PEOPLE
Meet the Principal Investigator
Guan-Yu Xiao, Ph.D.
Guan-Yu Xiao obtained his Ph.D. in cell biology in the laboratories of Drs. Shinn-Chih Wu and I-Hsuan Liu at National Taiwan University in 2016. As a budding cell biologist with an interest in cancer biology, he was intrigued by what was known and not known about the mechanisms of membrane trafficking pathways that control distinct properties of metastatic cancer cells. Thus, he continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow in membrane traffic with Dr. Sandra Schmid at UT Southwestern in 2017 and then transited to the lab of Dr. Jonathan Kurie at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2020 to deepen his expertise as a cancer biologist. In his postdoctoral work, he discovered a pro-metastatic secretory program in lung adenocarcinomas. This work was recognized and awarded by UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and also earned a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the NCI in 2021.
In 2023, Dr. Xiao began his independent career at the University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, in the Department of Toxicology & Cancer Biology and Markey Cancer Center.
His current work is to investigate how membrane trafficking is dysregulated in cancers and endeavors to translate the discoveries into novel therapeutic strategies for the prevention of cancer metastasis.
Current Lab Members
Lab Manager
Carol Swiderski
Carol Swiderski has worked in several labs at the University of Kentucky, starting out as a lab technician and progressing over time to Research Analyst and, presently, Lab Manager.
The labs in which she has worked studied Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Cardiac Cell Growth, Leukemia and Aging, and Hematopoietic Stem Cells. Her current position is Lab Manager for Dr. Guan-Yu Xiao, whose research will focus on Lung Cancer and membrane trafficking pathways.
She especially enjoys seeing graduate students go through the learning process and mature into Postdocs. She is looking forward to playing an integral part in helping Guan-Yu’s new lab establish itself at UK.
Ph.D. Student
Kevin Fulp
Kevin Fulp graduated from Purdue University in 2021 with his B.S. in Biology. During his undergraduate training, he worked as a member of the Discovery Biology Group at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. In this role Kevin helped to evaluate novel radioligand therapy compounds for the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. Kevin joined the UK Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology in 2021 as a Graduate Research Assistant, and he currently serves as the Vice President of the DTCB Student Forum. He has served as a near-peer mentor in the Markey Cancer Center STRONG Program, and he is active in the Lexington community as a science fair judge for the Fayette County Public School District. He has completed laboratory rotations studying the role of Polycomb Repressive Complex in lung cancer with Dr. Christine Brainson, neutrophil involvement in breast cancer metastasis with Dr. Xia Liu, and mitigating radiation injury in the hematopoietic system with Dr. Ying Liang. He joined the Xiao lab as a Ph.D. candidate in the Fall of 2023. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing golf and pickleball, fishing, kayaking, and playing bluegrass music.
Ph.D. Student
Oluwafunminiyi Obaleye
My interest has always been in the unanswered questions on cancer, even though maturity in age and education have shaped these questions. After completing my bachelor’s program in Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin, I undertook a master’s program in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Lagos. From gaining depth and insight into cell and molecular biology-related areas, including cell signaling and regulation, and human genetics, I got to experience molecular biology from a more intimate standpoint. After my master’s degree, I gained first-hand cancer research experience as a research assistant at the Department of Biochemistry, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). There I became a member of the molecular oncology unit and was actively involved in several research projects. Indeed, my time at NIMR was remarkable in many respects. The opportunity to experience research that explored potential therapeutics for cancer was incredibly sublime because of my special interest in translational research.
In 2021, I joined the Department of Toxicology and Cancer program at University of Kentucky for a doctorate degree. Through the graduate program, I am gaining invaluable knowledge on different basic sciences in addition to critical methods in reading scientific literature. I received professional training in advanced biochemistry, molecular biology, cancer biology, cancer genetics, cell signaling, etc. Currently, I am in Dr. Guan-Yu Xiao’s lab; investigating membrane trafficking in lung adenocarcinoma. Outside of labwork and science, my interest lies in God and sports (soccer, basketball, cricket, golf, pickle ball, and athletics).