Celebrating 50 years of discovery

Jeanne Wilson-Rawls

Associate Professor

Welcome to the Molecular and Cellular 50th Anniversary

Molecular and Cellular Biology Interdisciplinary Graduate program. Research in the Wilson-Rawls lab is focused on understanding the regulation of cell fate during development and regeneration with an emphasis on skeletal muscle stem cells and gametogenesis. Her research group and collaborators, both at ASU and externally, are applying cellular, molecular, and genomic approaches to understanding these processes.            

Douglas Lake

Named Professor, School of Life Sciences

Welcome to the Molecular and Cellular 50th Anniversary

Douglas Lake is a tumor immunologist who has been at ASU since 2006. Previously, he was at the University of Arizona Cancer Center where he studied anti-tumor T cells and tumor-associated peptides as immunotherapy targets. Currently, he is investigating an enzyme called QSOX1 that is over-expressed in multiple tumor types. Lake was the first to show that this enzyme is important in tumor cell growth, invasion and metastasis. His laboratory is developing chemical and biological inhibitors of QSOX1 with strong therapeutic potential.

Milan Radovich

Caris Life Sciences

Accelerating advancements in cancer precision medicine

Dr. Milan Radovich joined Caris Life Sciences in September 2021 and currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, he leads Caris’ efforts in data-driven scientific advancements in genomic medicine, liquid biopsy, translational research, clinical trials, target discovery and drug development. He also works closely with our numerous academic and biopharma collaborators on joint research in precision medicine.

Before joining Caris, Dr. Radovich was an associate professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Vice President for Oncology Genomics at Indiana University Health. At IU, he led a clinical program dedicated to the integration of cutting-edge genomics for the care of advanced cancer patients. His research expertise focused on the use of genomics in translational oncology with a focus on clinical trials, genomically-informed drug combinations, liquid biopsy & MRD, and creating novel bioinformatic pipelines for cancer genome analyses. His work has been published in many high-impact journals and presented at international oncology meetings.

Austin Blackmon

PhD Candidate, MCB

Lessons from an Enzyme: Sometimes One Way Isn't the Only Way

Austin Blackmon is a PhD candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Arizona State University. His research focuses on the enzyme QSOX1, exploring its interactions with substrates to better understand its role in tumor biology. He utilizes biochemical techniques and mass spectrometry to reveal novel interactions and expand the understanding of how QSOX1 folds proteins. Austin is also passionate about advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, mentoring the next generation of researchers, and giving back to the community through education and empowerment. 

Jake Klemm

PhD Student, MCB

Regeneration Following Tissue Necrosis is Mediated by Non-apoptotic Caspase Activity    

Jake Klemm is an elder Ph.D. student whose research has been centered around studying cell death and tissue regeneration using fruit flies as a study model. After 6ish years of dissecting flies Jake will soon be leaving the southwest for a postdoc position in North Carolina, where he will continue to dissect flies in an attempt to understand tRNA biology. When he is not in the lab, Jake equally enjoys getting outside for a hike or bike ride or staying inside and cooking, watching movies, or otherwise being a complete couch potato.

Emma Murari

PhD Student, MCB

A comprehensive analysis of 3'UTRs in C. elegant

Emma Murari is currently in her fifth year as a Molecular and Cellular Biology PhD student. In 2020, she joined the Mangone lab at ASU to research 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs), which are important regions at the ends of genes that have a significant role in the regulation of gene expression. Improper 3′UTR formation can lead to dysregulation of gene expression, which contributes to various diseases such as cancer. Through her work on identifying and characterizing 3′UTRs in the model organism C. elegans, Emma has improved the scientific community's understanding of how these regions are processed. After she graduates, Emma would like to continue to fulfill her passion for research and teaching by pursuing a career as a research professor.

Michael Hicks, PhD

Assistant Professor, Physiology & Biophysics, School of Medicine, UC Irvine

Muscling Towards Cell Therapy

Dr. Hicks started his lab in 2020 as an Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of California Irvine. Dr. Hicks has worked continuously in muscle research labs since 2007, beginning as an undergraduate in skeletal muscle development with Dr. Jeanne Wilson Rawls. He performed graduate work with Dr. Paul Standley at the University of Arizona, Phoenix where he studied how mechano-sensing affects muscle regeneration. Dr. Hicks’ postdoctoral training with Dr. April Pyle at UCLA expanded into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, gene editing, and human pluripotent stem cells. During this time, Dr. Hicks has published 19 research articles, a teaching publication with ASU-GPSE, and 3 review papers. His work has been highly cited including by news outlets such the Los Angeles Times and editorials written on this work by leaders in the field have included Dr. Chuck Murray (in Cell Stem Cell) and Dr. Helen Blau (in Nature Cell Biology). Dr. Hicks’ has received numerous fellowships including career development awards from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a NIH K award. Dr. Hicks' current funding includes a NIAMS-R01, NIA-R21, and an UC Cancer research award. His research applies emerging technologies like spatial RNA seq and transgenic systems to address outstanding questions in muscle biology where he seeks to apply his findings towards stem cell therapeutics for muscle wasting disorders. 

Bert Jacobs

Professor, School of Life Sciences

50 years of MCB

Bertram Jacobs is a professor of virology with the School of Life Sciences. He is also a member of Biodesign Institute's Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, where his research is focused on developing a vaccine for HIV — one that prevents infection or extends the lives of HIV patients. Jacobs also leads a group of students every summer to sub-Saharan Africa to teach AIDS prevention to the international community. Jacobs is one of the world’s foremost experts on a poxvirus called vaccinia, a cousin of the smallpox virus. He has genetically engineered vaccinia as a vehicle against a number of infectious agents, bioterrorism threats, cancer, and other viruses, including HIV.