Scientists

Renowned for his work in colorectal cancer, and a cancer survivor himself since 2000, Bruce M. Boman, M.D., Ph.D., is an attending physician and director for Cancer Genetics and Stem Cell Biology for ChristianaCare’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute. He also represents the Graham Cancer Center as a scientist with the Center for Translational Cancer Research.

Dr. Shirin R. Modarai is a Research Scientist in the Cawley CTCR.  Dr. Modarai obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in Cell and Organ Systems. The primary focus of her work was on cancer research, stem cell biology and gene editing technology. She received her M.S. degree from a collaboration between Rutgers University – Camden Campus and Coriell Institute for Medical Research in the Stem Cell Biology and Matrix lab, and her B.A. degree from Rutgers University- Camden Campus. Her areas of expertise include cancer/stem cell biology, CRISPR-directed gene editing, primary culturing of human cells and development of novel culturing techniques.

Currently, Dr. Modarai oversees the daily operation of the organoid core which includes growing, expanding and banking organoids from different tumor types.  Organoids have been cultured and banked from numerous tissue types including, but not limited to, normal breast, multiple breast tumor subytpes, ovarian, pancreatic, lung and multiple rare types of tumors. The organoid core is equipped to characterize the organoids for cell growth and viability, immunostaining, live/ dead analysis, live cell imaging, drug screening and responses.

Dr. Lynn M. Opdenaker is currently the Manager of the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research and the Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility that is housed within the center. Dr. Opdenaker received her B.S. degree from Ursinus College and her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, majoring in Molecular Biology and Genetics with an emphasis on cancer biology. Upon completion of her degree, she took a Post-doctoral position working in the CCTCR and has since transitioned into her current role.  She maintains and runs the equipment housed in the core facility, as well as all other equipment within the laboratory. Dr. Opdenaker established all the current S.O.P.s used between multiple labs in the CCTCR, keeps record of all the individuals who have worked in the facility and where they went afterwards, and maintains compliance with all regulatory guidelines for lab and hospital safety. She also works with the finance office to assist with budgeting and tracking the money spent on grants and other funding agencies for all researches in the CCTCR.  In addition to her role as lab manager, Dr. Opdenaker assists researchers on their various projects and helps the graduate and undergraduate students in the lab. Her work in the lab had led to numerous publications that keep her up to date in the field. Currently, Dr. Modarai oversees the daily operation of the organoid core which includes growing, expanding and banking organoids from different tumor types.  Organoids have been cultured and banked from numerous tissue types including, but not limited to, normal breast, multiple breast tumor subytpes, ovarian, pancreatic, lung and multiple rare types of tumors. The organoid core is equipped to characterize the organoids for cell growth and viability, immunostaining, live/ dead analysis, live cell imaging, drug screening and responses.

Dr. Petrelli is a nationally recognized expert in colorectal cancer and a leader in advancing cancer care and research. He joined ChristianaCare in August 2001 as the Bank of America endowed medical director of the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute, where he led the growth of Delaware’s largest and most advanced cancer program, spanning prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Scott Siegel, Ph.D., MHCDS is a licensed psychologist and the Director of Cancer Control & Population Sciences within the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute at ChristianaCare. In this role, Dr. Siegel works collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams in the health system and with government, academic, and community-based partners to reduce the overall burden of cancer and advance health equity.

Dr. Jennifer Sims-Mourtada, Ph.D., is the Associate Director of the Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research and the Director of Translational Breast Cancer Research at the Helen F Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology in 2004 from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston and completed her postdoctoral training in Experimental Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the world's leading cancer research institutions. Prior to joining Christiana Care in 2011, Dr. Sims-Mourtada served as Director of Research and Development for RadioMedix Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in cancer therapeutics.