Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys: Meena Sudhakaran, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Kelly Kersten, PhD. Sudhakaran studies cancer immunology to improve immunotherapy for breast cancer.

When and how did you become interested in science?
I was always curious as a child. When one of my family members was diagnosed with cancer, I grew up watching how it affects people. That made me really interested in how diseases work. I wanted to know the causes and the biological reasons beneath it.

What did you imagine you would be doing professionally, and how did it evolve?
When I was done with my master’s degree, I was sure I wanted to work in industry. I was determined to join a biopharma company where I could make medicines.

I worked as a scientist and as a senior scientist for three and a half years on a team at Biocon in India developing drugs for head and neck cancer. During my time in the company, I realized that I wanted to do a PhD to dive deeper into understanding the biology of cancer and how every cancer type is different.

During my PhD, I was introduced to immune cells and how immune cells affect tumor progression. I wanted to be in a cancer immunology lab for my postdoctoral training, so the Kersten Lab here was a perfect fit.

What are the key areas of research you focus on?
Breast cancer patients do not really respond to most immunotherapy drugs. We don’t yet know why they are ineffective.

Our immune system protects our bodies from pathogens, foreign particles or any abnormal cells like cancer. T cells, a type of immune cells in the tumor environment, can get activated and attack the tumor cells. But what often happens is that they become dysfunctional due to continuous exposure to the immunosuppressive environment and lose their ability to kill. Additionally, there are other immune cells such as macrophages that create a tumor-promoting environment.

Kelly previously showed that macrophages and T cells interact, creating a communication loop where the macrophages drive the T cells to exhaustion. The focus of my research is to understand how this interaction creates an anti-tumor immune response in breast cancer. This will help us get closer to the ultimate goal of making immunotherapy more effective in breast cancer patients.

What do you like about working here?
Kelly is a great mentor. She is very supportive. She is easy to approach, and our discussions are always encouraging yet stimulating. I believe it is really important for a successful lab that trainees feel comfortable discussing ideas and challenges openly.

Outside of my lab, there are lots of shared resources and training opportunities available. Everything is nearby and easy to access. People here are also very open to collaboration, which creates a strong and supportive research environment.

What motivates you about your research?
I love doing research! I like being in the lab, planning experiments and looking at the results.

It’s like solving a puzzle, so that keeps me excited.

What are your hopes for the next stage in your career?
I plan to return to industry and continue focusing on the translational side of biomedical research. My goal is to combine my experience in both industry and academia to help develop new medicines and improve treatments.

Although I am still early in my postdoctoral training, I can already see how much I’m learning. When I go back to industry, I’ll have stronger problem-solving skills, more knowledge, and more confidence in making decisions. I have definitely made progress, and I know that growth will continue and support me throughout my career.

Postdocs at Sanford Burnham Prebys are pushing the boundaries of science every day through curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. This series highlights their unique journeys, what inspires their work, and the impact they’re making across our labs.

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Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys: Ranajit Das, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Nicholas Cosford, PhD. Das is a medicinal chemist focused on designing and synthesizing new potential therapies, with a focus on cancer treatment.

When and how did you become interested in science?
During my early childhood education, I developed a deep curiosity about the world around me. Over time, I became more interested in chemistry. I found it fascinating that two colorless things can mix and make something colorful, or that two liquids can merge and produce a solid.

Then, when I was introduced to organic chemistry in my undergraduate years, it was eye-opening. I realized that organic chemistry is connected to nearly everything we use or do in our everyday lives. Everything from the blue dye in denim jeans to fading vegetable colors, fragrances, and even the medicines we take, are made of organic molecules. That realization drew me even deeper into the subject.

As I continued studying organic chemistry, I got into synthetic organic chemistry and building molecules. If you have the right knowledge, you can use simple building blocks that are usually made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, and assemble them into compounds that can be functional, beautiful and even lifesaving.

How has your scientific career evolved?
While earning my master’s degree, I was learning about drug discovery and how organic molecules can be useful for treating human diseases. Then, during my PhD, I trained in how to use those chemical components to build a probe to study a disease and ascertain how to potentially cure that disease.

Ever since, I have wanted to build something which will improve human health. That is the reason I decided to pursue a scientific career.

What brought you to the Cosford lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys?
I chose to pursue my postdoctoral training at Sanford Burnham Prebys because of its strong emphasis on drug discovery. The Cosford lab has been working for almost two decades on a wide range of disease models—including cancer, central nervous system and infectious diseases—which are key areas in today’s therapeutic landscape.

This provides an unusual opportunity to gain practical experience with diverse targets. Furthermore, several of the lab’s drug candidates are in preclinical or phase I/II clinical trials, reflecting its strength in translational research.

What are the key areas of research you focus on?
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a natural process in our body. It allows us to remove unwanted cells as we grow and develop. Cancer, however, can disrupt the system of apoptosis.

One way this happens is through the action of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, which block caspases and help regulate cell survival and cell death during cancer. The second mitochondrial activator of caspases, or SMAC, can bind to and neutralize these inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, thereby promoting apoptosis.

We’re trying to make molecules that can mimic SMAC in order to treat cancer.

What motivates you about your research?
It’s the creativity and complexity around creating 3D chemical architecture to have potential medicinal properties. As we test and refine the compounds, I enjoy using my knowledge of how they react with protein molecules and how that affects the activity of those proteins, which can be useful for targeting diseases.

It is essential to nurture a feedback loop of biological activity and synthesis that keeps the drug discovery process dynamic and purposeful. For me, it is motivating to see that we are designing something and synthesizing something that is having the biological activity necessary for any potential candidate therapy. From there, we can work on finetuning in terms of potency, selectivity, pharmacodynamic stability and other characteristics of successful treatments.

What do you like about working here?
I like the collaborative and supportive research environment here at the institute. We have scientists and students from many different backgrounds and areas of expertise all focused on the same goal, the advancement of biomedical research.

The core research facilities and interdisciplinary expertise make this place ideal for pursuing very complicated targets for translational research. The Institute also has an emphasis on mentorship and career development, which is very important. I feel I’m growing as a scientist in a community which values curiosity, integrity and teamwork.

How would you describe the culture here?
There is a culture of open communication. Sharing ideas, discussing challenges and seeking feedback are encouraged. I’ve found this helps foster personal and professional growth, as well as scientific innovation.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
I have a deep appreciation for world cinema, particularly Hollywood classics from the 80s and 90s. Bengali literature holds a special place in my heart, as does Indian classical music—especially the rich, melodic tones of the sitar and sarod.

Postdocs at Sanford Burnham Prebys are pushing the boundaries of science every day through curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. This series highlights their unique journeys, what inspires their work, and the impact they’re making across our labs.

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Shaping the future of science at Sanford Burnham Prebys: Sara Ancel, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Will Wang, PhD, who draws on a background in engineering and stem cell biology to explore tissue remodeling and disease mechanisms through cutting-edge spatial omics approaches. Originally from Switzerland, she brings together cutting-edge technology and collaborative science to push boundaries—and inspire the next generation of researchers.

How did you first become interested in science—and what brought you to Sanford Burnham Prebys? 
I didn’t grow up around science, my parents weren’t in the field, so I didn’t really get exposed to it until high school. But I’ve always been curious, especially about things I didn’t understand. That curiosity led me to study engineering, which gave me the flexibility to explore many scientific fields before focusing on one.

During my master’s studies in Switzerland, I had the opportunity to spend time at Stanford University working in Dr. Helen Blau’s lab. That’s where I met Will Wang, who would later become a principal investigator at Sanford Burnham Prebys. When I was finishing my PhD in Switzerland, he was just starting his lab here. The timing was perfect—and I became his first postdoc.

What drew you to Will Wang’s research?
What really stood out to me was the new technology he was developing—an imaging method that lets us look at many biological markers at once. Coming from an engineering background, that kind of innovation was really exciting. I saw a chance to combine everything I’d been learning, for example, stem cell biology, muscle research, and engineering, into one meaningful project.

Plus, joining a brand-new lab was a unique opportunity. I was involved in everything from setting up experiments and training newcomers to handling operations. It was a fast-paced, all-hands-on-deck experience that taught me so much, both scientifically and personally.

What are you working on now? How would you explain it to someone outside of science?
My main project focuses on a process called glycosylation, which is how cells add sugar molecules to proteins and fats. These sugar tags might sound simple, but they play a big role in how cells function, and how things go wrong in disease.

I had no background in glycobiology when I started, but I was able to bring in new technologies and combine them with biology to explore this process in a completely new way. I’ve also been fortunate to collaborate with the Freeze Lab here at Sanford Burnham Prebys, which has been incredibly valuable.

What makes Sanford Burnham Prebys a unique place to work?
I’ve been so impressed by how collaborative this institute is. It’s a small enough community that people know each other, so reaching out for help or advice is easy. I’ve been able to train on equipment here and at nearby institutions like UC San Diego, and I’ve had the chance to connect with researchers across many fields.

One of the most exciting aspects has been working with clinicians and getting access to real patient samples. That kind of experience really deepens the impact of our research and gives me a broader view of how basic science can connect to human health.

What was one of the biggest challenges you faced when you arrived?
Moving from Switzerland to San Diego was a huge adjustment. I arrived and quickly within about a week, I was in a new culture, new lab, and new scientific environment. I was also the only person in the lab at first, which made things more intense.

But I had great support from international services and from the community of researchers here. That support helped me adapt, and it motivated me to dive in and help get the lab up and running.

What do you hope to do next in your career?
I’ve developed a wide range of skills here, not just technical, but also communication and collaboration. I’d love to build on that by moving into work that’s more closely connected to patients. Collaborating with clinicians and working with patient samples has been incredibly meaningful, and I’d like to pursue more translational or clinical science in the future.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
Since moving to San Diego, I’ve gotten into climbing and bouldering, it’s something I picked up with friends from neighboring labs. I also love hiking and visiting national parks. Coming from Switzerland, I’m used to mountains, but the parks here in the U.S. are spectacular. I’ve started a list and want to see as many as I can!

What advice would you give to young scientists?
Stay curious. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know—see it as an opportunity to grow. Science can be frustrating when things don’t work out, but that’s part of the process. If you accept the ups and downs and keep learning, it can be incredibly rewarding.

Do you have any publications or projects in the works?
Yes! I’m finishing a methods-focused paper on the technology I’ve been developing, and we’ve filed a patent on it thanks to support from the Institute’s intellectual property team. I’m also co-authoring a review article with a researcher from Stanford on drug discovery for muscle aging. It’s been a great opportunity to step back and reflect on everything happening in the field.

Postdocs at Sanford Burnham Prebys are pushing the boundaries of science every day through curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. This series highlights their unique journeys, what inspires their work, and the impact they’re making across our labs.

Explore the Full Series