Gabi Maldonado

I’m a graduate student at UCSF interested in cancer neuroscience. As an undergraduate at Northeastern University, I worked at biotech companies focused on immune-based cancer therapies. My work centered around antibody discovery and immune monitoring of personalized neoantigen vaccine therapies. I then extended my research into the neuroscience field as a technician at Columbia University Medical Center. I studied a newly discovered mechanism of protein degradation and neuronal signaling, focusing on understanding the machinery through a neuroimmunological lens. In the Okada lab, I am interested in studying the crosstalk between cancer cells, immune cells, and neurons, studying the mechanisms that drive cell-cell communication in the tumor microenvironment. I am a recipient of the Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation Scholarship. Outside of lab, I enjoy cooking/baking, exploring the city, and listening to endless podcasts.