ÌÇÐÄVlog

Binh is a PhD student in the Pharmacology & Physiology program. She earned a BA in biological sciences from Mount Holyoke College and has over a decade of experience in biotechnology and drug development. Prior to joining Drexel, she held research positions at Massachusetts General Hospital, UMass Medical School, Charles River Discovery, Synlogic, Unum Therapeutics, Senda Biosciences and Ensoma, where she contributed to immunotherapy, gene therapy and nanoparticle-based drug delivery programs.

In the Romano Lab, Binh investigates biomimetic nanoparticle platforms for the targeted delivery of immunomodulatory nucleic acids. Her research aims to enhance anti-tumor immune responses and overcome resistance to targeted therapies in melanoma through innovative drug delivery strategies.

Dr. Pedro Urquiza is a postdoctoral researcher in the Romano Lab. He earned his PhD in molecular biology and biomedicine from CIC bioGUNE (Spain), where he focused on therapeutic development for rare diseases. His work has led to two international patents andfirst-author publications in Science Translational Medicine, and has contributed to the regulatory recognition of a repurposed therapy for congenital erythropoietic porphyria.

Before joining Drexel, Dr. Urquiza conducted research at Rutgers University and the University of Almería, applying high-throughput screening, metabolomics and systems biology to aging, neurodegeneration and colorectal cancer.

His current research focuses on understanding mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in melanoma, particularly in the context of HIV-associated immune dysfunction, with the goal of identifying novel combination therapies for patients with treatment-resistant disease.

Lynn Baker is a PhD student in the Pharmacology & Physiology program at ÌÇÐÄVlog. She earned a BS in neuroscience from Temple University and an MS in drug discovery and development from ÌÇÐÄVlog. Before beginning graduate studies, she worked as a senior scientist in biophysical research and development within the biotechnology industry.

In the Romano Lab, Lynn investigates how chronic HIV infection influences melanoma progression and metastasis. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, she studies how HIV-associated immune dysfunction and tissue remodeling alter the tumor microenvironment to promote metastatic dissemination and therapeutic resistance. Her work aims to uncover mechanisms driving metastatic disease in people living with HIV and identify new strategies to improve treatment outcomes.

Eli is a PhD student in the Pharmacology & Physiology program at ÌÇÐÄVlog. Before joining Drexel, he completed a postbaccalaureate research fellowship at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health.

At NCATS, Eli developed induced pluripotent stem cell models for rare genetic diseases and led a high-throughput drug discovery project that screened more than 18,000 compounds for HIV latency-reversing activity, resulting in a promising therapeutic candidate currently under patent evaluation.

In the Romano Lab, Eli aims to develop targeted therapeutic strategies for tumors associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), combining functional genomics and preclinical models to identify new treatment opportunities.

Indira is a BS/MS student in the Biological Sciences and Advanced Therapeutics dual degree program at ÌÇÐÄVlog. She joined the Romano Lab as an undergraduate research assistant to pursue her interests in cancer biology and translational oncology.

Her research focuses on melanoma and ovarian cancer, with an emphasis on targeted therapies, mechanisms of drug resistance, and tumor progression. Indira has developed expertise in immunohistochemistry, quantitative image analysis, and molecular biology techniques while supporting multiple projects within the laboratory. She plans to pursue graduate training and a career in biomedical research.

Olivia completed her PhD in the Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics program at ÌÇÐÄVlog in 2026. She earned her BS in biology from The College of New Jersey before joining the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, where she investigated the role of polyamines in the tumor microenvironment.

In the Romano Lab, Olivia investigated strategies to enhance the efficacy of MAPK-targeted therapies through rational immunotherapy combinations. Her doctoral research identified PSGL1 as a promising immunotherapeutic target that synergizes with BRAF/MEK inhibition to enhance T-cell-mediated anti-tumor responses in melanoma, providing a potential strategy to improve the durability of targeted therapy. She also contributed to studies examining therapeutic vulnerabilities associated with loss of the tumor suppressor NF1 in melanoma and ovarian cancer using both in vitro and in vivo models.

Lindsay completed her PhD in the Microbiology & Immunology program at ÌÇÐÄVlog in 2026. She earned her bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Penn State before joining the Romano Lab to investigate cancer immunology and therapeutic resistance.

During her doctoral research, Lindsay established preclinical models of HIV-associated melanoma and led studies defining the immune landscape of melanoma in people living with HIV. Her work demonstrated that patients with HIV experience inferior outcomes following immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and identified tumor-associated T-cell dysfunction and enrichment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as key features of the HIV-associated tumor microenvironment. These findings provide a mechanistic framework for developing immunotherapeutic strategies to improve cancer outcomes in people living with HIV.

Dr. Hyonok Yoon was a visiting professor in the Romano Lab from Gyeongsang National University, South Korea. She earned her MS in Pharmacology from Jeonbuk National University, a BA in Pharmacy from SungKyunKwan University, and a PharmD from Howard University.

During her time in the laboratory, Dr. Yoon investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying endoplasmic reticulum stress and cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer. She developed cellular and preclinical models aimed at identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets for platinum-resistant disease.

Pearl Diabene joined the Romano Lab in 2022 as a STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholar while pursuing her undergraduate degree in biological sciences at ÌÇÐÄVlog.

During her time in the laboratory, Pearl contributed to the development of molecular and reporter gene tools that supported multiple cancer research projects. Following the completion of the STAR program, she continued as an undergraduate research assistant, gaining experience in molecular biology, cell culture and translational oncology while supporting studies focused on mechanisms of cancer progression and therapeutic response.