Principal Investigator
Mirna Perez-Moreno, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Mirna Perez-Moreno was awarded her Ph.D. (1999) from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico, for her work in Lorenza Gonzalez-Mariscal’s lab. She conducted short postdocs at the Biomedical Research Institute, Madrid, in Amparo Cano’s lab, and at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, NY, in Barry Gumbiner’s lab. After completing a Department of Defense postdoctoral fellowship in Elaine Fuchs’ lab at The Rockefeller University, NY (2002-2008), Mirna started her independent laboratory in the Cancer Cell Biology Program, directed by Erwin Wagner, at the Spanish Cancer Research Centre CNIO, Madrid (2008-2017). Mirna is a tenured Associate Professor in the Section for Cell Biology and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen (Oct 2017-present). Email: mirna.pmoreno@bio.ku.dk
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Postdoctoral Fellows
Anna Cazzola, Ph.D.
Anna Cazzola obtained her BSc degree in Natural Sciences and Technologies and her MSc degree in Experimental and Applied Biology from the University of Pavia, Italy. In 2019 she graduated (Ph.D.) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Ruprecht-Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany, under the supervision of Prof. Alwin Krämer, and conducted a short postdoc at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Azzoni lab. Her work centered on various aspects of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including identifying aneuploidy-selective compounds in AML, evaluating the role of TP53 in the propagation of aneuploidy and chromosomal instability in AML, and the investigation of the cell of origin of childhood AML. In Perez-Moreno’s lab, her research focuses on studying the crosstalk between lymphatic vessels and the cancer stem cell niche in skin squamous cell carcinoma.
Ph.D. Students
Zhe Xie, MSc
Zhe Xie received her BSc from the Hunan Agricultural University, and her MSc in Medicine (2016) from the Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, China. Her work involves the identification of novel mutations driving tumorigenesis, and her studies are pursued at BGI-Shenzhen, China, and at the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen.
Jianhui Yue, MSc
Jianhui Yue received his BSc from Hainan University, and his MSc in Biomedical Engineering (2012) from the Sichuan University, China. His work focuses on the identification of specific tumor sequences required for immune recognition and targeting. His studies are pursued at the Institute of SuperCells, BGI-Shenzhen, China, and at the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen.
Master Students
Jingcheng Liu, BSc
Jingcheng Liu obtained his BSc in Chemistry from the Nanjing University (China) in 2020. He is working in our group as a part of his MSc in Biochemistry with a specialization in Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He is interested in understanding the intercellular signaling crosstalk between cancer stem cells and their microenvironment.
Niveditha Rajesh, BSc
Niveditha Rajesh received her BTech in Biotechnology from the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India. Now, she is completing her MSc in Biology with a specialization in Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. As she is interested in cancer immunology, her MS project focuses on the influence of pH in the interactions between tumor cells and tumor-associated macrophages, in collaboration with our group and Stine Falsig Pedersen’s group.
Dennis Hirsch Menne, BSc
Dennis Hirsch Menne received his BSc (2020) from the Program in Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen. He is interested in understanding how the complex interactions between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment support tumor maintenance.
Visiting Students
María Gestal Mato, Erasmus+ BS Student
María Gestal Mato is completing her BSc in Biotechnology at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid. She is interested in different fields like immunology, microbiology, and genetic engineering. As part of her bachelor’s degree, she is doing an internship in our group as an Erasmus student. Her research consists of establishing an in vitro model with human cancer stem cells and macrophages in order to check the molecular mechanism behind their crosstalk in squamous cell carcinoma. From this work, María will develop her final Bachelor´s Thesis.
Alicia Mateo Borrego, Erasmus+ MS Student
Alicia Mateo Borrego received her BSc in Biology from Universidad Autónoma in Madrid, Spain. Now she is completing her MSc in Medical Biology at Universidad Complutense, also in Madrid. She is interested in medical physiology, immunology, and cellular biology. As part of her master’s, she is doing an internship in our lab as an Erasmus Student. Her research is focused on establishing a tissue 3D model to investigate the crosstalk between human cancer stem cells and other cells in their microenvironment. From this work, she will develop her Master’s Thesis.
Lab Assistants
Mark Bergholt Cuadrado, BSc
Mark Bergholt Cuadrado works as a laboratory assistant in our group. He helps researchers organize different lab tasks, such as sample preparation, checking basic lab stocks, autoclaving, preparing solutions, waste removal, etc. He is currently pursuing his Master’s studies in Biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen.
Past Lab Members
Postdoctoral Fellows
Carolina Epifano, Ph.D. Juan de la Cierva Program, Postdoctoral Fellow. Current position. Senior Researcher. Laboratory of Dr. Ignacio Perez de Castro. Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain.
Donatello Castellana, Ph.D. Spanish Association Against Cancer Foundation (AECC) Postdoctoral Fellow. Current position. Head of Tech Transfer, Business Development and Innovation. CIC bioGUNE, Bilbao, Spain.
Sílvia Fontenete, Ph.D. Worldwide Cancer Research (2015-2018) and EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (2019-2021). Current position. MBA Pharma&Biotech in ESAME Pharmaceutical Business School, Madrid, Spain.
Ph.D. Students
Marta N. Shahbazi. Autonomous University of Madrid Ph.D. Program. CNIO-La Caixa Foundation International Fellowship. Current Position. Research Associate, Cambridge University, UK. Laboratory of Dr. Magdalena Zernica-Goetz. Starting from 01.02.2020 – Research Leader at The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), Cambridge, UK.
Ljiljana Dukanovic. Autonomous University of Madrid Ph.D. Program, Madrid, Spain. CNIO-La Caixa Foundation International Fellowship. MBA IE Business School, Madrid, Spain.
Daniel Peña-Jimenez. Autonomous University of Madrid Ph.D. Program, Madrid, Spain. Current position. Teacher. Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Madrid, Spain.
Master Students
Marta Casarrubios. Complutense University of Madrid MSc Program, Madrid, Spain. Current position. Ph.D. Student. Foundation for Biomedical Research, University Hospital Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain.
Susana Martin Suarez. University Francisco de Vitoria MSc Program, Madrid, Spain.
Johan Rolighed Christensen. MSc Biology Program, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current Position. Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sreyoshee Sengupta. MSc Biochemistry Program 2020. University of Copenhagen Denmark. Current position. Research Assistant at Det Nationale Forskningscenter, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Josephine Nistrup Lamm. MSc Biochemistry Program 2021. University of Copenhagen Denmark. Current position. MSc in Bioscience Entrepreneurship. University College London (UCL), UK.
Laura Mark Jensen. MSc Biology Program 2021. University of Copenhagen Denmark. Current position. Adjunktvikar. Københavns Professionshøjskole. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hannah Lundblad Kjærbo. MSc Biochemistry Program 2022. University of Copenhagen Denmark.
BSc Students
Ricardo Moreno Traspas. Autonomous University of Madrid BSc Program, Madrid, Spain. Current position. Ph.D. Student. Laboratory of Dr. Bruno Reversade. Institute of Medical Biology (IMB). Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
Adriana Martinez Silgado. Autonomous University of Madrid Ph.D. Program, Madrid, Spain. Current position. Ph.D. Student. Laboratory of Dr. Hans Clevers. The University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht), Netherlands.
Alberto Diaz Jimenez. University of Alcalá BSc Program, Madrid, Spain. Current Position. Ph.D. fellow. laboratory of Dr. Rocio Sotillo. DKFZ German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
Nikolaj Skogstad Andersen. Project outside the course scope. BSc Biology. University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. MBA Copenhagen Business School; and Consultant at HERAX, Gentofte, Denmark.
Laura Ryder Tønnesen. BSc Molecular Biomedicine. University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. Ph.D. Student, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sarah Kieler Saietz. BSc Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. Ph.D. student. Laboratory of Dr. Fredrik Lanner. Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Magnus Hauge. BSc Biology Program. University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. MS Student. University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Casper Lund. BSc Biology Program. University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. MSc Student. Program in Molecular Biomedicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Novo Nordisk Science Ambassador.
Kathrine Vaever Jokumsen. BSc Program in Molecular Biomedicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. MSc Student. MS Program in Molecular Biomedicine. University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Shi Min Lam. BSc Program in Biochemistry 2021. University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Current position. MSc Student. MS Program in Biochemistry. University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lab Managers
Francesca Antonucci. BSc University of La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. MSc (DEA) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Madrid. Current position. Product Manager at Izasa Scientific Spain & Portugal.
Luis Leiva Vega. BSc Universidad de Concepción, Chile. Current position. Graduate technician. Laboratory of Dr. Guadalupe Sabio. Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.
Technicians
Amanda Benet. Current position. Research Lab Technician, Madrid, Spain.
Beatriz Rabadan. Current position. BS Student. Universidad Complutense Madrid, Spain.
Maria Jarabo. Current position. BS Student. Alcala de Henares University, Madrid, Spain.
Esther Moreno Rodriguez. Current position. Hospital General de Ciudad Real, Spain.
Laboratory Assistants
Lihong Xu. Lab Assistant 2021. MS student, Biochemistry Program. University of Copenhagen. Current position. Ph.D. Student. Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen.
Visiting Students
Dimitra Gkouvelou. ERASMUS+ Program MSc student. Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Amata Amy Soriano. Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology Ph.D. Program. Lab. Dr. Mariastella Zannini. University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Julius Nowaczyk. ERASMUS+ Program MSc student 2021. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. University of Postdam, Germany.
Rachel Whitehead. Independent Research Project, DIS Copenhagen Abroad Program 2021. BS student, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
Perez-Moreno Lab 