The Kirane Lab
DR. AMANDA KIRANE | SURGICAL ONCOLOGIST
Our Team
Principle Investigator
Dr. Kirane is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology, at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on immune response and novel therapies in melanoma, and she has been the principal investigator of multiple translational and clinical studies with focus on mechanisms of innate immune targeting in melanoma. She has received funding from prestigious organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Kirane has published articles in prominent journals including the Journal of Dermatological Treatment, Journal of Surgical Oncology, Journal of Surgical Research, and Annals of Surgery. She has presented updates on melanoma management at conferences organized by the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, and Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer. Dr. Kirane is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, American Association of Cancer Research, Society for Melanoma Research, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, Association of Academic Surgeons, and Association of Women Surgeons. In addition to her medical work, Dr. Kirane volunteers her time and expertise for various causes, including the Melanoma Research Foundation and STEM programs for children. She is also a certified Pilates instructor, Physician Wellness and Wellbeing Coach, and meditation teacher.
Research Staff
Dr. Ahmad is a postdoctoral research fellow in Surgical Oncology at Stanford University under Prof. George Poultsides. He also collaborates with Prof. Amanda Kirane on tumor immunology. His current research, funded by Stanford Cancer Institute and Sarafan ChEM-H, focuses on the intratumor microbiome's impact on pancreatic cancer treatment response. Previously, he completed surgical training at Stanford University and the University of Colorado after earning his medical degree at the University of South Florida. Dr. Ahmad has a background in basic science and health policy, with notable achievements including multiple scholarships, peer-reviewed publications, and leadership roles in medical organizations. He is dedicated to volunteerism and mentoring through programs like Greenhouse Scholars. Prior to medicine, he worked in the life sciences industry and contributed to community development initiatives. Outside of his professional pursuits, Dr. Ahmad enjoys cooking, reading, history, travel, automotive work, and aviation.
Sherry Hsu is a life science technician in the Kirane Lab. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in the Department of Animal Science and Technology at National Taiwan University, where she specialized in reproductive biology with a focus on reproductive endocrinology. Prior to joining Stanford, she worked as an embryologist in Taiwan, where she applied assisted reproductive technologies to help patients facing infertility challenges. Sherry has enthusiastically joined the Kirane Lab with a strong interest in immunology and immunotherapy, and she is involved in the research on immunotherapy in melanoma.
Dave Lee is a medical student who completed three years at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is working at the Kirane Lab this year as a life science technician. He began his endeavor in cancer research under the mentorship of Professor John Kuriyan at the University of California, Berkeley. There he studied the molecular mechanisms and dynamics of KRas, a commonly implicated oncogenic protein, through a combination of saturation mutagenesis with an inducible bacterial two-hybrid assay. With his work, he won the Kazuo Gerald Yanaba & Ting Jung Memorial Prize by demonstrating epistatic coupling between two distinct regions of KRas: switch II and helix 5. This partially explained why not all “gain of function” mutations resulted in a constitutively active cancer product. Through medical school, he has engaged in research topics including E6 inhibition to prevent HPV squamous cell carcinoma and the optimal management of blunt abdominal trauma. His research interests lie in understanding the multiple pathways that lead to cancer and finding creative ways to target key molecular players in said pathways. Outside of lab, Dave is interested in helping to serve patients at the community and statewide level respectively, with his roles as a Street Medicine Site Leader and as a member of the California Medical Association Medical Student Executive Board.
Dr. Serasanambati hails from India and obtained a Ph.D. in her home country. Her research interests encompass various areas, such as cancer biology, genetic disorders, and translational medicine. Presently, she is engaged in investigating the AXL pathway within melanoma and immune cells, specifically in relation to treatment and disease progression. Furthermore, she is placing emphasis on utilizing organoids for Personalized Immunotherapy in Melanoma. This involves characterizing the molecular and genetic profile of the organoids, assessing the efficacy of immunotherapies like checkpoint inhibitors on the organoids in vitro, and identifying biomarkers linked to organoid responses to immunotherapy. In Dr. Serasanambati’s leisure time, she enjoys music, cooking, and spending quality time with her family.
Dr. Sharma focuses on advancing therapies for CNS metastases of melanoma, an area with limited progress in checkpoint refractory disease. His expertise in meticulous drug development and modeling of the metastatic tumor environment has led to rapid skill development. Recently accepted into the SITC Sparkathon-2023, a prestigious program for early investigators in immunotherapy, he pursues brain nano-targeted immunotherapy under direct mentorship. Dr. Sharma previously worked on immuno-nanoconjugates for glioblastoma at Terasaki Institute and holds a Ph.D. from BITS-Pilani, contributing novel drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. His achievements include guest speaking engagements and grants, alongside two granted patents and over 24 publications in esteemed journals.
Dr. Emma Wagner is a postdoctoral scholar who recently completed her doctorate at the University of Cambridge, where her research focused on innate immune responses to DNA during Oncolytic virus therapy. Prior to that, she completed her master's degree in Biomedicine from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden where her research focused on epigenetic changes driving Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. In Dr Kirane's lab, she will continue developing her expertise in cancer immunotherapy using organoid models and advanced imaging techniques to study cancer cell and immune cell interactions during immunotherapy. Outside of the lab, Emma enjoys a wide variety of sports, hiking and cycling and exploring the bay area with friends and family.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Kathleen Sochan is an Administrative Associate in the Division of General Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Kathleen supports Drs. Amanda R. Kirane, Daniel J. Delitto and Frederick M. Dirbas.
Kathleen started with Stanford University in 2003 at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital supporting the board of directors. In 2013, Kathleen transferred to the Department of Surgery in the School of Medicine to support the Chair of Surgery, Thomas M. Krummel, MD, Emile Holman Professor & Chair Emeritus. From 2015 to 2021, she worked at Stanford Biodesign. In October 2021, Kathleen returned to the Department of Surgery and in May 2023, she transferred to the Division of General Surgery.