Lab Members
Sara Zanivan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Fernanda G. Kugeratski, Ph.D.
Instructor
Fernanda is a cancer biologist focused on unraveling new mechanisms of intercellular communication within the tumor microenvironment. She received her Ph.D. in cancer sciences in 2017 from the University of Glasgow, and her thesis was centered on defining how cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) respond to hypoxia and signal to the endothelium to promote angiogenesis. Subsequently, Fernanda joined MD Anderson Cancer Center to pursue her postdoctoral training in cancer biology and immunology, with important discoveries in the proteomic composition of extracellular vesicles (EVs), and on the use of engineered EVs for cancer treatment through immune regulation. Currently, Fernanda utilizes genetically engineered mouse models and spatial proteomics to define how secreted entities from CAFs modulate the immune system in cancer.
Amari Sockwell
Research Assistant
Join the Zanivan Lab
The Zanivan Lab recently moved to MD Anderson Cancer Center and is looking for talented, productive and passionate members to join their growing new lab.
Postdoctoral Fellows
The Zanivan Lab is seeking postdoctoral candidates:
- To explore how to harness cell metabolism in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to modulate the immune microenvironment and develop novel intervention strategies for unmet clinical needs in ovarian cancer, or
- To develop cutting-edge spatial proteomic workflows to study CAF metabolism and its roles in anti-tumor immunity in tissue samples.
Candidates should have a Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) or should be close to obtaining their doctoral degree. Candidates committed to an academic career are preferred. Applicants should have a strong background in one or more of the following disciplines: metabolism, nutrition, tumor microenvironment, fibroblasts, immunology, spatial omic approaches and bioinformatics.
A successful candidate will have ample opportunities for interactions with leading investigators in cancer metabolism, ovarian cancer and CAFs through ongoing collaborations. MD Anderson provides resources to its faculty and staff that enable them to conduct cutting-edge collaborative research, including outstanding intellectual environments and state-of-the-art facilities.
Interested individuals should submit a curriculum vitae and contact details of three references via email to Dr. Sara Zanivan.
Graduate Students
The Zanivan Lab trains Ph.D. track students from the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Admitted students interested in a rotation should contact Dr. Sara Zanivan.