Current Members

Principal Investigator

Diane M. Simeone, MD

Director, Moores Cancer Center

Chugai Pharmaceutical Chair in Cancer

Professor of Surgery

Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology

I lead a premier clinical team of experts who seek to provide compassionate, state-of-the-art care for patients who have pancreatic tumors and individuals at higher risk for the disease. I also lead clinical trials and study the molecular processes in pancreatic cancer development, working toward identifying ways to detect cancer early and creating new therapies to improve survival.

I strive to bring what we learn in the lab directly to the bedside to help manage all types of cancer. The past decades have seen several advances in cancer biology and genomics, and I believe that we have a tremendous opportunity—and an obligation—to channel this progress to impact patients.

I have published more than 200 studies in leading peer-reviewed journals and have been a NIH-funded investigator since 1998. I have served as the chair of the scientific and medical advisory board of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and a member of the scientific advisory board for Let’s Win (Sharing Science Solutions for Pancreatic Cancer). I have previously served as the president of the Society of University Surgeons and the American Pancreatic Association. I am a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Cancer Institute’s Pancreatic Cancer Task Force. I am currently serving as the principal investigator and lead of Precision Promise (now IMPACT PDAC of GCAR), an exciting new national clinical trials consortium focused on next-generation clinical trials for people who have pancreatic cancer. I also am the international PI of the PRECEDE Consortium, a world-wide effort to make advances in the early detection and prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Read Dr. Simeone's UCSD Bio

Team Members

Our basic science team generates and utilizes different cancer models, including genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM), patient derived xenografts, primary tumor organoids and patient-derived cell lines to study pancreatic cancer genetics, development and chemoresistance. Check out our projects

Our clinical research team focuses on increasing survival for patients with pancreatic cancer through early detection in high risk populations and advancing new therapies for treating the disease.

Lidong Wang, PhD

Associate Director, Pancreatic Cancer Program

Ph.D. Peking Normal University

Lidong leads the pancreatic cancer research program under Dr. Simeone, overseeing projects and mentoring graduate students, research associates, and postdoctoral fellows. His team studies the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer and conducts preclinical testing of novel therapeutics using specialized mouse models to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into effective treatments.

Jessica Everett, MS, CGC
Genetic counselor & Senior Director of Research Strategy

M.S. Medical Genetics, University of Cincinnati.

Jessica has more than 20 years of clinical and research experience in cancer genetics and oversees our clinical research operations. She is also a licensed and board certified genetic counselor in the UCSD Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection and Prevention Clinic and serves on the Executive Committee of the PRECEDE Consortium.

Qi Su, PhD

Senior Scientist and Lab Manager

Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, Chemistry

Qi studies molecular mechanisms in cancer and coordinates lab research activities. He was trained as a chemical biologist with expertise in protein engineering, biosensors, imaging, and cancer biology. He loves cats!

Samuel Newton

Research Coordinator / Staff Research Associate

BS in Biology, Oregon State University

Sam conducted research and managed preclinical trials on cancer cachexia. He coordinates clinical research in the Simeone lab. Sam enjoy mountain biking, skiing, and backpacking in his free time!

Sungsik Kim, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Ph.D. Seoul National University, Bioengineering

Sung is our bioinformatic expert. He specializes in spatially resolved sequencing and neoantigen discovery for personalized cancer vaccines

Nandita Rangu

Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator

William Chan

STEPP-ON-UP postbacc intern

BS, UCSD, Molecular and Cell Biology

William is a STEPP-ON-UP postbacc intern currently dual-trained at UCSD Moores Cancer Center and CTO. He is investigating the synthetic lethality between BRCA2 and POLQ

Yu Okada

Lab Technician

BS, UC Davis, Animal Science

Yuyu is mainly in charge of our mouse colonies and also helps with tissue culture and bio-sample processing. She loves to travel and experience different cultures. She has two adorable cats that are treasures in her life and are chosen as mascots of our lab!

Andre Qin

Undergrad researcher

Andre is a 3rd year molecular and cellular biology major pursuing the BS/MS program at UCSD. He has a research interest in cancer signaling with a focus on Myc. In his free time, he enjoys practicing and playing with orchestral groups.

Mark Zarate

Undergrad researcher

Mark is a 4th year undergraduate at UCSD pursuing a degree in General Biology. He is interested in cancer signaling and novel therapeutics. His hobbies include cycling, cooking, and traveling.

Lab Mascots

We love our animal friends!