Lab Members

Fatima Bedier earned a BS in Biochemistry and Microbiology with a minor in Biology. She joined the Di Vizio lab in 2022 as a research associate where she oversees extracellular vesicle production and performs techniques including tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) to determine the size and concentration of large oncosomes. She is also working on understanding the biodistribution of large oncosomes shed by bone metastatic cancer cell lines.

Jamelle Brown, PhD, earned his doctorate in Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Graduate Biomedical Sciences program. He joined the Di Vizio lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2022 and his current research focuses on assessing the function of extracellular vesicle-encapsulated mitochondria and understanding their potential role in prostate cancer pathogenesis.

Karen Cavassani, PhD, is an experienced immunologist. She obtained her masters and doctorate degrees in Immunology from the School of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of São Paulo. She then completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS). As a project scientist in the Di Vizio Lab, she specializes in immune-oncology of cancer. She is the senior scientist in the lab, and as such she provides guidance to laboratory personnel and assists the PI on manuscript and grant preparation and application.

Virginia M. Concato-Lopes, PhD, earned her doctorate in Experimental Pathology from the State University of Londrina through the Postgraduate Experimental Pathology program. She joined the Di Vizio lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2023, and her current research centers on evaluating the mechanisms behind extracellular vesicle biogenesis and comprehending their potential involvement in lung cancer pathogenesis.

Dr. Doldi obtained her Master degree in Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine from the University of Milan (Italy) and her doctorate in Life, Health and Chemical Sciences from the Open University of Milton Keynes (UK). Her background is cell and molecular biology, cancer biology and molecular pharmacology. She joined the Di Vizio lab as a visiting postdoctoral fellow in 2023 to perform molecular and functional characterization of extracellular vesicles released by aggressive sarcoma cell lines.

Diana earned her master’s degree in pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. She is currently pursuing a PhD and joined the Di Vizio lab in 2021 where she is involved in the isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles derived from prostate cancer cells. Specifically, her work focuses on identifying innovative biomarkers for improved prognosis and diagnosis.

Taylon Silva, PhD, earned a masters degree and a PhD in Experimental Pathology from the State University of Londrina in Brazil. He joined the Di Vizio lab in early 2022, where his research focuses on investigating the role of large oncosomes in prostate cancer bone pre-metastatic niche formation and bone metastasis.

Tatyana Vagner, PhD, obtained her doctorate in molecular medicine from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Vagner joined the Di Vizio Lab in 2016. Her current research focuses on large oncosomes (LO) and their potential as a source of circulating biomarkers in prostate cancer. She is characterizing the DNA content of LO in order to determine if genetic information found in circulating LO can be utilized for early detection of metastatic prostate cancer and/or can predict the aggressive features of the disease.