Welcome
The overarching mission of the OHSU Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology is to advance the understanding of problems relevant to human health and disease. To accomplish this mission, research groups in the department have historically focused on questions regarding cell structure, organelles, life cycle, differentiation, and regulated communication between cells and extracellular signals and cues. An ultimate application of knowledge gained from these studies has been to understand important cell physiologic processes that effect human biology. These issues directly link to problems of interest to developmental biologists, including molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating tissue morphogenesis, tissue polarity and patterning. Read full welcome message here.
Featured stories and photos
The Center for Experimental Therapeutics (CET) organized the second annual Oregon Drug Discovery Symposium on April 8-9, 2026. Governor Tina Kotek and OHSU President Dr. Elnahal gave the opening remarks of this two-day conference that was attended by over 450 people.
Aaron Grossberg, Teresa Zimmers, and Liem Quang Le-Lau hosted a Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care Pancreatic Cancer Thrivership Community Conference on November 8 with speakers and presenters from the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, including Brittany Counts and Sara Ota of CDCB, and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network's Portland Affiliate. We hosted 45 family members, caregivers, and survivors for lectures, lunch, lab tours, and an interactive panel. It was wonderful to be in community with people facing this tough disease, particularly when Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month shines a light on the people, families, and caregivers affected.
Dr. Missy Wong has been appointment as the Knight Cancer Institute's associate director of basic science. She steps into this role formerly held by Dr. Lisa Coussens who was named a co-deputy director in the KCI. After conducting a national search for this position, the search committee selected Dr. Wong from a strong slate of internal and external candidates. Missy has been at OHSU and a member of the Knight Cancer Institute for over 20 years. She currently serves as vice chair for the Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology in the OHSU School of Medicine, and has served as co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program for three competitive renewals of the KCI P30 grant from the National Cancer Institute, with three different co-leaders. Missy’s accomplishments as a scientist are well-recognized, particularly her laboratory’s research on the physiologic impact of cell fusion hybrids between circulating bone marrow-derived and intestinal tumor epithelial cells in advancing tumorigenesis.
Her history of collaborative team science and mentoring are notable, and her commitment to Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) and DEI add to our confidence in her success in this next chapter of her scientific leadership. In this new role, she will collaborate with Dr. Coussens, as well as Dr. Eneida Nemecek, associate director of clinical research, and Dr. Shelley Tworoger, associate director of population science, to guide the development of innovative policies and programs to further discovery-based science across all four research programs.
2026 International Women's Day Symposium
Top row: Dr. Katie Blise, Dr. Brittany Counts, Dr. Jennifer Eng.
Bottom row: Margaret Haerr, Katherina Pelz, Dr. Divya Ravi.
The Lustgarten Foundation partnered with the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to hold its annual International Women's Day Symposium on March 10th, 2026 at OHSU's Knight Cancer Research Building. Co-chaired by Lisa M. Coussens, PhD and Lustgarten's Chief Medical Advisor Elizabeth Jaffee, MD, The Power of Persistence–Women Transforming Cancer Research and Care brought together incredible women leaders who are driving progress, breaking barriers, and shaping the future of pancreatic cancer research and patient care. View the full program.
From groundbreaking science to powerful personal journeys, their stories remind us that persistence fuels progress—and change is possible because of it.
Watch the full symposium recording and be inspired by the voices leading the way.
CDCB News
Recent accolades and funding
Taitea Dykstra, MD/PhD student in the Moran lab, gave a talk during OHSU Research Week titled "Androgen receptor signaling informs sex-biased immune programs in Multiple Sclerosis."
Dr. Sud Anand received a 2026 Stott Women's Cancer Research grant for his project "Giving cancer the flu.”
Shyam Ravidath, high school intern with the Anand lab, won a Fourth Award prize at the Regeneron ISEF International Science Fair.
Dr. Alex Nechiporuk with colleagues Drs. Sushant Puri and Zheng Xia were awarded a Kuni Foundation Imagination grant.
Dr. Julia Maxson was a speaker for the recent Knight School event "Blood Cancer Then & Now: 25 Years of Innovation" together with Dr. Brian Druker and AJ Kitt. The recording will be posted on the Knight School website.
Jackie McVay, NGP student in the Nechiporuk lab, received a 7% on her F31 NRSA application.
Alyssa Granados, graduate student in the Burger lab, was 1 of 5 OHSU ARCS scholars who were celebrated at a recent private event honoring the outstanding scholars.
Three CDCB faculty have been featured across OHSU news this past month:
- Dr. Teresa Zimmers in OHSU News, "Teresa Zimmers to co-chair international conference on sarcopenia, cachexia and wasting disorders"
- Dr. Joshua Moreau, in OHSU Stories, "Immunologist’s lab demonstrates the power of B cells to gather, defend organs against cancer".
- Dr. Molly Thomas in OHSU Stories "OHSU physician-scientist leads innovative research on GI toxicities from cancer treatment".
Dr. Sanjay Malhotra received an R01 grant from NCI for his project titled "Targeting YB-1 to overcome chemoresistance in ovarian cancer." Congratulations!
Recent publications
The Moran lab in collaboration with Christy Hagan, PhD and Amanda Heard, BS from the University of Kansas, have had their manuscript accepted, titled "Sex Steroid Hormone Regulation of T cell Function and Anti-Tumor Immunity" at Clinical Cancer Research.
The Grossberg lab in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency has published "Nutritional management practices and perspectives of radiation oncologists: outcomes of an international atomic energy agency survey" in Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology.
Dr. Jevon Cutler has had a co-corresponding author manuscript accepted entitled “CRISPR base editor screening identifies spectrum of MEN1 mutations impacting menin inhibitors in clinical trials” in Nature Communications.
The Agarwal lab with co-author Dr. Sokchea Khou, and OHSU collaborators Drs. Evan Lind and Haijiao Zhang, have published "Targeting TLK2 with antisense oligonucleotides as a new strategy in acute myeloid leukemia" in Frontiers in Oncology.
The Maxson lab, in collaboration with the Braun lab, has published "MYST acetyltransferases interact with SETBP1 and are a targetable therapeutic vulnerability in SETBP1-mutant leukemia" in Blood Cancer Discovery.
Dr. Kate Byrne is senior author on a newly published paper titled "Agonistic anti-CD40 antibody treatment converts resident regulatory T cells into activated type 1 effectors within the tumor microenvironment" in Immunity. Congratulations!
View all CDCB news and recognitions.
CDCB Travel Guide
Submit your upcoming travel to the department chair for approval: CDCB Travel Approval Form
Approval is required before booking travel charged to institutional funds, including: startup, foundation, and internal grants. Without approval, travelers will be responsible for all travel costs and ineligible for reimbursement.
Timeline to submit travel approval requests:
- Domestic: At least 45 days in advance
- International: At least 120 days in advance
Separate submissions should be filed for each leg of combined trips when attending consecutive events.
Please allow up to 3 weeks for processing travel fund requests. If you have any questions about a request you've submitted, please message Parker Mattson.
Important travel resources:
- Basic Sciences Travel Policy
- Basic Sciences Travel Best Practices
- Before Booking Travel Guidelines
- International Travel Guide
- File Off Campus Authorization for international travel at least 90 days in advance
- Recruitment Candidate Travel Guidelines
Knight Cancer Institute Trainee Travel Grants
Travel awards are available for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows conducting cancer-focused research with Knight-affiliated faculty. Up to $1500 in funding will be awarded to selected trainees who will present their research at a national meeting but may not have sufficient funds available.
Graduate student travel awards are supported by a generous gift from the Frohnmayer Hicks Sciarretta Cancer Research Scholars Program. Postdoctoral travel awards are supported by the Knight Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Office.
The 2026 deadline for applications are:
- January 15, 2026
- April 15, 2026
- July 15, 2026
- October 15, 2026
For more information, visit the Knight Cancer Institute Trainee Travel Grants SharePoint Site or email us at KnightEDU@ohsu.edu
CDCB labs recruiting
Careers with an emphasis on preclinical and translational science
CDCB welcomes
CDCB is pleased to welcome Jevon Cutler, Ph.D., who will have a secondary appointment in CDCB along with his primary appointment in Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Working in the disease setting of leukemia, Cr. Cutler's lab aims to better understand therapeutic strategies and drug resistance involving epigenetic-modifying small molecules. Through these efforts we strive to both improve upon these strategies and understand the mechanisms of chromatin-bound protein complex regulation that drive disease. Welcome, Dr. Cutler!
CDCB is excited to welcome Angelina Vaseva, Ph.D. who has joined OHSU as an Assistant Professor with a primary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics and a joint appointment with us in the Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology. Dr. Vaseva's research program will focus on targeting oncogenic RAS in pediatric cancers. Welcome, Dr. Vaseva!