Hi there, I’m Carino!
👨🏻💻 I am a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University
🔬 My research interests are in omics data analysis and integration for cancer
🔍 I’m currently open for faculty positions!
Research
Cancer is a disease of the genome. I study DNA patterns in the tumor genome to better understand what factors shape these patterns and how they can in return inform clinical decisions.
What shapes the tumor mutational landscape? | How can the mutational landscape inform clinical decisions? |
Lifestyle habits and the microbiome can be genotoxic and leave an imprint on tumor DNA. The immune system can shape the mutational landscape as well by weeding out cells with certain mutations (a theory called the “neoantigen theory”). Additionally, DNA-intrinsic features such as the 3D conformation and the 2D base sequence favor mutations at certain loci. | The FDA has been approving more and more cancer therapies and combinations of them. Despite being effective for several cancer types, their clinical use is encumbered by a high variability in patient response. Studying the mutational landscape of tumors can inform the best course of treatment and predict the aggressiveness of certain cancers. |
Experience
Columbia Postdoctoral researcher (2022-Now) P.I.: Izar B, MD/ PhD, Assistant Professor | Harvard Computational biologist (2018-2022) P.I.: Giannakis M, MD/PhD, Assistant Professor | MIT Visiting student (2016-2017) P.I.: Mirny L, PhD, Full Professor | Institut Curie Visiting Student (2015) P.I.: Boeva V, PhD, Assistant Professor |
Recognition
TEDx talk | Forbes 30 under 30 | Interview with Le Monde | NCI coverage |