Jesse Handler MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Handler is a physician-scientist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers, with a clinical focus on caring for patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer at Emory University. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, he combines his clinical work with leading a research program dedicated to uncovering the mechanisms that drive metastasis in pancreatic and colorectal cancer. His lab aims to translate these discoveries into new therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Handler completed his MD/PhD training at New York University in the laboratory of Dr. Dafna Bar-Sagi, where he uncovered a previously unrecognized cancer-promoting role for TGF-β in early pancreatic cancer development. He went on to complete his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, followed by an oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. During fellowship, he trained in the laboratory of Dr. Reza Kalhor, where he developed a novel barcoded mouse model of pancreatic cancer liver metastasis. Using this model, he identified cancer subclones with distinct colonization potentials and revealed a conserved metastatic potential axis spanning pancreatic cancer and multiple carcinoma subtypes.
Raymond Preston
Graduate Student
Raymond Preston is a Cancer Biology PhD student in the Handler Lab having entered the program in August of 2025. He previously graduated from the University of Missouri in 2024 with degrees in Biology and Psychology. Prior to joining Emory, he worked as a research technician, engineering bacterial-based cancer immunotherapies. Currently, his research focuses on identifying novel, actionable treatments for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer with an interest in leveraging both wet- and dry-lab techniques.
Emily Chao
Undergraduate Researcher
Emily Chao is an undergraduate student at Emory University majoring in Biology on the pre-medical track. She is interested in cancer biology, with a particular focus on the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms that drive tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Emily is passionate about integrating experimental and computational approaches to better understand cancer progression and ultimately translate scientific discoveries into improved patient care.
Sylvia Huang
Undergraduate Researcher
Sylvia Huang is a senior at Taylor University majoring in Data Science with a concentration in Biology. Her research focuses primarily on bioinformatics and biostatistics, with a strong interest in cancer-related data analysis and deepening her statistical expertise. In the Handler Lab, she supports the dry-lab team, specifically focusing on the integration of multi-omics data to study pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
Shorani Roy
Pre-baccalaureate Scholar
