Who We Are
The Gunderson Lab is led by internationally recognized cancer research specialist and Principal Investigator Andrew J. Gunderson, PhD, and comprises a highly collaborative team of experts.
This is the only research team in Ohio who studies why B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures are important to tumors, an emergent field both nationally and internationally. They are motivated by discoveries that will induce innovative strategies to help cancer patients, all while truly enjoying their work without compromising their values.
The research team works tirelessly to make basic discoveries that were previously unknown to medicine and to authenticate them by correlates in patient tissue, which can then be translated to clinical trial testing. These ideas encompass novel therapeutics, biomarkers to stratify patients and a mechanistic understanding of how tumor immunity functions in cancer patients.
Additionally, their research naturally promotes bench-to-bedside collaborations, which facilitates translating their discoveries into new medicine. By importing clinical concepts into preclinical modeling and experimentation, their ideas have the highest chance to reproduce success in patients. These ideas are interdisciplinary in various forms in biomedical, clinical and data science.
Principal Investigator:
Andrew J. Gunderson, PhD
Lab Manager:
Olivia Harder, MS
Graduate Student, BSGP program
Elijah Kirschstein
Graduate student, I2GP program
Madison Sikorski
Undergraduate Researcher
Morgan Mack
ASPIRE Medical Research Program Scholar - 2024
Alumni
Shrijan Khanal, PhD
Collaboration with Other Ohio State Labs and Research Teams
The Gunderson Lab regularly collaborates with the OSUCCC – James Translational Therapeutics Program, where nationally and internationally recognized cancer researchers translate advances in tumor biology and promising preclinical studies into innovative clinical trials designed to improve treatment of pancreatic tumors.
Additionally, the lab collaborates with various staff members at the OSUCCC – James, from other research teams to cancer specialists and subspecialists who share unique perspectives and novel techniques, and who offer new approaches to understanding and analyzing tumor cells. Collaborative researchers include:
- Nandini Acharya, PhD
- William Carson, MD
- Wei Chen, MD, PhD
- Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, PhD
- Priya Dedhia, MD, Phd
- Mary Dillhoff, MD
- Wendy Frankel, MD
- Zihai Li, MD, PhD
- Thomas Mace, PhD
- Qin Ma, PhD
- Ken Oestreich, PhD
- Mark Rubinstein, PhD
- Andreas Wieland, PhD
When recruiting scientists for the Gunderson Lab or looking to partner with other researchers, the team looks for those who are honest; clear communicators with a strong work ethic; a positive attitude; trustworthy; have resolve, determination and consistent follow-through; and who demonstrate excellent problem-identifying and problem-solving skills.
For more information on the Gunderson Lab team, collaborations, opportunities and lab-specific inquiries, please contact Dr. Gunderson at andrew.gunderson@osumc.edu.