Lab News
CONGRATS, Brayden!!
8/26: We are thrilled to receive a new grant from the CREATE Pilot /UCSD SDSU Cancer Partnership with Dr. Shizhen Emily Wang at UCSD!
7/26: A belated welcome to our two new undergraduate students, Parker Harris (CREATE) and Harris Azhand (SURP)!
6/9/2026: Congrats to Nancy Leon-Rivera on advancing to candidacy today!!!
5/22/2026: Congrats to Brayden Chin, M.S. on her new position with Genovo!
5/7/2026: Congrats to Jeffrey Farrow on passing his M.S. thesis defense today!!!!
5/1/2026: We are excited to have been selected for the SDSU Established RSCA (Research/Scholarly Activity) Award!
3/16/2026: Congrats to Brayden Chin, our newest (and first!) M.S. to defend her thesis! We are SO proud of your hard work and well-done defense! ♡
4/2026: Congrats to Nancy on presenting our work at AACR in San Diego!
3/7/2026: Shoutout to Bianca for being the SDSU panelist for the College & Career Panel at the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering at Petco Park this year! See her featured in this CBS8 News article!
7/26: A belated welcome to our two new undergraduate students, Parker Harris (CREATE) and Harris Azhand (SURP)!
6/9/2026: Congrats to Nancy Leon-Rivera on advancing to candidacy today!!!
5/22/2026: Congrats to Brayden Chin, M.S. on her new position with Genovo!
5/7/2026: Congrats to Jeffrey Farrow on passing his M.S. thesis defense today!!!!
5/1/2026: We are excited to have been selected for the SDSU Established RSCA (Research/Scholarly Activity) Award!
3/16/2026: Congrats to Brayden Chin, our newest (and first!) M.S. to defend her thesis! We are SO proud of your hard work and well-done defense! ♡
4/2026: Congrats to Nancy on presenting our work at AACR in San Diego!
3/7/2026: Shoutout to Bianca for being the SDSU panelist for the College & Career Panel at the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering at Petco Park this year! See her featured in this CBS8 News article!
Bianca and Nancy at the 2026 SDSU Student Symposium!
2/27/2026: Congrats to Bianca and Nancy for presenting oral presentations in the Cancer Convergence session at the 2026 SDSU Student Symposium (S3)! (see pictures at left.)
2/19/2026: Thank you to the Language Academy for having us table at their STEAM Night! It was tons of fun, and Nancy and our undergrads enjoyed participating in this outreach program! (see pictures at right.)
The undergrads and Nancy at the Language Academy's STEAM Night!
1/29/2026: Hooray for our new paper, "Endothelial Cell Autophagy Suppresses Metastasis In Mouse Mammary and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Models" that is available on BioRxiv! Stay tuned to see it in a journal near you!
1/2026: Happy New Year! Karli, formerly of our lab, is starting a position at Kyowa Kirin North America as a Bio Innovation Hub Intern. Congrats!
12/2025: Some of our lab gathered to enjoy our Second Annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Gathering (see image at left)! Congrats to Nancy for winning our chocolate passport prize!
1/29/2026: Hooray for our new paper, "Endothelial Cell Autophagy Suppresses Metastasis In Mouse Mammary and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Models" that is available on BioRxiv! Stay tuned to see it in a journal near you!
1/2026: Happy New Year! Karli, formerly of our lab, is starting a position at Kyowa Kirin North America as a Bio Innovation Hub Intern. Congrats!
12/2025: Some of our lab gathered to enjoy our Second Annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Gathering (see image at left)! Congrats to Nancy for winning our chocolate passport prize!
Our 2nd Annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Competition! Congrats Nancy!
12/2025: Welcome to our new rotation student, Alpher!
11/29/2025: Read about us in the new Daily Aztec article, "SDSU breast cancer researchers share developments in light of fundraising walk," here!
11/22/2025: Congrats to Bianca for winning a Presentation Award for the Cancer Biology category at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS) in San Antonio, Texas!
10/2025: Congrats Nancy on an AWIS (Association for Women in Science) Honorable Mention for an award! Also congrats to Ryan for receiving the Prebys Biomedical Research Endowed Scholarship!
The crew for the 2025 Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk!
10/2025: Some folks from our lab, the Haricharan lab, and the CREATE/ACCEL/UCSD partnership community joined for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event (see image at right)!
10/2025: Congrats to Brayden on her M.S. proposal and advancing to candidacy!
10/2025: It is breast cancer awareness month! Remind women in your life that are 40+ to check if they are due for a mammogram!
9/2025: Dr. Monkkonen is excited to join the Moore's Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Core Community Scientist—VOICES—program!
9/2025: Welcome to the lab, our new M.S. student, Anthony Mendoza, and our new Undergraduate, Savannah Azzi!
10/2025: Some folks from our lab, the Haricharan lab, and the CREATE/ACCEL/UCSD partnership community joined for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event (see image at right)!
10/2025: Congrats to Brayden on her M.S. proposal and advancing to candidacy!
10/2025: It is breast cancer awareness month! Remind women in your life that are 40+ to check if they are due for a mammogram!
9/2025: Dr. Monkkonen is excited to join the Moore's Cancer Center Community Outreach and Engagement Core Community Scientist—VOICES—program!
9/2025: Welcome to the lab, our new M.S. student, Anthony Mendoza, and our new Undergraduate, Savannah Azzi!
Karli, Bianca, and Nancy presenting their posters at S3!
7/9/2025: Congrats to Nancy for receiving an Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) San Diego Chapter Scholarship! What a prestigious award!
6/2025: Congrats to Teresa for speaking at the Gordon Conference on Mammary Gland Biology in Newry, ME!
6/2025: Welcome to the lab to our new JDP student, Ryan!
6/2025: Congratulations to Bianca for being awarded the 2025-2026 CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement! She is now a CSU Chancellor Emeritus Charles B. and Catherine Reed Scholar!
5/2025: Welcome to our new undergraduate, Blake Bays!
4/7/2025: Congrats to Jeffrey for successfully completing his M.S. proposal and advancing to candidacy!
2/28/2025: Congratulations to Nancy, Karli, and Bianca for presenting at the S3 student symposium (see pictures at left)!
2/2025: Welcome to our new JDP rotation student, Courtney!
2/2025: We are delighted to be the recipients of a collaborative grant from the California Thirdhand Smoke Consortium Pilot Award!
6/2025: Congrats to Teresa for speaking at the Gordon Conference on Mammary Gland Biology in Newry, ME!
6/2025: Welcome to the lab to our new JDP student, Ryan!
6/2025: Congratulations to Bianca for being awarded the 2025-2026 CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement! She is now a CSU Chancellor Emeritus Charles B. and Catherine Reed Scholar!
5/2025: Welcome to our new undergraduate, Blake Bays!
4/7/2025: Congrats to Jeffrey for successfully completing his M.S. proposal and advancing to candidacy!
2/28/2025: Congratulations to Nancy, Karli, and Bianca for presenting at the S3 student symposium (see pictures at left)!
2/2025: Welcome to our new JDP rotation student, Courtney!
2/2025: We are delighted to be the recipients of a collaborative grant from the California Thirdhand Smoke Consortium Pilot Award!
Congrats Karli, for winning the first annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Party!
1/2025: Welcome our new undergrad, Aysha Walker, to the lab!
12/13/2024: Happy Holidays! Here are the results from our first annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Party (see photo, right)!
12/2024: Welcome Ryan Bench to our lab! Ryan is a rotation student in the JDP program.
10/2024: Congratulations to Nancy for winning First Place Poster at the SALUD (Symposium and Luncheon Underscoring Diversity) event at Scripps Research Institute!
12/13/2024: Happy Holidays! Here are the results from our first annual Holiday Cookie Decorating Party (see photo, right)!
12/2024: Welcome Ryan Bench to our lab! Ryan is a rotation student in the JDP program.
10/2024: Congratulations to Nancy for winning First Place Poster at the SALUD (Symposium and Luncheon Underscoring Diversity) event at Scripps Research Institute!
The 2024 American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event
10/2024: Some members of Monkkonen and House labs at the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Event (see photo, left)
9/2024: A belated welcome to the lab to our new master's student, Brayden Chin!
6/2024: Congrats Bianca, on acceptance to the SDSU MARC program!
5/2024: Welcome new undergraduates, Bianca + Karli! They will work on a pilot project in developmental biology.
9/2024: A belated welcome to the lab to our new master's student, Brayden Chin!
6/2024: Congrats Bianca, on acceptance to the SDSU MARC program!
5/2024: Welcome new undergraduates, Bianca + Karli! They will work on a pilot project in developmental biology.
AACR Conference in San Diego!
5/2024: The lab welcomes a new microscope in tissue culture!
5/2024: Welcome to the lab, Nancy! We are excited that Nancy has decided to continue in the lab after her rotation.
4/2024: The lab receives funding for a Moore's Cancer Center Pilot Grant through the Cancer Biology and Signaling program!
4/9/2024: Jeffrey, Teresa, Megan, and Nancy at AACR Conference in San Diego. (see photo, right)
3/11/2024: Our article on SC RNA sequencing of fibroblasts is live! Check it out here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2024.1304853/full
2/2024: Jeffrey + Teresa's review article, written with Omar Lujano Olazaba in the House lab, is accepted for publication in Frontiers in Genetics! Title: Fibroblast Heterogeneity and Functions: Insights from Single-Cell Sequencing in Wound Healing, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer and Melanoma
2/2024: Rotation students Megan and Nancy are joining the lab next week!
2/2024: Dr. Monkkonen speaks at UCSD Moore's Cancer Center Office of Translational Science Spark-a-Thon
1/2024: Welcome to the lab, undergraduate Amelia!
1/2024: Undergraduate Nate accepted into the SDSU/ UCSD CREATE Scholars program
12/2023: Dr. Monkkonen has an article out in Nature Cancer on starting her lab in 2023. Link
12/2023: The lab receives SDSU Seed Grant Funding for a project in mammary gland biology for 2024!
5/2024: Welcome to the lab, Nancy! We are excited that Nancy has decided to continue in the lab after her rotation.
4/2024: The lab receives funding for a Moore's Cancer Center Pilot Grant through the Cancer Biology and Signaling program!
4/9/2024: Jeffrey, Teresa, Megan, and Nancy at AACR Conference in San Diego. (see photo, right)
3/11/2024: Our article on SC RNA sequencing of fibroblasts is live! Check it out here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2024.1304853/full
2/2024: Jeffrey + Teresa's review article, written with Omar Lujano Olazaba in the House lab, is accepted for publication in Frontiers in Genetics! Title: Fibroblast Heterogeneity and Functions: Insights from Single-Cell Sequencing in Wound Healing, Breast Cancer, Ovarian Cancer and Melanoma
2/2024: Rotation students Megan and Nancy are joining the lab next week!
2/2024: Dr. Monkkonen speaks at UCSD Moore's Cancer Center Office of Translational Science Spark-a-Thon
1/2024: Welcome to the lab, undergraduate Amelia!
1/2024: Undergraduate Nate accepted into the SDSU/ UCSD CREATE Scholars program
12/2023: Dr. Monkkonen has an article out in Nature Cancer on starting her lab in 2023. Link
12/2023: The lab receives SDSU Seed Grant Funding for a project in mammary gland biology for 2024!
