Our Researchers

Dr. Andras Heczey's research focuses on developing novel treatments for children with solid tumors by redirecting the immune system to attack and kill cancer cells by using genetically-engineered T cells and Natural Killer T cells.

Dr. Vasudevan is the director of the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Laboratory that focuses on finding targeted therapies for pediatric solid tumors, in particular, hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and neuroblastoma. Dr. Vasudevan’s lab is currently focusing on the mechanisms behind vascular invasion and metastasis in heptoblastoma and has received grant funding from the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation for this work.

Dr. Andras Heczey's research focuses on developing novel treatments for children with solid tumors by redirecting the immune system to attack and kill cancer cells by using genetically-engineered T cells and Natural Killer T cells.

Dr. Pavel Sumazin is Director of the Bioinformatics Core Laboratory and a member of the Cancer Genetics and Genomics Program and the Center for Precision Oncology at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, and the Quantitative and Computational Biosciences Department, Therapeutic Innovation Center, and Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Parsons’ research has helped to characterize the genetic landscapes of a variety of cancers, including the first identification of IDH1 and IDH2 as critical genes in brain tumors affecting both children and adults (gliomas). His current research primarily focuses on the clinical application of genomic technologies in pediatric cancer care and “precision oncology” strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of children with relapsed and refractory cancers.

Dr. Plon’s translational research has focused on analysis of patients with inherited susceptibility to childhood cancer, for example Rothmund Thomson syndrome associated with mutations in the RECQL4 gene and predisposition to osteosarcoma. Over the last ten years her research group has also reported on novel mechanisms of AML predisposition (microdeletion of 21q22), a novel chromosome breakage syndrome (LICS) and enrolling and interrogating the constitutional genome in families with unusual patterns of childhood cancer and congenital anomalies through whole genome and exome sequencing.

Texas Children’s Hospital is one of only a few institutions in the country that offers advanced treatment options for the management of liver tumors in children by interventional radiology. These advanced treatment methods include: transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). Dr. Kukreja is excited about the potential of liver tumor management by interventional radiology (IR). Interventional radiology has started to play an increasingly important role in the management of liver tumors.

The Department of Radiology at Texas Children’s Hospital is dedicated to providing safe, radiation-free imaging to children with all kinds of liver diseases, focal or diffuse. The modalities that are available include: radiography, ultrasound, computer tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dr. Masand and his team uses special protocols incorporating dynamic liver imaging to allow characterization of liver masses, with the use of hepatocyte-specific contrast agents.

Dr. Vasudevan is the director of the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Laboratory that focuses on finding targeted therapies for pediatric solid tumors, in particular, hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and neuroblastoma. Dr. Vasudevan’s lab is currently focusing on the mechanisms behind vascular invasion and metastasis in heptoblastoma and has received grant funding from the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation for this work.

Dr. Sarah Woodfield is a scientist specializing in the field of pediatric surgical oncology. She was trained in basic science, first completing her bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis on molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at Yale University in 2007 and then her PhD in developmental biology at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in 2012.