Lab Members

Marina earned her BS in genetics and genomics from UC Davis in 2018, where she studied regulators of female meiosis in C. elegans. After graduating, she worked at BioLegend in San Diego for two years before joining the PhD program at Cedars-Sinai. Marina is interested in the role of stromal cells in the sarcoma tumor microenvironment and interactions between stromal and immune cells.

Marco De Simone, PhD, obtained his master’s degree in biology from the University of Milan, Italy, and his PhD from the University of Bologna, Italy. His research interests are focused on the investigation of the heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment in sarcomas and the role of immune cells on sarcoma evolution. Before joining the Guarnerio Lab, Marco De Simone investigated the role of T regulatory cells in colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer progression, and developed a solid expertise in NGS and single cell sequencing technologies.

Roberta received her bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and master’s degree in biotechnology in medicine from the University of Milan-Bicocca. Roberta has past research experience in 3D organoid systems for pancreas regeneration. With the Guarnerio Lab, she is focused on elucidating the role of circular RNAs in the definition of the tumor microenvironment, with a focus on sarcoma and leukemia.

Emily Ko graduated in 2008 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she majored in neuroscience. She is aiding Jlenia Guarnerio, PhD, in investigating new drivers involved in the process of sarcomagenesis and characterizing the sarcoma microenvironment.