After growing up in Houston, Texas, I checked out the East Coast during my undergrad at Yale and medical school at Weill Cornell, before I went back to my Texan roots for pediatrics residency at Texas Children’s Hospital. I then moved to SF for my peds hem/onc fellowship and now as junior faculty at UCSF, I am loving life on the West Coast/Best Coast. I’m a physician-scientist and a pediatric oncologist, and I joined the Sweet-Cordero lab in 2020. My focus on immuno-oncology is strengthened by collaboration with faculty in UCSF’s ImmunoX, and my career goal is to lead a research group in studying pediatric sarcoma tumor immunology. My favorite activities include travel, hiking with my husband, and running in Golden Gate Park, as well as spending time with our two precious cats (Joey & Jessie).   

Originating from Lake Luzerne New York, Andrew received a Bachelor's in Biochemistry and a Master's in Chemistry at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester New York, and he received his PhD studying developmental biology in the Integrative Systems Biology program at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His work centers on the use of computational "multi-omics" approaches to describe the genome and its many regulatory systems, in particular the effects of three-dimensional organization on gene expression. Within the Sweet-Cordero lab, Andrew applies these techniques to study osteosarcoma, leveraging the team's extensive collection of patient-derived data to describe this complex cancer type in detail as he searches for patient-specific treatments for this disease.

Borja grew up in Pamplona, Spain. Borja studied Pharmacy at the University of Navarra and then obtained his PhD in Applied Medicine under the direction of Dr. Fernando Lecanda, PhD, and Dr. Martinez-Monge, MD PhD at CIMA University of Navarra. There he discovered that ENPP1 which is highly expressed in chromosomally unstable cancers (CIN high tumors) is associated with Loco-Regional failure event (local metastasis), immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance after radiotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). After his PhD, Borja was awarded with the best publication in Personalized Radiotherapy by Atrys Health and Professorial Board of UB, and the extraordinary doctoral award. He joined the Sweet-Cordero Lab as a postdoc in August 2023. Borja has been interested in how tumors co-opt with CIN to promote metastasis through evading immune surveillance. Now, his research focuses include investigating the potential synergy between DNA Damage Response (DDR) inhibitors and ENPP1 inhibition to boost antitumor-immune response in OS and unveiling mechanisms of resistance involved in local/distant recurrence in Ewing Sarcoma. His favorite activities include playing soccer with friends and hiking with his wife.

Marta grew up in Andalucia (South of Spain) and she received her PhD (2019) and BSc (2015) in Biomedical Research at the University of Navarra under the supervision of Dr. Gil-Bazo and Dr. Vicent. During her PhD, Marta focused on identifying novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of human lung adenocarcinoma driven by KRAS. Marta joined the Sweet-Cordero lab in February 2020 as a postdoc, where she is involved in both lung cancer and pediatric osteosarcoma research. In the field of lung cancer, she continues working in the context of KRAS mutations, investigating potential synthetic lethalities for this subgroup of patients. On the other hand, Marta is developing an innovative in vivo CRISPRi screen to better understand the process of metastasis in osteosarcoma models and identify potential therapeutic targets. Outside work, she enjoys reading, traveling, getting together with friends, and outdoorsy activities such as camping, hiking, and snowboarding. Her secret ambition is to visit as many national parks in the US as possible, which is around 60 wonderful places.

Aafrin grew up in India and the Middle East. After completing her Bachelor's and Master's in Biological Sciences from the University of Mumbai, India, she moved to Europe for her PhD at the Institut Curie in Paris.  During her PhD, she worked on topics revolving around therapy resistance and tumor vasculature in glioblastoma. Her continued interest in cancer therapy resistance led her to the Sweet-Cordero lab, where she joined as a postdoc in 2023. Currently, in the laboratory, she is working on a better understanding of the therapy resistance mechanisms in metastatic osteosarcoma disease using molecular lineage tracing tools. On a non-lab day, she enjoys exploring San Francisco, trying new cuisines, or heading to the beach for a walk.