Lab Members

Amirhesam Babajani, MD, is a postdoctoral scientist in the Medina-Kauwe Lab with a focus on exosome-based biomarker delivery systems for the targeted therapy of HER3-positive tumors, integrating expertise in oncology, molecular therapeutics and precision medicine. Babajani received his MD from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran (September 2022), where he developed a strong interest in cancer experimental therapeutics, leading to research projects involving stem cell-based therapies, drug delivery systems and tumor biology.

Sun Woo Kim is a PhD student in the Medina-Kauwe Lab studying the delivery of novel STAT3 inhibitors with the HER3-honing protein (HPK) against triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). He is interested in disease modeling and understanding drug delivery in various cancer models.

Kristin Ishaya is a research associate in the Medina-Kauwe Lab at Cedars-Sinai, where she contributes to the development of targeted nanotherapeutics designed to enhance the specificity and effectiveness of anticancer treatments. Her scientific interests center on unraveling the molecular mechanisms that drive cancer progression, particularly in the areas of tumor metabolism, immune signaling and the tumor microenvironment. She is especially passionate about exploring how metabolic reprogramming and immune interactions within tumors contribute to treatment resistance.