Ajay Goel Lab

Chao Gao, M.D., Ph.D., graduated from Tianjin Medical University in Tianjin, China. During his university years, he researched the interaction between colon cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor microenvironment, as well as the regulatory mechanism of immune tolerance in organ transplantation. He worked at TMUGH after graduate school as a surgeon in gastrointestinal surgery department. At City of Hope, he hopes to find new biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis in gastric, colorectal and other solid organ cancers in the digestive tract, and to explore new immunotherapy targets and chemotherapy resistance mechanisms.

Maaha Khan is a Research Associate I in the Ajay Goel Lab at City of Hope. Maaha Khan graduated from McGill University with a B.S. in Biology and Mathematics with concentrations in Neuroscience and Statistics. During her undergraduate degree, she had multiple research internships where she worked on projects focusing on lymphocytic lymphoma and immune cell states in brain tumors. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and going to the beach.

Minghan Li, M.D. Ph.D. is a Global Scholar in the Ajay Goel Lab at City of Hope, Duarte, CA. She is also a candidate at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Her research focuses on colorectal cancer, especially tumor metastasis and precision oncology involving multi-omic analysis. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, skiing, and hiking with friends.

Yuan Li, a Ph.D. candidate at Tongji University, is dedicated to her current research, which revolves around understanding the intricacies of gastrointestinal cancer metastasis and the development of resistance to cancer treatments.

Her main goal is to enhance the understanding of molecular and immune biomarkers present in tissue and blood samples. This work aims to improve the accuracy of precision diagnostics and treatment strategies for gastrointestinal cancer.

Outside of her research endeavors, she finds joy in activities such as hiking and traveling.

Takayuki Noma, M.D., graduated from Tokushima University of Medicine in Japan. In Japan he worked as a digestive surgeon. 

He played rugby football at university and enjoys fishing and cooking.

Roxanna Razavi is a Research Associate in the Ajay Goel Lab at the City of Hope, Duarte, CA.

Silei Sui graduated from Dalian Medical University with a Ph.D. in oncology and worked on the molecular mechanism and clinical significance of colorectal cancer before joining City of Hope. After graduation, she worked as a visiting postdoctoral under the guidance of Ajay Goel, Ph.D., M.S., at City of Hope. She aims to identify clinical biomarkers for improving the survival and treatment effect of colorectal cancer based on a multi-omics NGS approach.

Sui is skilled in Python, R, and machine learning and experienced in the biological analysis of genome sequencing, transcriptional sequencing and single-cell sequencing data.

Outside of work, she enjoys fitness and listening to music.

Koichi Takiguchi, MD, Ph.D. is a global scholar in the Ajay Goel Lab at City of Hope, Duarte, CA. He graduated from Fukushima Medical University in Japan and belong to the First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi. He is a gastrointestinal surgeon specializing in the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Junyong Weng, M.D. Ph.D. is a Global Scholar in the Ajay Goel Lab at City of Hope, Duarte, CA. Junyong Weng, M.D., Ph.D, earned a Ph.D. from Fudan University, specializing in metastatic colorectal cancer and immunotherapy research. During his time at City of Hope, under the mentorship of Professor Goel, he focuses on developing biomarkers for predicting treatment responses in colorectal cancer and identifying potential therapeutic targets. Outside of work, he enjoys staying active through sports and exploring his passion for cooking. 

Jiabei Zhu is a Global Scholar in the Ajay Goel Lab at City of Hope, Duarte, CA.