March 2025
Kuscha Tabatabai successfully defends his Master's Thesis!
Huge congratulations to Kuscha on defending an incredible Master’s thesis! 🎉 We are so proud of this amazing milestone and all the hard work that led to it. Your dedication and passion shine through, and we can’t wait to see all the incredible things you will accomplish as you embark on your PhD journey in our lab. The best is yet to come! 🚀👏
February 2025
Joana Marques and Gustavo Cruzeiro have been appointed to Instructors at Harvard Medical School!
Joana Marques and Gustavo Cruzeiro have been appointed as Instructors at Harvard Medical School — a significant milestone in their academic careers! This appointment reflects their outstanding contributions to research and education in their fields. Becoming an Instructor at HMS is a testament to their dedication, expertise, and the impact of their work in advancing science and medicine.
We are incredibly proud of Joana and Gustavo for achieving this well-deserved recognition, and we look forward to seeing their continued success and contributions to the scientific community! 🎉
October 2024
Welcome to our new research technicians, Matthew Mullally and Elsa Couvillon!
Warmest welcome to our new research technicians, Matt and Elsa!
Matt earned his degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and gained valuable experience as a senior research associate at Abcam. Elsa recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.
We’re excited to have them on board and look forward to their contributions to the team!
Costanza awarded the Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society of Neuroscience!
Warmest congratulations to Costanza, who was awarded the Trainee Professional Development Award (TPDA) from the Society of Neuroscience! The TPDA recognizes postdoctoral scholars who demonstrate scientific merit and excellence in neuroscience research.
September 2024
Joana Marques wins best oral presentation award at the DFCI Postdoc Retreat!
Biggest congratulations to Joana, who was awarded the best oral presentation abstract award at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Postdoc and Graduate Student Association (PGSA) Annual Retreat - we are incredibly proud you!
Paper Published in Cancer Cell
🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨 Our work dissecting the single-cell transcriptomic and spatial architectures of diffuse hemispheric gliomas, H3G34R/V-mutant is now published in Cancer Cell! Our work demonstrates that DHG-H3G34 follow a hierarchy along the interneuron lineage development continuum and identifies actional targetable dependencies in these tumors.
Filbin Lab Retreat at Cape Cod
The Filbin Lab enjoyed an incredible retreat at Cape Cod, filled with inspiring discussions about our future goals, creative projects, and exciting brainstorming sessions. Beyond the science, we shared great company and lasting memories. Energized and inspired, we're excited to bring fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm back to the lab!
July 2024
Gustavo Cruzeiro awarded the Alex's Lemonade Stand FoundationYoung Investigator Grant!
Biggest congratulations to Gustavo, who was awarded the Young Investigator Award from the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation! This invaluable and prestigious award will support Gustavo's efforts to unravel the neuroscience of H3G34 diffuse hemispheric gliomas over the next couple of years.
April 2024
Congratulations to Dr. Jeong!!!
Huge congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Daeun Jeong on successfully defending her thesis! We are all beyond proud of you and can't wait to see the incredible impact you'll make in your brilliant future!
March 2024
Gustavo Cruzeiro wins best abstract award at the Cancer Neuroscience Symposium in Houston!
Biggest congratulations to Gustavo, who was awarded the best central nervous system cancer neuroscience abstract award at the Cancer Neuroscience Symposium hosted by MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas!
Welcome to Kevin, Kuscha and Lisa!
Welcome to our newest lab members - Kevin Lu, Kuscha Tabatatai and Lisa Mayr!
Kevin joins us as a postdoc and will be co-mentored by the Filbin and Majzner labs. He is a pediatric oncology resident from Germany who did his MD thesis at the German Cancer Research Center focused on tumor immunology in brain tumors. Kuscha is a visiting graduate student, and he is currently a second-year Biomedical Sciences Master's student from Utrecht University with a background in cancer and stem cell biology. Lisa Mayr joins us as a visiting postdoc and is a pediatric neuro-oncologist who comes from the Medical University of Vienna.
Feburary 2024
Costanza Lo Cascio awarded the Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship!
Biggest congratulations to Costanza, who was awarded the prestigious Damon Runyon-St. Jude Cancer Research Fellowship Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation! The new Damon Runyon–St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research fellowships support innovative projects in basic or translational research that have potential to significantly improve the diagnosis or treatment of one or more pediatric cancers.
December 2023
Happy Holidays!
The Filbin lab celebrated the Holiday season in style! 🎄⛄️
We are grateful for another incredible year filled with amazing accomplishments and impactful science - we are all looking forward to the year ahead! Happy holidays!
November 2023
Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting
The Filbin lab was well-represented at the SNO Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada!
Mariella was invited to give a Keynote lecture on pediatric brain tumor biology, while Sina Neyazi gave an oral presentation on her work on PDGFRA inhibitors in high grade gliomas.
October 2023
Halloween fun!
The Filbin lab gets spooky for Halloween! 🎃👻
Reviving a classic fairytale...
Welcome to Laurie Delatour!
We are excited to welcome Laurie Delatour MD PhD, a senior resident in the Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics who will complete a research rotation in the lab for 3 months!
Costanza and Ernesto run the Chicago Marathon!
Costanza and Ernesto ran the Chicago Marathon with the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research! Congratulations to both for this fantastic achievement!
September 2023
Congratulations to Ilon Liu for winning the EANO Youngster Award!
Biggest congratulations to Filbin lab alumna Ilon for this amazing recognition at the European Society for Neuro-Oncology (EANO) annual meeting in Rotterdam!
Welcome to Lumeng!
The Filbin lab welcomes a new postdoctoral fellow, Lumeng (Jade) Jia!
Lumeng completed her PhD at Peking University in China, where she developed methods to study chromatin 3D organization.
Lab Retreat in Woods Hole
The Filbin lab spent a beautiful sunny day together in Woods Hole - filled with laughter, memories and lots of good food!
August 2023
Sara Danielli awarded the Postdoc Mobility Fellowship
Congratulations to Sara for being awarded the Postdoc Mobility Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation!
Gustavo A.V. Cruzeiro awarded the DF/HCC T32 Training Grant in Cancer Neuroscience
Congratulations to Gustavo for being selected as a trainee in this new NIH-funded T32 training program!
Matilde Pittarello presents at the Harvard-Armenise Foundation Annual Symposium
Congratulations to Matilde for delivering a fantastic presentation on her summer research project at Harvard Medical School. We are all so proud of you and will miss you so much!
Mid-Summer Lab BBQ!
We all gathered together to enjoy a delicious summer barbeque - Brazilian style!
July 2023
Filbin lab turns 5!
We celebrated our 5abfulous birthday with cake! Congratulations to Mariella and all the lab members, past and present, for this important milestone!
Welcome to summer research interns Ernesto Luna Melendez and Matilde Pittarello!
Ernesto and Matilde are two incredibily talented medical students who are joining our lab for 2 months for their summer research internships. Ernesto is a rising second year medical student at Rush Medical College in Chicago and his internship is sponsored by the Kenneth F. Swaiman Medical Student Scholarship from the Child Neurology Foundation. Matilde is a fourth year medical student at Humanitas University in Milan, Italy, and her internship is sponsored by the Harvard-Armenise Foundation fellowship program. We are so excited to see the all amazing thing you will learn and accomplish in the lab!!
June 2023
Pediatric SNO Conference in Washington D.C.
The entire Filbin lab attended the SNO 7th Bieannial Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Conference which was held in Washington D.C.! Mariella served as the conference scientific co-chair, and the Filbin lab was well-represented with 5 oral and 3 poster presentations! The conference was a success - we all returned feeling inspired and motivated to keep working hard at the bench to help children battling devastating brain tumors.
Welcome to Sophia Castellani!
Welcome to Sophia, who will be joining the lab as a research technician! Sophia recently graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience.
Welcome to Stephen Frederico!
Welcome to Stephen, a visiting medical student from the University of Pittsburgh! Stephen will spend two years in the lab and will pursue a Master's in Clinical Investigation from Harvard Medical School. Stephen is the recipient of the Medical Scholar Research Fellowship (MSRF) from the Physician-Scientist Support Foundation.
Welcome to Jacob Haase!
Welcome to Jacob, who joins the lab as a postdoctoral fellow! Prior to joining the lab, Jacob studied the biology of thyroid cancers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Goodbye to Jacob Rozowsky
After an amazing year working in the lab as a research techinican, Jacob will be leaving us to start his MD PhD degree at New York University Grossman School of Medicine! Best of luck, Jacob - we will miss you!!
May 2023
Welcome to Costanza Lo Cascio!
Welcome to Costanza, who joins our lab as a postdoctoral fellow! Costanza recently completed her PhD at the Barrow Neurological Insitute in Phoenix, Arizona, where she studied epigenetic dysregulation in adult brain tumors.
Joana attends the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation Research Workshop
As a fellow sponsored by the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, Joana was invited to attend the foundation's annual research workshop at the University of Michigan in Ann Harbor. All fellows were invited to participate in a day of plenary talks, presentations and workshops on immune therapy, cancer neuroscience, metabolism and clinical correlates.
April 2023
Welcome to Sara Danielli!
Welcome to Sara Danielli, who joins the lab as a postdoctoral fellow! Sara recently completed her PhD at the University Children's Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland, where she used single-cell transcriptomics to unravel the heterogeneity of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Lab Spring BBQ
The lab came together on a chilly Sunday to organize a Brazilian-style BBQ to celebrate Easter, each other's company, and the arrival of the newest members of the Filbin lab, Sara and Costanza!
March 2023
Goodbye to Jenna LaBelle
After two productive years in the lab, our bioinformatic analyst Jenna will be moving on and starting a new exciting position at Tscan Therapeutics. We will miss her dearly and we wish her the very best as she embarks in her new role!
Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Cancer Neuroscience Retreat
The Filbin lab attended the inaugural Cancer Neuroscience Retreat organized by the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and co-chaired by Dr. Mariella Filbin and Dr. Humsa Venkatesh. The retreat was packed with lots of fascinating science, clinical applications and engaging discussions within the larger Harvard cancer research community!
December 2022
Lab Holiday Celebration
The Filbin lab and alumni gathered together to celebrate the holiday season and the end of an incredibly successful year!
Happy holidays from the Filbin lab! ⛄️🎄
Paper Published in Nature Genetics
🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨 Our work dissecting the single-cell transcriptomic, epigenomic and spatial architectures of H3-K27M diffuse midline gliomas is now published in Nature Genetics! Our work delineates how age and anatomical location shape glioma cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic features in light of the shared driver mutation. Congratulations to all authors and collaborators!
To read a News & Views commentary on our work by Dr. Li, please click here.
Joana awarded the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Postdoctoral Fellowship
Congratulations to Joana, who was selected as the recipient of the 2023 ChadTough Fellowship Grant! With this 3-year fellowship, Joana will investigate therapeutic avenues to target the aberrant epigenome of diffuse midline gliomas.
Alicia awarded the Max Kade Fellowship
Congratulations to Alicia, who was awarded a postdoctoral exchange research fellowship from the Max Kade Foundation!
November 2022
2022 Society for Neuro-Oncology Annual Meeting and Education Day
This year Mariella was one of the scientific chairs of the SNO Annual Meeting Education Day in Tampa Bay, Florida!
Filbin lab alumna Ilon Liu was invited to give an oral presentation of her work on the spatiotemporal organization of diffuse midline gliomas.
Welcome to Katharina Bruckner!
The Filbin lab welcomes Katharina, a visiting PhD student from the Medical University of Vienna who will spend 2 months in the lab to learn new techniques and contribute to ongoing research projects!
Welcome to Alicia!
The lab welcomes Alicia as a new postdoctoral fellow! Alicia is a resident in pediatric neuro-oncology at the Medical University of Vienna and will spend several years in the lab during her clinical training to complete a research fellowship.
October 2022
Review Published in Neuro-Oncology
🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨 In this review article published in Neuro-Oncology, we provide an overview of current single-cell techniques and discuss relevant biology and therapeutic insights uncovered by their application to primary brain tumors in children and adults.
Spooky Halloween!
The Filbin lab dressed up as a UMAP plot!
Scary RNA velocity - messy data, but we will figure it out!
Happy Halloween from the Filbin lab! 👻🎃
Welcome to Ella Perault!
Welcome to Ella, a first-year student in the Harvard PhD Program in Neuroscience who will be completing a rotation in our lab! Prior to moving to Boston, Ella completed a post-bac at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, where she studied the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance in adult brain tumors.
September 2022
Annual Filbin Lab BBQ
We all gathered together on a chilly end-of summer day for our favorite annual tradition - the Filbin lab family BBQ! We had a great time eating lots of tasty food, plenty of laughter and amazing company.
Goodbye, Sebastian!
After spending 6 months in the lab as a visting scientist, Sebastian Eder will return to the St. Anna's Children Cancer Research Institute in Vienna to complete his residency in Pediatrics. We will miss you and look forward for you to visit the lab again soon!
Filbin Lab Goes Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
In solidarity of Childhood Cancer Awareness month in September, the Filbin lab went gold to raise awareness and showcase our committment to ending pediatric brain tumors through creative and impactful research. 🎗️
Paper Published in Cancer Discovery
🚨 New Paper Alert! 🚨 Our work describing how glioma stem cells in H3K27M-mutated tumors are dependent on core components of the mammalian BAF (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex is now published in Cancer Discovery! Congratualtions to all authors and collaborators!
To read a commentary on our work by Drs. Beytagh and Weiss, please click here.