Lab Members
Yuan-Hung Lo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Email: YLo1@MDAnderson.org
Dr. Lo is a tenure-track assistant professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Before joining MD Anderson, he obtained his Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Lo’s research focuses on developing and applying primary 3D organoid models to study gastrointestinal (GI) tract function and dysfunction. His lab employs cutting-edge genetic approaches to investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of GI diseases, including innovative functional genomic platforms to elucidate how genomic alterations regulate stem cell function, cell lineage differentiation, tumor heterogeneity and cell vulnerability during cancer development. His recent work has leveraged CRISPR/Cas9-engineered tumor organoid models to investigate the oncogenic transformation of ARID1A-deficient gastric cancer. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the NIH/NCI Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) and the NIH/NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00).
Qing Liu, Ph.D.
Research Investigator
Email: QLiu9@MDAnderson.org
Qing Liu is a Research Investigator in the Lo Lab within Molecular and Cellular Oncology, which is in the Division of Basic Science Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research expertise spans organoid cells, genomics, epigenomics, enhancers, enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), long noncoding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. Dr. Liu earned her Ph.D. in biotechnology engineering from Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China, in 2005.
Chia-Mei Young, M.S.
Research Assistant
Email: CYoung7@MDAnderson.org
Chia-Mei Young is a Research Assistant in the Lo Lab in the department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned a Master’s degree in Pharmacology at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in 2023. She expanded her 3D culture experiences during her Master’s degree and focuses on studying the molecular mechanisms of gastrointestinal tumor progression by establishing genome-editing 3D organoids. Outside the lab, she loves playing badminton and taking photos to record life.
Wei-Chieh (Pierce) Yu, M.S.
Ph.D. Student
MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Email: WYu4@MDAnderson.org
Wei-Chieh (Pierce) Yu is a Ph.D. student in the Lo Lab at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences from 2024. He is focusing on CRISPR-engineered human gastric organoids to explore mutation mechanisms and identify treatment targets. He earned a master's degree in biotechnology at National Taiwan University in 2023. He enjoys playing sports and exploring new places.
Alumni
Martina Towers
Research Assistant II, 2023-2024
New Position: Research Assistant III, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Okan Tezcan, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2023
New Position: Clinical Research Coordinator, MD Anderson Cancer Center