I am an Assistant Research Scientist at UCSD in the Department of Surgery where I was recruited in 2019 to establish a laboratory focused on patient modeling and precision medicine for pancreatic cancer as well as other gastrointestinal malignancies. I am focused on translational research using state-of-the-art modeling of patients’ tumors. Specifically, I have developed patient-derived organoids and optimized therapeutic and diagnostic platforms amenable to this ex-vivo culture system. I developed conditions to establish organoids from hundreds of surgical samples as well as fine-needle aspirates and core biopsies, including normal tissue. I have managed collaborations with major clinical institutions. My laboratory is currently investigating the mechanism of poly-drug resistance.