View Profile

View CV

Received 2nd Place for 2023 Best Quick-Pitch Competition on her summer research as a STAR Scholar.

• Selected for short talk at 2022 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded 2022 Dean’s Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine

• Received First Place for Outstanding Graduate Student Poster presentation at the 2022 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded NIH NCI Pre-Doctoral Minority Supplemental Fellowship (6/22-5/25)
• Awarded Third Place for Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine

• Selected for Drexel University Undergraduate Excellence Quick Pitch Competition

Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, Lab of Dr. Fernanda Herrera, Lausanne University, Ludwig Cancer Center, Lausanne, Switzerland

• Received the 2022-2023 Jane Clifford, PhD, Award for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Biochemistry, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Selected for short talk at the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting Minisymposium on Metabolic Pathways in Cancer
• Received the 2022 Research Excellence for Original & Creative Work Award, DUCOM
• Received the 2022 Graduate College Research Excellence Award for Most Original & Creative Work, Drexel University
• Selected for short talk at 2020 Drexel University Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference to present her thesis research.
• Received a 2020 Biomedical Sciences Graduate Student Association Travel Award from Drexel University.
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2020, Drexel University College of Medicine.
• Received the 2019-2020 Dean’s Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research, Drexel University College of Medicine, for her work titled “Targeting CDK5/ACSS2 Axis Using Novel Glioblastoma Ex Vivo Model.”
• Was chosen for a short talk at the September 2019 Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment & Metastasis Conference in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, to present part of her thesis research "O-GlcNAc Transferase Regulates Glioblastoma Acetate Metabolism via Regulation of CDK5-dependent ACSS2 phosphorylation.”
• Received third prize for Best Senior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Drexel's 2018 Discovery Day. Lorela’s poster was entitled “The essential role of O-GlcNAc transferase in intestinal homeostasis.”

Current position: Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Thesis title: O-GlcNAcylation: Linking Metabolic Reprogramming to Cancer Cell Survival, Invasion and Metastasis

• Awarded NIH NCI Pre-doctoral Minority Supplemental Fellowship (8/12-7/15, $65,000)
• Received first prize, Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Keystone Symposia-NIGMS Ancillary Training Program travel scholarship to present her research at 2013 Keystone Symposia on Tumor Metabolism, Keystone, Colorado
• Received travel award and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2013 Cancer Biology & Therapeutics meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received NIH-National Cancer Institute NRSA (F31) Predoctoral Fellowship Award: 10/13-09/15 ($125,079)
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2013: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received travel award and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2014 Mechanisms & Models of Cancer meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received Bondi Fellowship Award for excellence in research at Discovery Day 2014, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Keystone Symposia-NIGMS Ancillary Training Program travel scholarship and chosen for short talk platform presentation at 2015 Keystone Symposia on Biology of Sirtuins, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Awarded AACR Scholar-in-Training Award to attend and present her work at 2015 AACR Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Received the 2016 Amedeo Bondi, PhD, Endowed Graduate Award for excellence in research performance during the training experience. This is the highest recognition given to PhD students in Biomedical Graduate Studies Programs

Current position: Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Department of Cancer & Cellular Biolgy, Fels Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Thesis title: The Role of Hypoxia in Mediating Resistance to Breast Cancer Therapy

• Received third prize, Outstanding Senior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Selected for short talk platform presentation at 2013 Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research in National Harbor, Maryland
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award to present his research at 2014 AACR Annual Meeting, San Diego, California
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award ($2,000) for thesis project
• Received second prize, Best Graduate Student Poster, 2014 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Consortium, Thomas Jefferson University
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2014, Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Research Network Manager for BC MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network, The University of British Columbia

Thesis title: The role of O-GlcNAc transferase and O-GlcNAcylation in regulation of breast cancer stemness and tumor initiation

• Awarded DUCOM GSA Student Travel Award to present her research at 2016 Keystone Symposium: Stem Cells and Cancer, Breckenridge, Colorado
• Selected Oral Presentation, Emerging Graduate Scholars Conference, Drexel University, April 2017
• Was chosen for a short talk at the October 2017 Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment & Metastasis Conference in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, to present her thesis research "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."
• Chosen for a short talk at the September 2018 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Educational Retreat to present her thesis research, "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."
• Received first prize for Best Poster at the Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center Breast Cancer Symposium in November 2018. Neha’s poster was entitled "O-GlcNAc transferase regulates breast cancer tumor-initiating cells."

Thesis title: Role of O-GlcNAc transferase in glioblastoma growth and acetate metabolism and in tissue homeostasis

• Received 2nd Prize, Best Platform Presentation Speaker, Discovery Day 2017: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Dean's Graduate Student Travel Award and chosen for short talk platform presentation to present his research at 2016 Keystone Symposium: New Frontiers in Understanding Tumor Metabolism in Banff, Alberta, Canada
• Awarded DUCOM PhD Biomedical Sciences GSA Fellowship Award ($2,000) for thesis project
• Awarded International Travel Award from the Office of Global Engagement and Education Abroad at Drexel University to present his research at 2017 Keystone Symposium, Tumor Metabolism: Mechanisms and Targets, in Whistler, Canada
• Awarded 2017 Dean's Fellowship for Excellence in Collaborative or Themed Research ($3,000), Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Rathmell, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee

Current position: Field Applications Scientist, BioTek Instruments Inc.

Thesis title: Regulation of O-GlcNAc Transferase in breast cancer and its role in regulating lipid metabolism

• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2015, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received NIH-National Cancer Institute NRSA (F31) Predoctoral Fellowship Award: 7/15-06/17 ($123,830)
• Awarded Dean's Graduate Student Travel Award to present her research at 2015 Biology of Cancer meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
• Received third prize, Best Graduate Student Poster, 2014 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Consortium, Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded Drexel University College of Medicine Graduate Student Student Travel Award to present her research at 2013 Keystone Symposia on Tumor Metabolism, Keystone, Colorado
• Received first prize, Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2012, Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Postdoctoral fellowship, laboratory of Dr. Denise Connolly, associate professor, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Current position: Manager, Field Applications Scientists, BioTek Instruments Inc.

Thesis title: Mechanisms Regulating Breast Cancer Invasion in Response to Ionizing Radiation

Co-mentor: Jane Clifford, PhD

• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2011, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Awarded Graduate Student Travel Award to present work at 2012 AACR Annual Meeting, Chicago

Postdoctoral position: National Cancer Institute postdoctoral fellow, laboratory of Jayne Stommel, PhD, Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland

Current position: Field application scientist, BioTek Instruments Inc.

Thesis title: Role of O-GlcNAc Transferase in Cancer Cell Metastasis and Metabolism

• Selected Platform Presentation Speaker, Discovery Day 2010, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Chosen for platform presentation at 2011 The Biology of Cancer: Microenvironment, Metastasis & Therapeutics at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
• Awarded Keystone Symposia Future of Science Fund travel scholarship to present his research at 2012 Keystone Symposia on Cancer and Metabolism, Banff, Canada

Postdoctoral fellowship: NJ Commission on Cancer Research postdoctoral fellowship, laboratory of Dr. Estela Jacinto, associate professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Current position: QS scientist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Thesis title: Hypoxia/HIF-1 regulation of mammary morphogenesis and oncogenesis

• Received third Prize, Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster, Discovery Day 2007, Drexel University College of Medicine
• Selected platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2009, Drexel University College of Medicine

Postdoctoral fellowship: NIH-NRSA postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, associate professor, and Dr. Anil Rustgi, chief and professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania.

Current position:Assistant professor (tenure-track), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Fels Institute of Cancer Research and Molecular Biology, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Thesis title: Functional role of integrinα5 in ErbB2-mediated oncogenesis of human mammary epithelial cells

• Received Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship Award: 1/08-12/09 ($64,800)
• Received honorable mention, platform presentation speaker, Discovery Day 2005, Drexel University College of Medicine

Postdoctoral fellowship: UNCF/Merck, laboratory of Dr. Edmund Lattime, deputy director and professor, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/UMDNJ

Current position: Senior scientist, Oncobiologics Inc.

Thesis title: Regulation of NuRD complex proteins by O-GlcNAc transferase in breast cancer cells

Current position: Research Associate, Cell Line Development at Sana Biotechnology, Inc., San Francisco, Calif.

Thesis title: The role of KLF8 in breast cancer stem cells

Current position: PhD candidate, MCBG Program, DUCOM

Thesis title: Understanding the role of the OGT/CDK5/ACSS2 signaling axis on breast cancer brain metastatic growth

• Received First Place for Outstanding Graduate Student Poster presentation at the 2022 Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Trainee Retreat, at Thomas Jefferson University
• Awarded NIH NCI Pre-Doctoral Minority Supplemental Fellowship (6/22-5/25)
• Awarded Third Place for Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Received 2021 Excellence in Research Thesis Master’s Award, DUCOM
• Received the 2021 Jane Clifford, PhD, Best Master’s Thesis Award DUCOM
• Awarded Third Place for Outstanding Junior Graduate Student Poster presentation at Discovery Day 2020: Drexel University College of Medicine

Current position: Senior Associate Scientist, Cancer Biology, Bristol Myers Squibb, San Francisco, Calif.

Thesis title: Exploring Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5 (CDK5) as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Glioblastoma

Thesis title: Role of ACSS2-Ser267 phosphorylation in glioblastoma cells

Current position: PhD Candidate, Molecular & Cellular Biology Program, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Thesis title: Targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 5 in glioblastoma

Current position: PhD Candidate, Program in Biology, City College of New York, New York

Current position: Associate Scientist, Molecular Biology Division, GlaxoSmithKline, Upper Providence, Pennsylvania

Current position: Contract Position, Vaccines R&D Center, GlaxoSmithKline, Rockville, Maryland

Thesis title: Using cancer genomic databases to identify glycosyltransferases involved in cancer.

Current position: Research Technician, Laboratory of Dr. Laurence Eisenlohr, Professor, Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thesis title: Role of spastin in regulating glioblastoma cell survival

Current position: PhD Candidate, Program in Molecular Medicine & Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts

Thesis title: Regulation of ACSS2 by O-GlcNAc transferase in glioblastoma cells

Thesis title: Reducing O-GlcNAcylation Sensitizes Breast Cancer Cells to Lapatanib

Current position: Research scientist, preclinical/clinical vaccines, Molecular Biology Department, GlaxoSmithKline, Rockville, Maryland

Thesis title: O-GlcNAc Transferase Expression is Regulated by mTOR and Myc pathways in cancer cells

Current position: Associate scientist, vaccine development, Merck & Co., West Point, Pennsylvania

Thesis title: Understanding O-GlcNAc transferase regulation of SIRT1 in breast cancer cells

Current position: PhD Candidate, Biomedical Sciences Program, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Thesis title: Identifying oncogene-induced protein interactions with O-GlcNAc transferase

Current position: Research scientist, laboratory of Dr. Christine Eischen, professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania