Our Team
Principal Investigator
Marianna Trakala, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Genetics
Dr. Trakala is a cancer biologist whose research focuses on the biological and immunological consequences of chromosome instability and aneuploidy in vivo. Her laboratory integrates mouse genetics, single-cell genomics and immunology to uncover how chromosomal imbalances drive tumor evolution and immune evasion. Before joining MD Anderson in 2024, she trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT and earned her Ph.D. from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO).
Postdoctoral Fellows
Sakuni Rankothgedera, Ph.D.
Sakuni investigates the immune recognition of aneuploid cells using single-cell RNA and DNA sequencing. Her work focuses on understanding the interplay between chromosomal instability, antigen presentation and tumor immunity in vivo.
Qian Qiao, Ph.D.
Qian applies advanced imaging and genomics approaches to dissect cellular responses to chromosome missegregation. Her research explores how aneuploidy affects proteostasis and immune signaling within the tumor microenvironment.
Research Assistants
Ashleigh Ogg
Ashleigh supports ongoing animal studies and molecular assays aimed at characterizing immune responses to chromosomally unstable tumors. She also manages genotyping, colony maintenance and core facility coordination for the lab¡¯s mouse models.