Christopher Lucchesi
Principal Investigator
Christopher Lucchesi, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Pharmacology with distinction from SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, Davis as a T32 Research Fellow. He is currently a Research Health Scientist at the VA Northern California Health Care System and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Urologic Surgery at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Lucchesi is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR), and the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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Dr. Lucchesi is the recipient of an NCI K22 Career Transition Award and was among the first investigators to receive the VISN21 Early Career ECAP Award. His accomplishments also include First Prize for Best Oral Presentation at the 18th Annual UC Davis Early Stage Investigator Forum and the UC Davis Academic Federation Excellence in Research Award (2023), recognizing his innovative contributions to translational cancer research.
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Dr. Lucchesi’s research integrates 3D-bioprinted, patient-derived tumoroid models with molecular and immunologic profiling to advance precision oncology across genitourinary cancers. His lab is pioneering studies on mitochondrial regulation through ANGEL2, the impact of environmental exposures such as pesticides and smoke, and nature-derived therapeutics like nimbolide, to uncover metabolic and immune mechanisms driving cancer progression and treatment resistance. Through this multidisciplinary approach, his team aims to transform biological insights into actionable, patient-specific strategies that bridge discovery science and clinical precision medicine.
Saisamkalpa Mantrala
Research Intern
Saisamkalpa Mantrala is a first-year medical student at Touro University of Medicine in California. She graduated from California Northstate University College of Health Sciences in 2023 with a B.S. in Health Sciences and has been interning at the Lucchesi Lab since graduation. Her research interests include investigating the progression of various cancers and exploring how social determinants can impact the progression of disease.
Darren Tran
Research Intern
Darren Tran is a second-year medical student at Touro University College of Medicine in Nevada. He graduated from California Northstate University College of Health Sciences in 2022 with a B.S. in Health Sciences and has been interning at the Lucchesi Lab since 2024. He has many research interests including furthering the understanding of various treatments in bladder cancer progression.
