Robert Samstein, MD, PhD
Principle Investigator
Robert Samstein, MD PhD is a radiation oncologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mount Sinai and a physician scientist with a laboratory in the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He completed his graduate work with Alexander Rudensky studying the development and function of regulatory T cells. He completed his transitional year internship and residency in radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. During residency, he conducted laboratory research with Dr. Timothy Chan investigating predictors of response to immunotherapy as part of the American Board of Radiology Holman Research pathway.
Dr. Samstein’s research interests are focused on understanding the interaction between the patient’s immune system and cancer cells in the tumor, elucidating the role of the DNA damage repair and response pathways in altering the tumor’s ability to be recognized and attacked by the immune system. His laboratory will work to identify new strategies to harness the immune anti-tumor response and expand the therapeutic window of traditional immunotherapies
Natalie Vaninov
PhD student
Natalie is a third year PhD student. Having received her B.A. in Organic Chemistry at Smith College and Immunology training at Sentien Biotechnologies for five years, she’s come to Mount Sinai to work in the Samstein lab. Her current research examines the role of DNA repair on the tumor myeloid microenvironment. She is particularly interested in the mechanistic contribution of BRCA2 to the TME and to cancer immunotherapy effectiveness across different cancers to identify novel therapeutic targets.
Miriam Saffern
PhD student
Miriam is a third year PhD student in the Samstein lab. Originally from New Jersey, she made the short trek to NYC to earn her BA in biochemistry at Stern College for Women and a BS in biomedical engineering from Columbia University. She is interested in tumor immunology and bioinformatics, and she uses both computational and experimental approaches to study cancer risk and immune surveillance. Some of her hobbies include browsing bookstores, swimming, eating froyo and a recent fetish for hand-lettering and building Ikea furniture.
Prerna Suri
PhD student
Prerna is a PhD student in the Immunology training area. She completed her undergraduate education in India and moved to the US to pursue a master’s degree in immunology. Her research interests focus on using computational and molecular approaches to understand mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy. Outside of lab you can find her trying to convince her dog to visit local breweries, bakeries and hiking trails with her.
Tony Chung
Masters student
Tony is a second-year master’s student in the Biomedical Sciences program. Born and raised in Queens, NY, he made the long trek to NYU, where he earned a BA in Biology. His research in the lab focuses on discovering new genes that drive non-small cell lung cancer and affect the success of immunotherapy. In earning his graduate degree, he hopes to help bridge the gap between basic science research and clinical medicine. In his free time, Tony can be found brewing another cup of coffee, experimenting with new recipes, learning film photography, and playing with his pup.
Juhana Habib
Research Associate
Juhana is an Associate Researcher at the Samstein Lab. She is from Queens, NY and got her degree in Biology and Psychology at NYU. Applying to MD/PhD programs in 2022, she is interested in cancer and immunology research, and hopes to gain valuable research experience before applying. Her hobbies include eating chicken over rice from halal carts, doing crossword puzzles, and restaurant hopping in NYC.
Lab Alumni
Zafar Mahmood
Postdoctoral fellow, 2019-2021
Jonathan Chung
Research Associate, 2019-2021
Jonathan joined the lab in 2019 as a research associate. He utilized CRISPR methods to generate model systems and analyzed single cell RNA expression data during long breaks in protocols. During his free time, Jonathan likes to play guitar, listen to podcasts, and play video games. Currently, he is an MD-PhD student at SUNY Upstate.