Mark Kalinich

Dissertation Title: Molecular Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells for the Earlier Detection and Longitudinal Monitoring of Hepatocellular Carcinoma PhD Dissertation Advisor(s):  Dr. Mehmet Toner, Dr. Daniel Haber, and Dr. Shyamala Maheswaran, Massachusetts General HospitalFor my cdissertation, I worked in the laboratories of Drs. Mehmet Toner, Daniel Haber, and Shyamala Maheswaran on the biology and clinical applications of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). These cells, although incredibly rare in the blood, hold huge promise for understanding the basic pathophysiology of cancer metastasis, identifying novel drug targets to prevent cancer spread, and developing clinical diagnostics for early cancer detection.  The CTC isolation technology used in the laboratory, the CTC-iChip, separates CTCs through removal of all the blood components (RBCs, WBCs and platelets). My project was focused on developing approaches to increase the detection sensitivity of CTCs enriched using the CTC-iChip for the early detection of liver cancer.  I also like reading (mostly sci-fi), running/weightlifting (only physical activities I'm coordinated enough for), and spending too much time on Reddit.