Dr. Jaime Modiano holds the Alvin and June Perlman Endowed Chair of Animal Oncology and is director of the Animal Cancer Care and Research Program of the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota. He completed his training through the Veterinary Medical Scientist Training Program (VMD, PhD) at the University of Pennsylvania, and he followed it with a residency in Clinical Pathology at Colorado State University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine. Before joining the University of Minnesota, he served on the faculties of Texas A&M University and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

Dr. Modiano has also worked in the private sector, as founder of Half Moon Bay Biotechnology, LLC, ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Veterinary Research Associates, LLC, and Knine Biotechnology, LLC, and as Director of Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy for the Donald Monk Cancer Research Foundation. Through his research, Dr. Modiano seeks to understand how and why cancer happens and to develop strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of companion animals and humans alike. His research has been supported without interruption by federal and private sources for over 28 years. He has co-authored several hundred scientific papers, abstracts, presentations, and book chapters focused on immunology, cancer biology/genetics, and diagnostic and therapeutic innovations for cancer and immune-mediated diseases.

To contact Jaime email [email protected] opens a new window. 

AJ (Arthur) Berscheid is a senior at Watertown High School, in the Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) with the Modiano Lab. His goal is to get as much experience as possible, as early as possible. His official project will be to find various methods of determining biological age within dog cells and a method to relatively compare one breed to another using senescent-based methods.

AJ likes to stay active in a variety of ways such as kayaking, rock climbing, walking with his dog (Zoey), and fencing. He likes to just be outdoors and engaged in as much as possible, as well as finding as much time as possible to satisfy personal curiosities about the medical world.

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

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).opens a new window

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

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.opens a new window

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

Sierra graduated from St Olaf College in May 2024 with a BA in Biology with an emphasis in Mathematical Biology. She began in the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology MA program at the UMN in September 2024 and will be working in the lab to analyze data of multiple different projects. Her main research interest is genetics and will assist in analyzing data for studies of osteosarcoma. In earning her MA degree, Sierra aims to work in research focusing on understanding genetic based diseases.

From New Jersey, Sierra was recruited to play on the St Olaf Women’s Ice Hockey team and has been playing the sport for most of her life. Outside of academics and research, she enjoys fishing, watching and playing a wide variety of sports, and getting Dunkin’ coffee.

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

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 [email protected]opens a new window. 

Grace joined the Modiano lab as an informatics researcher in January 2025, after completing a Master’s of Research in Bioinformatics & Theoretical Systems Biology from Imperial College London. Prior to her MRes she graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2023, with a BA in Biology and an emphasis on computational biology. Her main research interest lies in utilizing transcriptomics and machine-learning based approaches to better understand the molecular and immune mechanisms of cancer. She will be assisting on the computational analysis of a variety of lab projects, particularly relating to canine lymphoma, while developing her skills as a computational biologist and researcher.

Outside of bioinformatics and research Grace enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, visiting her cabin on Lake Vermilion, reading, and trying new restaurants.

To contact Grace, email [email protected]opens a new window. 

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 [email protected].