Members: Core & Affiliated Faculty

The CNSB has forged extensive links to numerous research faculty and associated educational initiatives at institutions, including with scientists in Systems Biology, Bioinformatics Computing and Data Sciences and diverse Graduate Programs at OHSU.

Professor Andrew Emili
CNSB’s lead scientist, Professor Andrew Emili, is a leader in mapping protein interaction networks using sophisticated experimental and computational methods. He was recruited to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute (from Boston University, and the University of Toronto before that) in 2022 as a Senior Faculty Member aimed at attracting exceptional researchers to Portland, OR.

Education

After receiving his PhD in Molecular and Medical Genetics from the University of Toronto in 1997, Professor Emili pursued post-doctoral studies as a Damon Runyon/Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fellow with the Nobel Laureate Leland Hartwell at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle. During this time, he also learnt protein mass spectrometry with a pioneer, John Yates III, then at the University of Washington.

Research Activity

In 2000, Professor Emili established his own independent laboratory in the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research in Toronto, before assuming a founding role in the Donnelly Center for Cellular and Biomedical Research at the University of Toronto in 2004. During his formative period there, he developed and applied innovative functional proteomic, genomic and bioinformatic methods to investigate biological systems and global molecular association networks in human cells and model organisms. In particular, he focused on developing quantitative, high precision mass spectrometry-based approaches to characterize endogenous multiprotein complexes in a comprehensive, high-throughput manner. Prof. Emili was also elected as the Ontario University Research Chair in Biomarker Discovery. The expertise and leadership experience he developed there were major reasons he was recruited first to BU and then to the Knight – his experience with state-of-the-art proteomics technology is evident in the focus of the CNSB.

Publications

Professor Emili has published 300 papers with >40,000 citations (h-index 85), including genome-wide studies of soluble and membrane protein complexes in yeast (Cell 2005; Nature 2006; Mol Cell 2004; Nature 2012), E. coli (Nature Biotech 2018, Nature 2005; PLoS Biol 2009), and human cells (Cell 2012; Cell Systems 2020), documenting hundreds of protein-protein interactions, macromolecular assemblies, and dynamic biomolecular systems linked to core biological processes and human disease.

Other Interests

Professor Emili’s influence in the systems biology research community is widely recognized, and his group’s tools and data are widely accessed. He reviews regularly for prominent journals such as Cell, Science and Nature, while serving on national and international grant review panels. Professor Emili was also editor of “Network Biology” and “Systems Analysis” books with >50,000 downloads, and he has given >200 formal talks at research conferences, international symposia and workshops.

Affiliated Faculty Members:

Baelee Whitinger

Research Assistant 2

Grace Potter

Computational Biologist

Sammantha Avaylon

Computational Biologist

Nazmin Bithi

Senior Research Associate

Dr. Eashita Das

Staff Scientist (Head of Cancer Models)


Eashita is primarily interested in understanding the impact of extracellular vesicles and secreted proteins on the communication of different types of tumors with the surrounding cells of microenvironment. Her research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of oncogenic miRNAs and miRNA addiction in cancer.

Dr. Avik Basu

(Head of Spatial Proteomics)


Avik is interested in dynamic protein interaction networks. The main goal of his research project is how the protein-protein interactions in synapse change during Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) progression. Using genetically engineered mouse models, Avik has developed a novel in vivo proximity labelling technique (iPL) to identify protein networks in pre and postsynaptic density regions of synapse (in collaboration with Benjamin Wolozin lab, BU).

Dr. Raghuveera Goel

Staff Scientist/Head of Signaling and Precision Proteomics


Raghuveera is engaged in multi-level proteomics profiling of cancer and normal cells of the lung and breast, with the goal of characterizing molecular deficits underlying malignant transformation and disease progression. A unique dimension of his work also relates to uncovering molecular trajectories adopted by stem cells that give rise to adipocytes and separately, bronchial epithelial cells.

Dr. Nima Sistani

(Precision Proteomics & Metabolomics)

Dr. Saman Rahmati

(Affinity & Structural Proteomics)

Dr. Jacob Porter

Senior Research Associate (Head of LC/MS Facility)


Jacob’s primary area of expertise is in mass spectrometry. He has experience working with several forms of ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry. He has applied this expertise to environmental, forensic and clinical samples. After several years of using imaging mass spectrometry on microbiological and clinical specimens, his current focus is on development of novel spatial techniques and LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of cancer samples.

Sadhna Phanse

Senior Analyst


Sadhna assists lab members in the analysis of multi-level proteomic interaction networks, from scoring and analysis to generation of publication level figures. She additionally develops and manages project-based websites for publication.

Carl White

Analyst / Head of Computing Infrastructure


Carl assists lab members with analyses and helps manage the lab’s data storage and computational infrastructure. He also implements and troubleshoots software to facilitate running standardized analysis workflows. Additionally, he integrates new methodologies for data analysis.

Devri Hartle

Administrative Assistant


Devri is the assistant to Dr. Emili and assists the lab as well. She is responsible for lab supply ordering, event coordination and assistance, lab media efforts, calendar management, travel management and planning, reimbursements, and other administrative tasks.

The CNSB has forged extensive links to numerous research faculty and associated educational initiatives at institutions, including with scientists in Systems Biology, Bioinformatics Computing and Data Sciences and diverse Graduate Programs at OHSU.