Jeroen Roose, PI
I am a cellular systems biologist with a long-standing focus on oncogenic signaling, cell fitness, and cell fate decisions in cancer, stem cell biology, and immunology. I received my PhD training in The Netherlands in the laboratory of Dr. Hans Clevers, studying Wnt signaling and cancer, followed by postdoctoral training at UCSF with Dr. Arthur Weiss investigating Ras signaling in lymphocytes. These experiences shaped my long-standing interest in cellular fitness across tissues and disease, and I established my independent laboratory at UCSF in 2007, where I currently serve as Professor and Vice Chair of Anatomy.
Other Roose Lab websites:
Roose Lab in the Anatomy Department
Roose Lab in the UCSF BMS Program
Roose Lab in the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Administrative Support
Staff
Michelle (Oghenekvwe) Gbenedio
I lead the Roose Organoid Core, where I develop and apply patient-derived organoid technologies to enable collaborative research across multiple disease areas. In addition to supporting investigators in experimental design and organoid model development, I lead an independent research project investigating Ras signaling and tumor evolution in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Graduate students
Lauren Shechtman
I am a graduate student in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program studying how cell-intrinsic programs and extrinsic niche signals coordinate intestinal stem and progenitor cell fate during tissue homeostasis and infection. Using genetically engineered mouse models, organoids, single-cell RNA-seq, spectral flow cytometry, and AI-enabled computation, I investigate the mechanisms that ensure robust lineage commitment and tissue regeneration.
Khang Nguyen
Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have improved outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), their efficacy is limited by T cell exhaustion. I am developing autologous T cell–tumor assembloids by co-culturing patient-derived organoids with matched peripheral blood T cells. By integrating transcriptomics, TCR sequencing, AI, and T cell functionality, I am identifying T cell exhaustion/anti-tumor gene programs, alongside therapeutic TCRs.
Esther Sim
I am a Bioengineering graduate student investigating the cellular networks that drive colorectal cancer progression from normal tissue to primary tumors and liver metastases. Using our closed-loop human discovery platform, I integrate multimodal molecular profiling, AI-enabled computational analysis, patient-derived organoids, and functional perturbation to identify, test, and refine mechanistic models of cancer progression.
Marcela García Jiménez
I am a Bioengineering graduate student at the Technical University of Eindhoven, collaborating with the Roose Lab. My research focuses on engineering human bone marrow assembloids for functional studies of normal and malignant hematopoiesis. I integrate multimodal spectral flow cytometry with AI-enabled computational analysis to comprehensively characterize these assembloids and uncover cellular interactions that regulate healthy and diseased blood formation.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Rachel Waldemer-Streyer, MD.
I am a dermatologist and physician-scientist developing next-generation bioengineered organoid platforms to investigate the cellular ecosystems of healthy and diseased human skin. My goal is to establish an independent research program at UCSF that integrates tissue engineering, single-cell technologies, and AI-enabled computational analysis to uncover mechanisms of skin homeostasis, inflammation, regeneration, and disease.
Mario Ruiz Perez
My research focuses on understanding how the thymic microenvironment and regulatory T cells shape immune function in aging and cancer. By integrating organoid models, single-cell technologies, AI, and mouse genetics, I aim to identify therapeutic strategies that restore thymic function and enhance anti-tumor immunity
Jesse Garcia Castillo
I am investigating how tonic RasGRP1 signaling regulates T cell fitness, metabolism, and immune homeostasis. Using genetically engineered mouse models, primary T cells, functional perturbation, and single-cell approaches, I study how RasGRP1 integrates basal signaling pathways to maintain healthy immune function and how dysregulation of these processes contributes to immune dysfunction and disease.
Other
Hugo Gonzalez
Visiting Professor
I am a Principal Investigator at Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago, Chile, and a Visiting Professor in the Roose Lab. My research asks how metastatic tumor cells rewire the microenvironment to survive. Building on my single-cell atlas of human brain metastases, I combine single-cell and spatial genomics of patient tissue with tumor–brain assembloids and AI-enabled analysis to map interactions among tumor cells, neurons, glia, and immune cells.
Lab Support
Lelaine Pata
Supporting Service