Current Lab Members
Jin Chen, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology
Director of NCI T32 Training Program
Co-Leader, CCB Program, VICC
Office: T3207D, MCN
Lab: T3112, T3116, MCN
Tel. 615-343-3819
Email: jin.chen@vumc.org
I am a Professor of Medicine and Cell & Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt Medical School. I grew up in Shanghai, went to Harvard for PhD degree, and did postdoctoral training at MIT and Vanderbilt. I love students, so I have been serving as a Director of Graduate Studies in Cancer Biology since 2006. I was also a faculty VUceptor to undergraduate students several years ago.
We moved to Nashville from Boston in 1992. I have a son who is an MD/PhD student at UCSF. He likes tennis and biking. My husband is also a Professor at Medical School and he likes to ski. As a family we love to read, hike, and travel around the world. I am also learning how to make pottery. We love Nashville and cherish the community here at Vanderbilt.
Deanna Edwards — Assistant Professor
Email: deanna.edwards@vumc.org
I received my PhD in Toxicology in 2012 from the University of Kentucky in the lab of Dr. David Orren, where I studied the role of the WRN helicase at telomere-related structures formed during normal terminal end protection and repair. I then joined Dr. Jin Chen’s laboratory to study how cancer signaling and metabolism modulate the tumor microenvironment, where we found that tumor cell glutamine metabolism depletes the tumor microenvironment rendering T cells less functional (JCI 2021, see figure). Since completing my postdoctoral training in 2019, I have joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. My current interests focus on the role of metabolic interplay with microenvironmental cells in regulating metastasis to multiple sites, including lung and bone. When not in the lab, I enjoy doing home renovation, antiquing, and spending time with my furbabies.
Yoonha Hwang — Lab Manager
Email: yoonha.hwang@vumc.org
I’m from Seoul, South Korea. I have been worked for 20 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for helping scientists or scientist candidates. My hobby is playing air guitar while listening music.
As a lab technician, I’m working to help people by molecular cloning, CRISPR genome editing and making buffer etc.
Xiaoyong Wang — Postdoc
Email: xiaoyong.wang@vumc.org
Xiaoyong was born and raised in Fuyang, China. After earned a BE degree in Bioengineering from Hefei University and a MS degree in Molecular Cell Biology from Shandong Normal University, he moved to Unite States to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Science at Tennessee State University. During this time, Xiaoyong worked on identifying and developing novel combination strategies to improve the treatment of breast cancers using multiple-targets agents. Xiaoyong joined in the Dr. Chen Lab in 2021. His current research projects are focused on understanding metabolic dependencies of breast cancer cells during metastasis and identifying potential targets using in vivo CRISPR screens in hope of developing novel therapies (immunotherapies or targeted therapies) to treat metastatic breast cancer. In his spare time, Xiaoyong plays soccer and loves hiking, diverse foods and explore beautiful nature around the world.
Verra Ngwa — Postdoc
Email: verra.m.ngwa@vanderbilt.edu
Verra recently defended her thesis from the Chen lab and is currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the lab. Verra’s current project involves investigating Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 (mTORC2) in regulating tumor immune microenvironment in lung squamous carcinoma model.
Verra’s previous research background was in tumor angiogenesis and glutamine metabolism in breast cancer. She was interested in understanding the role of vascular endothelial glutamine metabolism in tumor growth and metastasis, as well as how glutaminolysis affects tumor vasculature pericyte coverage, tumor perfusion, vascular leakiness, tumor hypoxia, and the response to therapy.
She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. in Chemical Sciences from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. After finishing her first year in IGP, she was selected for the Micro-environment Cancer Training Program (MICTP). At the end of her appointment in the MICTP, Verra was awarded the Ruth Kirschstein NRSA pre-doctoral fellowship. When not in the lab, Verra likes gardening, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Breelyn Karno — Graduate Student (Year 2)
Email: breelyn.a.karno@vanderbilt.edu
I am a second-year graduate student in the Chen lab in Vanderbilt’s Cancer Biology Graduate Program. I grew up in a small town in rural Wisconsin and did my undergraduate degree at Williams College in Massachusetts. Here at Vanderbilt I am starting a research project on glutamine metabolism in triple-negative breast cancer metastasis to the bone and trying to improve my skills in science communication.
When I’m not doing science, I love reading fantasy novels (the more dragons, the better), making funny cross-stitch art, and playing board games.