of Physiology and Biological Physics
- Mechanism of Tom34-mediated mitochondrial adaptation in colorectal cancer
High-Content Imaging & Analysis Core
Investigators
The High-Content Imaging & Analysis Core provides the three SASCO Center projects with experimental and computational resources to analyze different biological samples by multiplexed fluorescence microscopy and to extract quantitative data from microscopy-based images. The core will develop, validate, and apply highly multiplexed (iterative) imaging approaches, integrate subcellular imaging data collected across multiple rounds of iterative imaging, and build customized tools for image analysis, feature recognition, and extraction. The generated multi-parametric datasets will address specific needs of each project, enabling model-experiment iterations involving diverse cancer drivers, signaling pathways, and subcellular organelles in multiple biological contexts. Aim #1 supports the development, validation, and application of highly multiplexed immunofluorescence staining and imaging procedures to measure molecular features at cellular, subcellular, and organelle resolution. These procedures will enable the molecular analysis of mitotic signaling pathways and recruitment patterns in metaphase chromosomes derived from breast cancer organoids (Project 1), mitochondrial morphology, cell signaling and metabolic enzymes in colorectal cancer cells and tumors (Project 2), and post-translational modifications of key EGFR signaling molecules, protein-protein interactions, and their subcellular localization in glioblastoma cells (Project 3). Aim #2 customizes tools for quantitative image analysis, including image alignment and tracking, segmentation of cells and subcellular structures, as well as feature extraction and recognition. The High-Content Imaging & Analysis Core provides all three projects the necessary expertise and tools for quantifying information about cells, cultures, and tissues from image data to support hypothesis generation and model testing related to the overall hypotheses of the SASCO Center.
The SASCO Outreach Core serves to promote the broad use of systems biology in cancer research beyond the University of Virginia (UVA); disseminate and increase accessibility of computational and experimental approaches developed within the SASCO Center to the cancer research enterprise; and recruit the involvement of investigators, cancer biologists, and clinicians to enrich the research and environment of the Center. The Outreach Core has three initiatives. First, undergraduates from around the country will participate in summer research experiences in SASCO laboratories through existing outstanding summer research internship programs at the Schools of Medicine and Engineering & Applied Science. Second, we will develop a series of videos designed to introduce clinicians to systems concepts and approaches toward enabling stronger collaborations between clinicians and systems biologists. The videos will be piloted for effectiveness within a Clinical and Translational Science Award program that includes UVA and other health centers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Third, the SASCO Outreach Core will enable summer scholar-in-residence positions for faculty from other colleges and universities to develop research projects in SASCO laboratories. The goal of this third aim is to both establish new systems-based research projects at colleges and to increase the visibility of systems approaches in their curricula.
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Christopher Bolden, PhD
Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, Louisiana Cancer Center, Xavier University of LouisianaPIs: Matthew Lazarra
Initiative Two - 2025: Evaluating SorLA as a Therapeutic Target in Glioblastoma Using a 3D In Vitro BBB System
Olga Buhlak
SASCO REU studentMentors: Will Shao
PIs: Jason Papin
Initiative One - 2025: Quantifying mitochondrial morphology and topology in colorectal cancer
A project under the SASCO umbrella focusing on studying the effect, and ultimately mechanism by which mitochondrial morphology and topology influences the distribution of proteins within the cell. My role in the project is to work with mitochondrial immunofluorescence data in order to develop a meaningful way to quantitatively describe mitochondrial morphology and topology, ultimately aiming to develop a set of features that can serve as a mitochondrial “fingerprint” for cell lines with distinct mitochondrial networks.
George Marshall
SASCO REU studentPIs: B.J. Purow and Matt Lazarra
Initiative One - 2025: Treatment of U251 Glioblastoma (GBM) Cells with Fluoxetine and Chloroquine
Treating glioblastoma cells with Prozac and chloroquine, then measuring effect on cell count.
Rose Olumuyide
SASCO REU studentMentors: Catalina Alvarez and Monse Gerado
PIs: Kevin Janes
Initiative One - 2025: Investigating the Feedback loop between FOXM1 and Cyclin F in Breast Epithelial Cells
My project will investigate how CCNF regulates FOXM1 activation throughout the cell cycle by combining protein measurements with transcriptional snapshots and computational modeling. First, I’ll synchronize cells at key cycle phases and directly quantify Foxm1 and Cyclin F protein levels at each stage. Next, I’ll use RNA-seq data from those synchronized cultures—and from breast cancer samples—to infer stage-specific FOXM1 transcriptional activity. Finally, I’ll map those activity profiles onto a model to reveal how CCNF-driven timing shapes FOXM1 dynamics and downstream regulatory programs.
Lecia Robinson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Tuskegee UniversityPIs: David Kashatus
Initiative Two - 2024: Exploring Mitochondrial Morphologies in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Insights from the STRIVE Program
Lecia Robinson PhD, our second scholar-in-residence collaborator, worked in the Kashatus Project 2 Lab.
Joseph Guillen
Undergraduate Researcher, Bucknell, REU studentMentors: Sarah Groves, Catalina Alvarez
PIs: Todd Stukenberg, Kevin Janes
Initiative One - 2024: A Model of Mitotic Signaling Across Various Chromosomal Geometries in Eukaryotic Cells
Seth Boehringer
Undergraduate Researcher, Virginia Tech, REU studentMentors: Matt Lazzara
PIs: Matt Lazzara
Initiative One - 2024: Incorporation of new parameters and features to improve performance of a moving-boundary model of EGFR trafficking
Bryan Rangel Valle
Undergraduate Researcher, REU studentMentors: Sarah Buchanan, Michelle Barbeau
PIs: Matt Lazzara
Initiative One - 2024: Streamlining Methuosis Detection via Advanced Image Analysis
Riko Mukoyama
Undergraduate Researcher, Smith College, REU studentMentors: Kristen Naegle
PIs: Kristen Naegle
Initiative One - 2024: The Interplay of EGF Stimulation and Metabolism on Vacuolization in EGFR amplified Glioblastoma
Iylan Howson
Undergraduate Researcher, NC A&T State University, REU studentMentors: Sepideh Dolatshahi
PIs: Sepideh Dolatshahi
Initiative One - 2024: Hypoxia induces Golgi fragmentation in melanoma
Sarah Groves
Postdoctoral fellow in Biomedical EngineeringInitiative Three - 2023: Video Tutorial Series for Clinicians and Clinical Scientists
Sarah Groves developed the first of three videos designed to introduce clinicians to systems concepts and approaches.
- Multiple meetings with Todd Stukenberg to brainstorm and outline first video
- Met with BJ Purrow (MD/PhD Project 3) to discuss challenges/goals of working with MDs
- Established collaborations with Cimona Hinton to provide feedback for each of the stages of the video
Cimona Hinton
Faculty, Clark Atlanta UniversityPIs: Kevin Janes, Lixin Wang
Initiative Two - 2023: Our first scholar-in-residence collaborator
Our first scholar-in-residence collaborator, Cimona Hinton, PhD is featured in this UVa School of Medicine article.
Nakea Pennant
SASCO Center Visiting Graduate Student from Clark Atlanta UniversityInitiative Two - 2023: Heterodimer of CXCR4 and CB2R that forms with respective receptor agonists and may prevent motility of prostate cancer cells to primary and secondary distal sites
Samuel Presman
Undergraduate Researcher, Stonybrook, SURP StudentMentors: Catalina Alvarez
PIs: Todd Stukenberg, Kevin Janes
Initiative One - 2023: A new pipeline obtains quantitative data more efficiently
Leanne Mahraj
Undergraduate Researcher, UVa SRIP StudentPIs: Jason Papin
Initiative One - 2023: The Metabolic Effects of KRAS Mutation in Colorectal Cancer
RIPTiDe integrates transcriptomic data with a model to reveal metabolic differences between wildtype and mutated KRAS samples.
Mariah Snelson
Undergraduate Researcher, Johns HopkinsMentors: Sarah Buchanan, Micelle Barbeau
PIs: Matthew Lazzara
Initiative One - 2023: Chemo-induced Senescence in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Data collection techniques and image analysis for the study of glioblastoma multiforme and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression.
Outreach Core
Investigators
Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Biomedical Engineering
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