About Us

Lauren Burt

Lauren Burt is from Duluth, MN, and graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2021 with a B.S. in Animal Science. Lauren started in the Modiano Lab December of 2019 as a student lab assistant, helping with various projects. She enjoyed research so much that she joined the lab as a full-time research technician after graduating. She is currently working on a project to understand the mechanisms that account for the specificity of immune cell activation. When Lauren is not in the lab, she spends her time baking, doing CrossFit, and adventuring outdoors with her husband, Jack, and their adorable Australian Shepherd pup, Dwayne.

To contact Lauren, email kreag024@umn.edu.
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Caitlyn Callaghan

Caitlyn is from Pocatello, ID, and graduated with a B.S. in General Biology from the University of California San Diego, in 2020. She is a veterinary student at the University of Minnesota (Class of 2025) and joined the lab in May 2022. Her interests within veterinary medicine include oncology and nutrition. After receiving her DVM, she plans to specialize in Medical Oncology. She is currently working on projects that examine osteosarcoma and lymphoma at a single-cell level. Outside of the lab, school, and work, Caitlyn enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and playing with her dogs (Milo and Lily).

To contact Caitlyn, email calla542@umn.edu.
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Ali Khammanivong

Ali Khammanivong is a senior research scientist focusing on data science and machine learning. He is also a founder and chief scientific officer of a startup diagnostic company, Oncodea. 

Ali received his MS from Johns Hopkins University in 2006 and PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2011. He joined the Dickerson lab as a post-doc in 2011 and has worked extensively with the Modiano lab, collaborating on various projects. His involvement in the work with the Modiano lab more recently has been in the development of disease detection models using machine learning. 

Ali’s basic research interest is understanding the mechanisms behind drug resistance and disease progression in head and neck cancer, and, more specifically, the role of cancer stem cells in these tumors. He has a strong research background in molecular biology and bioinformatics of cancer, focusing more specifically on the analysis of molecular pathways and pattern recognition associated with the development and progression of solid tumors. His research and technical expertise include (but are not limited to) big data analysis and molecular target discovery, 3-D in vitro organotypic tumor model for tumor microenvironment and metastatic invasion analyses, in vivo orthotopic tumor model, RNA sequencing, proteomics, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and biomarker discovery for early disease detection.

Ali enjoys working on projects that have the potential for translation into clinical settings. Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his family, taking road trips, and exploring exotic foods, music, and nature.

To contact Ali, email akham@umn.edu.
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Courtney Labé

Courtney is a veterinary student at the University of Minnesota (class of 2025) and joined the lab in August 2022. She currently works with Dr. Kelly Makielski on COED, a study to develop a blood test for the early detection of canine osteosarcoma. Her interests within veterinary medicine include oncology, radiation oncology, and research. Outside of veterinary school and the lab, Courtney enjoys reading, spending time with her cat Yves, and skiing.

To contact Courtney, email labe0105@umn.edu.
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Mitzi Lewellen

Mitzi came to the Modiano Lab in 2008. With degrees in English from the College of William & Mary in Virginia and from West Virginia University, she took a detour from teaching into research when she came to the University of Minnesota, first as a laboratory animal care technician and then as a mouse colony manager for the Blazar Lab.

If you have submitted samples to Modiano Lab research studies or clinical trials, you have probably spoken with Mitzi. She coordinates sample submissions to our lab and manages our sample banks. She also manages our mouse colony and assists with in vivo experiments. And calling upon those English degrees, she sometimes assists in copy editing research papers.

Although raised with three canine “siblings” (a German shorthair and two German wirehaired pointers), Mitzi currently lives with two cats: Manny, a devastatingly handsome tuxedo boy, and Trixie, a dilute calico and wee beauty.

To contact Mitzi email lewel001@umn.edu.
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Kelly Makielski

Dr. Kelly Makielski is from Michigan. After Kelly graduated from UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 2010, she completed clinical training in Small Animal Internal Medicine. During her residency, Kelly performed research in the field of veterinary hematology. She joined the Modiano Lab as a post doc in July of 2016 to gain more research experience in veterinary oncology. Kelly currently is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Kelly has worked on the VIGOR clinical trial evaluating oncolytic virotherapy in canine osteosarcoma, supported by a Targets of Cancer NIH T32 Training Grant. Kelly’s current focus is the development of biomarkers associated with prognosis of canine and human osteosarcoma. 

Kelly’s hobbies include hanging out with her pets, tending to her garden and many houseplants, and crafts, especially stained glass and knitting. She has two red dogs (Cricket, a pitbull mix, and Archie, a miniature pinscher), three black cats (Digby, Blossom, and Edith), and an orange corn snake named Pierre.

To contact Kelly, email makie001@umn.edu.
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Ashley Schulte

Ashley Schulte is from Lena, Wisconsin. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and Animal Science from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and has been working in the Modiano Lab since 2011.

Ashley is the Modiano Lab manager, currently working on a project to define the mechanisms of action of the Minnesota-original drug called eBAT.  Ashley is also working on projects developing immunotherapy for osteosarcoma.

Ashley likes spending time with family, running, hiking, reading, and doing puzzles. She is married to Travis and has a daughter named Hailey.

To contact Ashley, email ajgraef@umn.edu.
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Kathy Stuebner

Kathy is a consultant working with the Modiano Lab. She recently retired from the Clinical Investigation Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine where she served in various roles for 20 years, most recently as Research Manager. She grew up in Minnetonka, MN and received her bachelor’s in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota.

Kathy spends her non-working hours with her husband Michael, their grandchildren, and dog Savannah. Her hobbies include choral singing, birding, and being out in nature.

To contact Kathy, email stueb005@umn.edu.
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Amy Treeful

Amy is originally from Michigan, and holds both an MS and a PhD from the Comparative and Molecular Sciences Program of the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Amy became a part of the Modiano lab in August of 2023. Her research focuses on lymphoma, and includes work to understand the mechanisms of action of a novel combination therapy being tested in the ORBIT trial, and to develop an early detection test and risk assessment tool to identify opportunities for early stage interventions (LyRA study). An additional research interest of Amy’s includes identifying characteristics of the microbiome that influence a patient’s response to immunotherapy.

Outside of work, Amy enjoys spending time with her family (which includes a handsome handful of a Portuguese Water Dog named Earl), adventuring in nature, photography, and exploring restaurants.

To contact Amy, email tree0002@umn.edu.
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Meagan Wojtysiak

Meagan Wojtysiak is a veterinary student at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2013. Meagan got involved in veterinary medicine shortly thereafter developing her love for the study of medicine. She wasn’t ready to give up on the possibility of a hidden passion for research though, so she jumped in when she learned of an opportunity to join Dr. Modiano’s lab in the Spring of 2023.

Meagan is currently working with Dr. Makielski to assist with the COED project, which is looking to detect osteosarcoma sooner to improve treatment success in dogs.

Outside of the lab and classroom, Meagan enjoys the company of her cats, painting, hiking, and sports in addition to spending time with her friends and family.

To contact Meagan, email wojty007@umn.edu.
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