UMass Boston

Jill A. Macoska, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor of Science and Mathematics
Alton J. Brann Endowed Chair
Professor of Biology
Director, Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy

My career is characterized by scholarship and leadership. I have led peer-reviewed and NIH-funded research for >30 years focused on elucidating the molecular genetic alterations and dysfunctional inter- and intra- cellular signaling mechanisms that promote urinary tract (kidney, bladder, prostate) pathobiology. This work appears in >100 peer-reviewed publications, may in high impact journals. Notably, the Macoska laboratory established the concept of peri-urethral fibrosis as a pathobiology promoting male lower urinary dysfunction (LUTD), a finding that has since become a major driving force towards understanding and treating LUTD. I have mentored (or am currently mentoring) >50 Assistant Professors or Research Assistant Professors, or post-doctoral, pre-doctoral, or undergraduate trainees.

PhD, Chemistry/Biochemistry, City University of New York
MPhil, Chemistry/Biochemistry, City University of New York
BA, Physical Anthropology, Kent State University

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Phone: 617.287.5783
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Changmeng Cai, PhD
Professor of Biology

Dr. Cai has more than 20 years of experience in prostate cancer research, with a particular focus on androgen receptor signaling and epigenetic regulation. His laboratory investigates how androgen receptor signaling is reprogrammed during prostate cancer progression and how androgen receptor splice variants contribute to metastasis and resistance to therapy. His research also examines how epigenetic regulators, including LSD1, BRD4, and SETD7, control the activity of the pioneer transcription factors FOXA1 and FOXA2 and promote lineage plasticity in aggressive subtypes of prostate cancer. The long-term goal of his work is to translate these mechanistic discoveries into new therapeutic strategies for advanced treatment-resistant prostate cancer. His research has been continuously supported by the NIH/NCI and the Department of Defense, and he is committed to training the next generation of cancer researchers.

PhD, Molecular Biology, University of Toledo 
MS, Bioengineering, University of Toledo
BS, Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University, China

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Phone: 617.287.3537
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Office: Integrated Sciences Complex, 4th floor, room 4720

Jonathan Celli, PhD
Professor of Physics

The Celli laboratory develops technologies for cancer imaging and therapeutics that draw upon multidisciplinary approaches in biophysics and translational cancer research. Our ongoing work on clinical photodynamic therapy (PDT) of head and neck cancers has led to translation of technology for image-guided therapy from initial development to successful clinical validation. Ongoing basic science studies in the lab are aimed at elucidating biological and biophysical determinants of PDT efficacy and designing new photomedicine-based therapeutic strategies and combinations in a range of preclinical model systems of head and neck and other solid tumors. The group has made significant contributions to (and continues to build upon) the use of new bioengineered 3D tumor models with customized mechanical properties as a platform technology for therapeutic assessment and development.

Professor Celli is currently PI on an NCI-funded U01 project to develop optical technologies for oral cancer screening and treatment in global health settings, culminating in a large scale screen-to-treat campaign in India. Prior to joining the faculty at UMass Boston, Celli trained at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where he received an NCI K99/R00 career development award.

PhD, Boston University

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Shailja Pathania, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology

Dr. Shailja Pathania is an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a faculty member of Department of Biology and the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy. Her laboratory studies the mechanisms that drive the development and therapeutic vulnerabilities of hereditary breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer, with a particular focus on tumors associated with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Her research investigates how defects in DNA replication and repair create genomic instability and contribute to cancer initiation, progression, and treatment response. A major focus of the laboratory is understanding how replication stress and defective replication-fork protection alter DNA repair pathways and create vulnerabilities that can be exploited therapeutically. The Pathania laboratory also investigates how these early cellular stresses shape mutagenesis and inflammatory signaling in cells carrying inherited BRCA mutations, with the goal of identifying strategies to prevent or delay tumor development. By integrating mechanistic studies with patient-derived cells, organoids, and tumor models, her research seeks to translate fundamental discoveries in DNA damage biology into biomarkers and new approaches for cancer prevention and precision therapy.

PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
MS, Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai, India
BS, Chemistry, Miranda House, Delhi University, India

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Phone: 617.287.6398
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Kourosh Zarringhalam, PhD
Professor of Mathematics

Dr. Zarringhalam leads an interdisciplinary research program in biological data science and artificial intelligence, developing computational methods to derive mechanistic and translational insights from large-scale genomic, single-cell, spatial, and imaging datasets, with major applications in infectious diseases and cancer. A central focus of his laboratory is the study of apicomplexan parasites, particularly Toxoplasma gondii, as well as Plasmodium and Babesia species. His group develops and applies computational approaches to investigate gene regulation, cell-state dynamics, gene essentiality, and drug-target discovery. In cancer, the group uses integrative genomics, statistical modeling, machine learning, and image analysis to study tumor heterogeneity, treatment response, fibrosis, biomarkers, and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Across these areas, his laboratory integrates diverse biological datasets to uncover biological mechanisms and generate experimentally testable hypotheses. The group also develops reproducible and accessible computational tools that translate complex datasets into biological and therapeutic insights.

PhD, Mathematics, University of New Hampshire

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Phone: 617.287.7486
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