Welcome to the Gilkes Lab

Women's Malignancy Program | Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Daniele-Gilkes-Lab-Lunch.jpg
Gilkes Lab Christmas Lunch in 2021

About

Gilkes Lab


Our lab is part of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Of the deaths attributed to cancer, 90% are due to metastasis, and treatments that prevent or cure metastasis remain elusive. Emerging data indicate that low oxygen tension (hypoxia), which occurs in most solid tumors, alters the biophysical and biochemical parameters of the tumor. Our work is focused on the role of hypoxia in breast cancer. One of our main interests are the particular genetic alterations that happen under hypoxia and how they can both contribute to tumor progression and be prevented. We are also investigating the role of the extracellular matrix signalling in breast cancer development, progression, and resistance to therapy. We are a dynamic and creative lab that always likes a good challenge. We address our questions through 2D and 3D in vitro, and in vivo systems. Our goal is to fully comprehend the impact that hypoxia can have in breast cancer patient outcome.

News and More!



Keep up with us on our public slack chanel below Gilkes Lab Slack Channel


Follow- us on Twitter

Check us out our ORCID at ORCID

Learn more about hypoxia and metastasis here

Learn more about our invovlement with AACR here

For a fun way to look at your research geneology click here

Learn more about our involvement with the The Johns Hopkins Breast Cancer Research Advocacy Program here

Click here to see the most recent updates, news, and events from our lab!


Research

People

Daniele Gilkes

Daniele Gilkes, PhD

Principal Investigator

Daniele M. Gilkes is an Assistant Professor in the Oncology Department, under the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She earned B.S.ChE and M.S. degrees in the University of Florida. After completing her PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of South Florida, Daniele became a Susan G. Komen Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Gregg Semenza, MD, PhD at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Later, she became a Research Assistant Professor in the lab of Denis Wirtz, PhD in the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University. Daniele opened her lab in 2015, and now focuses on studying the role of the tumor microenvironment, primarily hypoxia and the extracellular matrix, in breast cancer.

Daniele Gilkes Lab
Inês Godet

Postdoctoral Fellow

Inês Godet is a postdoctoral fellow at the Gilkes Lab and she is expanding on the PhD work she developed in the lab on hypoxia and breast cancer metastasis. She earned her B.S.BioChem and M.S. degrees at Técnico Lisboa - Lisbon University. In 2015, she conducted research for her Master's thesis in the lab of Denis Wirtz, PhD, where she developed a high throughput 3D in vitro system for invasion and chemoresistance studies. She earned her PhD from the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University in 2021.

Daniele Gilkes Lab
Natalie Joe

PhD Student

Natalie is a PhD student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Natalie grew up on the Navajo Nation and graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2016 with a B.S. degrees in Cellular & Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She is currently studying the efficacy of MBZ in triple negative breast cancer and is co-mentored by Gregory Riggins, MD, PhD.

Harsh with Daniele Gilkes
Harsh Oza

Research Technologist

Harsh Oza is currently working on expanding his Master's thesis project in the lab as a Research Technologist. He earned his Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biotechnology in May 2021. He received a Bachelor's in Biotechnology from D. Y. Patil University, Mumbai, India in the year 2018. He previously worked on cancer research and the study of hypoxia at Advanced Centre for Treatmemt, Research and Education in Cancer [ACTREC]: Tata Memorial Centre [TMC] in India.

Fan Wu with Daniele Gilkes
Fan Wu

Master's Student

Fan Wu is a Master’s student of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He received a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from Ohio State University in 2020. He is currently researching the effects of hypoxia and extracellular matrix signaling on breast cancer metastasis. He plans to pursue a PhD in cancer research in the future.

Eddie Campos with Daniele Gilkes
Eddie Campos

NIH PREP Scholar

Eddie is an NIH PREP Scholar and is currently working on two main projects under the guidance of Dr. Ines Godet and Dr. Daniele Gilkes. He grew up in Chicago and graduated from Lindenwood University in 2020 with a B.S degree in Biochemistry. He has had previous research experience working in Dr. Joan Brugge's lab through the Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) at Harvard Medical School. After Eddie finishes his two-year PREP position, he is planning to pursue an MD-PhD.

Tommy with Daniele Gilkes
Tommy Wang

Master's Student

Tommy Wang is a Master’s student of the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University. He received a Bachelor's in Biology from Penn State University in 2021. He is currently researching the effects of extracellular matrix signaling on breast cancer metastasis. He plans to pursue a PhD in cancer research in the future.

Alyssa with Daniele Gilkes
Alyssa Weinstein

Master's Student

Alyssa Weinstein is a Master’s student in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She graduated from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine with a B.S. in Medical Biology in 2019. She is currently studying breast cancer metastasis to the brain and hopes to pursue a PhD to continue cancer research in the future.

Esther with Daniele Gilkes
Esther Ng

Undergraduate Student

Esther Ng is an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Public Health. She plans to attend medical school in the future.

Alice Zhao with Daniele Gilkes

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate student majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Johns Hopkins University

Reid with Daniele Gilkes

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate student majoring in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Daniele Gilkes

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate student majoring in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Daniele Gilkes

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Undergraduate student majoring in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Click here to see a list of our former members and what they're up to now!

Publications

Feel free to contact us


General Inquiry: gilkeslab@gmail.com

Direct Correspondence: dgilkes1@jhu.edu

Twitter: @GilkesLab

Breast & Ovarian Cancer Program

1650 Orleans Street

CRBI Room 128

Baltimore MD, 21231