Dr. Lorraine Gudas
Dr. Gudas is Chairman and Revlon Pharmaceutical Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the Pharmacology Department. She is a member of the American society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the major organization of scientists doing research in pharmacology. She recently finished a term as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Cancer Research, the largest organization of cancer researchers in the United States. Dr. Gudas also recently finished a term as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders. She is a member of the external advisory boards of three Cancer Centers: The Vermont Cancer Center, The Lineberger Cancer Center of U.N.C. Chapel Hill, and the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center. Of note, in 1999, she received the 2nd Annual "Woman in Cancer Research" award from the American Association of Cancer Research. She is on the Editorial Boards of a number of journals, including Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Molecular Cancer Research. She has had a long-standing research interest in vitamin A and its derivatives and metabolites, a group of compounds called retinoids. She and her laboratory members have studied the pharmacology and molecular actions of retinoids with respect to cancer treatment and cancer prevention for approximately twenty years, during which time her research has been continuously supported by NIH and other agencies.  Dr. Gudas is also focused on the molecular mechanisms by which embryonic stem cells differentiate and on limb regeneration in mice.
"I've been chairman of the Pharmacology Department for about 16 years. It's a wonderful job in a terrific department with smart, collegial, and interactive faculty, motivated students, and great postdoctoral fellows and technicians. My partner, John, and I have a son who is working at Morgan Stanley in New York City. When we're not working check out what our lab does for fun!!"

Marty Albert
I graduated with a BS in Biochemistry in March 2004 from Union College in beautiful Schenectady, NY. I have been a research technician in Dr. Gudas' lab since May 2004. I was born and raised a Jersey boy, but the Big City was calling my name, so here I am. When not working, I enjoy skiing, hiking, camping, and going to the theater.

Iva Dincheva

Student

Vasundhra Kashyap

I received my undergraduate degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, India and a Masters in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India. I am formally a graduate student of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology program of Cornell Ithaca. I joined Dr. Gudas' lab in December 2005. I have always wished to pursue research aimed at understanding molecular and cellular aspects of cancer and apply the knowledge gained thereby at the clinical level. So here I am trying to accomplish what I have always liked to do! My project would focus on understanding the role of RAR beta in cell growth control and cancer.

Eric Kauffman

Christopher Kelly

I got my Bachelor's degree in Biology and Psychology from Boston College in May of 2007. Though I want to go to medical school in the future, I decided to take some time off to pursue more hands-on work experience. I moved to NYC in the summer of 07 and am currently the lab manager for the Gudas lab. Keeping Dr. Gudas' lab funded since Jan. 08.

Dr. Kristian Laursen

In 2002 I was awarded a Master in Biology from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Yet, with my interests being focused more on the developmental aspects of biology, I started doing molecular biology and in 2005 I obtained a PhD in transcriptional regulation. In December 2007 I joined Dr. Gudas’ group where I am now working on elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which the different Retinoic Acid Receptors integrate environmental signal into a transcriptional response. The project is expected not only to increase our knowledge on developmental processes of the embryo, but also to identify protein domains which may serve as specific targets for anti-tumorogenic agents.

Dr. Mi-Young Lee

I received my Ph.D. in Immunology from UC Davis in 2007. My thesis was investigating the gene therapy efficacy in a mouse model after naked DNA delivery. After graduation, I came to the lab of Dr. Gudas and my current research is investigating human Rex1 promoter activity to find out if there is a dysregulation of Rex1 transcription between normal and prostate cancer cell lines. For the near future, I am going to work on a K14 promoter driven Rex1 transgenic mouse model.

Dr. Limin Liu
I was awarded a doctorate in Biochemistry from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in 1999 and then I joined Dr. Gudas’ Lab. My current research is to identify and characterize the genes that are regulated by retinoic acid in normal human mammary epithelial cells and breast carcinoma cells.

Kasia Marcinkiewicz

I was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. I received an M.S. degree from the Department of Pharmacy, Medical University in Warsaw, Poland in fall, 2003. I have work experience as an interpreter, a guide and as a pharmacist, but my true vocation is the lab work. I have been a graduate student in Dr. Gudas' lab since November 2007. I am studying the genes which in murine ES cells are regulated by the retinoid acid receptor beta. In my free time, I study early childhood development.

Mary Ng

I received a B.S. in Biochemistry/Spanish from SUNY Binghamton in 2005. I then joined the Gudas lab in Jan. 2006 as a research technician. My main project is "Studies of Digit Wound Repair and Regeneration in WT, Knockout, and Transgenic Mice" (a.k.a. DARPA Limb Regeneration Project). I was born and raised in NYC, more specifically the Bronx, and wouldn't call any other place home.

Dr. Kurt Reynertson

I received my PhD in Plant Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2006. I'm a phytochemist and botanist, with experience in the isolation, structural elucidation, and quantitative analysis of bioactive natural products from plants. My dissertation research focused on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cancer chemopreventive compounds from about a dozen tropical fruits in the plant family Myrtaceae. In Dr. Gudas' lab, I'm using genomic and molecular tools to examine several botanicals that have been used in traditional medicine for cancer and other diseases. Plants are complex biochemical reactors that create an amazing array of diverse skeletons and pharmacophores. As a result, most of the drugs used in cancer therapeutics are still derived from plant compounds.

Naira Rezende

I was born and raised in a lovely town in one of the most beautiful tropical countries in the world, namely Brazil. Somehow, great weather and Carnaval were not enough for me, and my vocation as a scientist got me to New York in the year 2000. I am mostly interested in stem cell biology, and I would particularly like to understand what defines the identity of an embryonic stem cell from an epigenetic point of view. When I am not in lab, I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. I cook often, and I am always entertaining at my home.

Megan Ricard

I grew up in Connecticut and received my BS in Chemistry from Fairfield University (Go Stags!). I joined the Gudas lab in January 2007 and I haven't looked back since. Our lab focuses on the pharmacology of retinoids, drugs used in cancer therapy and in dermatology.  In my spare time I enjoy working on fellowships and thinking about CYP26A1.

Research Technician I

Kymora Scotland
I am a student interested in the connection between undifferentiated cells and cancer. I work on Rex-1, a gene previously identified in this lab and found to be highly expressed in undifferentiated cells. Current projects involve localizing Rex-1 expressing cells in vivo as well as characterizing the effects of its overexpression in vitro.

Sebastian Shaffer

I am a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program here at Weill Cornell Medical College , and I joined the Gudas Lab in March 2007. I have always been interested in the major central nervous system (CNS) diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s, and my current research targets the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a prevalent developmental disorder that affects approximately 60 out of 10,000 children. ASD causes impaired social interactions and repetitive behaviors, and current research suggests that developmental defects of the CNS lead to ASD.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to study the mechanisms of ASD in the Gudas Lab. I hope my research will significantly improve our understanding of ASD and make progress towards improving the quality of life of those with autism.

Dr. Xiao-Han Tang
I obtained my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I have been working with Dr. Gudas since 2001. My work is on the role of RA in the prevention of carcinogenesis of the esophagus and oral cavity.

Dr. Eric Wang

I received my Ph.D. from SUNY downstate medical center. I joined Dr. Gudas' lab in 2007. My current projects are: 1)To characterize the effect of overexpression of HIF1a or HIF2a in the kidney cancer development; 2)Mammalian digit regeneration.

Dr. Yong Zhuang
I received my Ph.D. from SUNY Downstate. I have been with Dr. Gudas' lab since 2000. I recently won a fellowship from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Program. I live in Brooklyn, which is the first place I lived when I came to the US. My project is to identify and characterize RAR-beta (Retonoic acid receptor, beta subunit) downstream target genes. Since RAR-beta is often lost o r reduced in some tumors, finding its targets my help to understand why silencing RAR-beta leads to cancer.

Dr. Leiping Fu

I received my Ph.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I joined the laboratory of Dr. Lorraine Gudas in August 2007. My projects are: 1) To characterize the role of HIF1a and HIF2a in kidney cancer, using stabilized mutant HIF1a and/or HIF2a. 2) To study the role of fibroblast in tissue regeneration in MRL mice.