Pediatric Immunotherapy Research Laboratory

Nour Amwas completed her undergraduate degree in biology with a chemistry minor from Al-Quds Bard College in 2019. Shortly after, she joined the Neuroscience research team at An-Najah University to study potential pharmacological drugs targeting α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR). When she enrolled into Arab American University’s Molecular Genetic and Genetic Toxicology Master program, she dedicated herself to defining the epigenetic modifications associated with insulin resistance. Nour is currently a graduate student at City of Hope's Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences. Under the guidance of Leo Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Nour’s dissertation research will explore the immuno-cross talk between CAR T and TCR in the context of cancer immunotherapy.

Supriya Bautista is a Research Operations Analyst in Dr. Leo Wang's Lab at the Beckman Research Institute ar City of Hope.

Angela Burmayan graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.S. in Biology in 2018. She then went on to earn an M.S. in Animal Science and Agriculture from California Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2021. Her master’s thesis and publication centered around diseases found in small ruminants, such as Caseous Lymphadenitis. Angela previously worked at the forefront of innovation, leveraging AI for small molecule drug discovery and development. Angela joined the lab of Dr. Leo Wang at City of Hope in 2024 and is excited to explore the clinical and translational aspects of research and the field of immuno-oncology.

 

Victor Chiu embarked on his academic journey by pursuing a Master of Science degree at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, in 2016. Under the guidance of Dr. Chen, Joanne Jeou-Yuan, his master's thesis delved into the role of glycol-modification in serglycin-mediated malignant phenotypes. Subsequently, he earned his Ph.D. from the laboratory of Dr. Chang, Yi-Cheng, at National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in 2023. His doctoral research focused on RRBP1 and its regulation of blood pressure and potassium homeostasis by modulating intracellular renin trafficking. Currently, Victor has joined the laboratory of Leo Wang, M.D., Ph.D. as a postdoc. In this role, he is dedicated to studying the crosstalk between TCR and CAR. His primary goal is to uncover an optimal approach for the treatment of cancer.

Diana Gumber graduated with a Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2015, double majoring in animal science and biology. In 2017, she earned her Master of Science in agriculture with a specialization in animal science from the CIRM-funded Regenerative Medicine program at Cal Poly. Upon graduation, she joined the laboratory of Karl Willert, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Diego, which studies the role of Wnt proteins and their signaling pathways in cancer and development. As a graduate student of City of Hope's Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, she is excited to begin her dissertation research in the laboratory of Leo Wang, M.D., Ph.D., in the study of hematopoietic malignancies and cancer immunotherapies.

Dr. Lindner has over 16 years of experience in basic and preclinical research in the immuno-oncology field. She earned her Ph.D. at the Albert-Ludwigs University (Freiburg, Germany) focusing on the role of BCL2-regulated cell death in the immune system and malignant diseases. She continued her research as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Medical University Innsbruck (Austria) in the Department of Developmental Immunology, deciphering the function of microRNAs in hemopoieses and cancer development. During her Postdoctoral Fellowship and Staff Scientist appointment in Dr. Leo Wang’s team at City of Hope, Duarte, California, she focused on studying how to improve antitumor activity of CAR T cells for solid tumors. Her research included the in vitro characterization of the IL13Rα2 CAR T cell products targeting IL13+ brain cancers used in Phase I clinical trials at City of Hope. Dr. Lindner transitioned to the private sector at Terray Therapeutics, discovering small-molecule drugs for autoimmune disease treatments. Recently, she rejoined Dr. Leo Wang’s team at City of Hope as program manager for a CIRM-funded clinical trial evaluating the efficiency of IL13Rα2 CAR T cells against pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Lindner uses her substantial experience and expertise in cellular therapy development to guide robust assay development, best laboratory practices, and diligent clinical trial management, with the overall goal of improving CAR T cell therapies for pediatric brain tumors and other malignancies.

Simon Nguy is a Administrative Program Coordinator in Dr. Leo Wang's Lab at the Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope

Aldo Sotelo completed his Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology at Utah Valley University in 2014, followed by a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University in 2017. His research journey began with the Thomas Waldmann lab at the National Cancer Institute, where he concentrated on utilizing IL-15 cytokine to enhance adoptive cell transfer therapies. Aldo has also been involved in developing cutting-edge CAR-T and CAR-NK technologies in various biotech companies. In 2024, he joined Dr. Leo Wang’s lab at City of Hope, where he is enthusiastic about exploring new strategies to advance CAR-T therapies for solid tumors.