Team
We have a truly interdisciplinary team that allows us to carry out studies ranging from exploring basic epigenetic mechanisms of carcinogenesis to the development of next-generation microfluidic epigenetic diagnostic platforms. Here are the members and faculty affiliated with the Epidiagnostics Group at JHU.
Faculty
Thomas R. Pisanic II, PhD
INBT Associate Research Professor with Oncology - Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics
Break Through Cancer Scientist
Thomas Pisanic is an Associate Research Professor at the Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology and BTC Scientist for the Break Through Cancer foundation. His research focuses on the development of molecular analysis methods that leverage advanced microfluidic technologies, as well as bespoke bioinformatic tools to elucidate the epigenetics of carcinogenesis and to translate this knowledge into new approaches for cancer diagnostics.
Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Shaffer 200D, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Tza-Huei (Jeff) Wang, PhD
Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering
Tza-Huei (Jeff) Wang is a professor in mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on the development of innovative micro- and nano-biotechnologies for molecular analysis and biomedical research. His vision is a healthier and more equitable world that is realized through new molecular analysis and diagnostic technologies that not only have unprecedented performances in sensitivity, specificity, speed, multiplexity, and temporal and spatial resolution, but are also affordable and accessible to the public.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shaffer 200A, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Hariharan P. Easwaran, PhD, MSc
Associate Professor of Oncology - Cancer Biology
Hari Easwaran, PhD, MSc is an Associate Research Professor of Oncology whose research explores the relationships and interactions between genetics and epigenetics, aging and cancer.
Cancer Research Building 1, Suite 544, 1650 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21205
Leslie M. Cope, PhD
Associate Professor of Oncology - Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Leslie Cope, Ph.D., is a biostatistician and bioinformatician with expertise in the design and analysis of high-throughput genomic data.He co-directs the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center's Experimental and Computational Genomics Core and is a member of the Epigenetics Genome Characterization program within the NIH-funded project, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), where he leads DNA methylation data analysis. His research focuses on methods for identifying and validating biomarkers, including tools for integrating multiple sources of data.
Suite 1131, 550 N. Broadway Baltimore, MD 21205
Senior Scientists
Bradley Downs, PhD
Senior Research Specialist at INBT (PI: Pisanic)
I am a researcher working in the Epidiagnostics Group. My research interests include the investigation of DNA methylation alterations in tumors and the development of innovative technologies for liquid biopsies.
Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Shaffer 200E, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218
Ludmila Danilova, PhD
Principal Data Scientist - Division of Quantitative Sciences
Ludmila Danilova, PhD, is a Principal Data Scientist at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. She has extensive experience in analyzing and integrating multi-omics data in cancer, such as DNA methylation, gene expression, copy number variation, mutations, immunosequencing, single cell sequencing and spatial data. She was a core member of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and contributed to several TCGA disease-site projects. She is also a member of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy and develops tools to study the tumor microenvironment and immune response to cancer immunotherapy.
Suite 1103E, 550 N. Broadway Baltimore, MD 21205
Postdoctoral Researchers
Christine O'Keefe, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher in Biomedical Engineering (PI: Tza-Huei Wang)
Christine O'Keefe is a postdoctoral researcher in biomedical engineering developing microfluidic devices that use DNA to diagnose illness.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clark 122, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore , MD 21218
Graduate Students
Vicky Cui
Doctoral Student in Biomedical Engineering (PI: Tza-Huei Wang)
I am a PhD student from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clark 122, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore , MD 21218
Yang Zhao, MS
Doctoral Student in Biomedical Engineering (PI: Tza-Huei Wang)
My research focuses on developing multiplexed digital bioassays for assessing DNA methylation biomarkers from liquid biopsies for cancer diagnostic applications.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clark 122, 3400 N Charles St, Baltimore , MD 21218