Members
Lab Members
Aaron D. Viny, MD MS
- Principal Investigator
Dr. Viny is an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physician and Surgeons. He is a board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist and laboratory-based physician-scientist focusing on the study of clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndrome, and acute myeloid leukemias. His research uses animal modeling and state-of-the-art 3-dimensional genomic techniques to uncover the genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of these diseases in order to find more precise and less toxic treatment modalities.
Dr. Viny received his medical degree at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College and fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Jane Jialu Xu, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Jane earned her BA in Biomedical Science at Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia. For her PhD training, she joined laboratory of Prof. Carl Walkley at St Vincent’s Institute, Melbourne, where she studied how mutation in splicing factor SRSF2 leads to myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Jane graduated in January 2021 and then joined the Viny lab to start her postdoctoral training. Her current research projects focus on understanding how cohesion mutations alter chromatin landscape of hematopoietic cells and promote leukemogenesis. When not in the lab, she enjoys outdoors, running and cooking.
Yi Chen, MD PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Yi Chen received his MD degree from Wenzhou Medical University, China in 2014 and received his PhD in 2022 from Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, in the laboratory of Dr. Felix Haglund. His graduate work applied multi-omics analyses to study the pathogenesis of sarcomas (synovial sarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, etc.) and proposed molecular subtyping and a clonal evolutionary model of synovial sarcoma. Yi joined Dr. Janne Lehtiö's group at SciLifeLab, Sweden in exchange during his PhD, and studied the Identification of candidates for therapy de-escalation in early HER2-positive breast cancer using high-resolution quantitative proteomics. Yi joined the Viny lab in 2022 to start his postdoctoral training. His current research project focuses on applying existing and novel bioinformatic analytic approaches to determine the role of chromatin structural changes in normal and malignant bone marrow function in the development and differentiation of cellular blood components, aimed to identify epigenetic biomarkers of therapeutic response in leukemia patients. When he is not in the lab, he enjoys working out at the gym, singing, socializing, and traveling the world.
Viviana Scoca, PhD
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- American-Italian Cancer Foundation Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Viviana obtained her BS in Biological Sciences and her master degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology at Sapienza, University of Rome before moving to Paris, France to join Dr Di Nunzio laboratory at Institut Pasteur, for her PhD studies. Viviana applied fluorescence microscopy techniques to track HIV-1 in the host nucleus and investigate about its interplay with nuclear factors during early steps of replication.
Viviana joined the Viny Lab in 2023 for her postdoctoral training where she aims to apply optical imaging techniques to identify genome epigenetic and architectural hallmarks linked to blood cell development and disease. Viviana’s goal is to contribute to innovative research and positively impact the academic environment. She also hopes to inspire younger generation to get involved in science. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and explore new places to spend time with friends.
Sebastian Fernando, MS
- Staff Associate I
Sebastian is a Staff Associate Scientist in Viny laboratory. Sebastian earned a Master’s in Biology applied in Biomedical Research at Universita’ degli studi Di Milano Unimi in 2017. He previously worked as a lab manager in the laboratory of Dr. Eldad Hod where he worked on the effect of lipids and other dietary factors on red blood cells lifespan and recovery in mouse models. He contributed to studies to assess the modification of mouse gut microbiome in iron deficiency and iron overload conditions, and the impact of iron overload during hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Notably, Sebastian designed and optimized protocols for COVID-19 Antibody detection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sebastian joined the Viny lab in November 2022 as a Staff Associate/ Automation specialist where he will develop high throughput epigenomic profiling capabilities, contributing to investigation of the role of chromatin structural changes in normal and malignant bone marrow function in the development and differentiation of cellular blood components. During his free time, Sebastian spends time with his family, reading books, traveling and improve his photography skills.
John Pantazi
- Research Technician
John graduated with honors from Hunter College in 2022. John joined the Viny Lab in October 2021 during his senior year and is now a full time technician involved in all aspects of animal work and molecular biology in the lab. In the coming years, John plans to apply to medical school in hopes of using his laboratory experience to positively influence and improve the lives of his future patients. Outside of the lab, John teaches organic chemistry to his students at Hunter College and loves to play volleyball, travel the world, and enjoy time with his friends and family.
Anabella Maria Galang
- Research Technican
Anabella received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences (Concentration in Genetics, Genomics Development) from Cornell University in 2023 after which she joined the Viny Lab in August 2023. She is excited to contribute to the numerous projects in the lab, develop technical skills, increase experience with data analysis and interpretation, and further hone her science communication skills. In the future, Anabella has career aspirations to become a physician scientist bridging the gap between bench and bedside to better serve patients. In the future she plans to further her interests in oncology by pursuing a dual-degree MD-PhD program. Outside of the lab, Anabella enjoys rock climbing, spoken-word poetry, running, and singing and she is deeply passionate about health equity and accessibility.
Varun Sudunagunta, BA
- Medical Student, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Varun earned a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. For two years, Varun worked under the guidance of Dr. Mortimer Poncz at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he studied how RUNX1 haploinsufficiency in patients with Familial Platelet Disorder with Predisposition to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (FPD/AML) leads to dysmegakaryopoiesis and thrombocytopenia. Varun graduated in May 2021, and then matriculated at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons for his M.D. degree. His current work focuses on understanding the role of Stag2 in induced-pluripotent stem cell reprogramming. Varun hopes to one day practice as a hematologist-oncologist with active roles in research, patient care, and teaching. In his free time, Varun enjoys watching ski races, trying new restaurants, and playing trivia.
Russell Kunes
- Graduate Student
Russell is a PhD student in the Department of Statistics at Columbia University. He is interested in probabilistic modeling and Bayesian inference, applied to cancer sequencing data. Previously, he has worked on spectral algorithms for network inference and variable selection methods for supervised topic models. He graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Statistics and Mathematics.
Daniel Lindhorst
- Graduate Student
Dan is a PhD student in the Department of Genetics and Development at Columbia University. He obtained his BS in Biochemistry from the University at Buffalo in 2022, where he studied discrepancies between regulatory sequences obtained from different enhancer identification techniques. Currently, Dan is interested in the effects of inflammation on chromatin dynamics and hematopoietic stem cell fate. In his free time, Dan enjoys reading and watching or playing sports with friends.
Geovanna Neira
- Administrative Assistant
Geovanna is an administrative assistant in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology. She first joined Columbia University Medical Center in 2017 as a patient service representative in the division of Hematology and Oncology. Geovanna decided to pivot her career from retail/hospitality into healthcare after her mother’s passing due to ovarian cancer. As a Washington Heights native, she is grateful to be part of an impactful medical team that serves her community. In her free time, Geovanna enjoys relaxing at the beach, trying new restaurants, and building Legos with her son.
