Rau Lab
Dissecting the genomics and epigenetics of leukemia to uncover novel therapeutic approaches
The Rau Lab researches leukemias, which are blood malignancies caused by immature, aberrant cells that proliferate uncontrollably and defy regular cell death. Chemotherapy is frequently harmful and prone to relapse, even if it can cure some patients. Our goal is to identify the molecular and epigenetic processes that underlie the development of leukemia and resistance to treatment. We concentrate on how leukemia cells use epigenetic modifications — which control gene expression without altering DNA — to promote cancer. To improve patient outcomes, we want to uncover important epigenetic drivers and create treatments that rewire these harmful signals using patient samples, cell lines and animal models.
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Amber Alcorn
Research Scientist I
Amber is a recent graduate of the University of Washington, receiving a BS in microbiology. She specializes in in vitro drug treatment assays.
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Seyoung Cha
Research Scientist I
Seyoung attended the University of Minnesota and received a B.S. in Neuroscience. He then spent the next six years in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Nuclear Engineering Officer and was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan and Bremerton, WA. He and his spouse, Marina Howard-McGuire, have moved all over the country, and she is currently attending the University of Washington Medical School. They have two dogs, a German Short-haired Pointer named Aspen and a Shiba-Inu/Labrador Retriever named Nanami, that they enjoy hiking and camping with. Other interests of Seyoung’s include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, woodworking, and travel photography.
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Hyunji Park
Student Helper
Hyunji is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington.
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Farzane Sivandzade, PhD
Research Scientist III
Farzane has a background of cellular and molecular biology and specialized in in vivo modeling of hematologic malignancies. She primarily focuses on murine leukemia models and bone marrow transplantation systems to study gene mutations and evaluate novel epigenetic-based therapies.
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Tamara Thevarajah, DO, MS
Postdoctoral Researcher
Tamara is a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Seattle Children’s Hospital/ University of Washington/ Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Her prior research has explored the relationship between maternal antecedents of preterm birth and neonatal outcomes, particularly retinopathy of prematurity. Her current research focus is the characterization of the kinetics of central nervous system disease in B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
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Matthew Wither, PhD
Research Scientist III
Matt is a father of two girls and spends his free time in the gym or watching movies. A primary focus of his is advancing precision medicine approaches to treat pediatric leukemias. He uses genome editing and next-gen sequencing methods, and a range of computational tools to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in high-risk pediatric leukemias.