Researcher combines experiments and computational analysis to advance cancer immunotherapy

Growing up in Romania, Ruxandra Tonea was certain she wanted to become a physics researcher.

But because Romania has limited research funding, she knew she had to leave the country to pursue her research dreams. After landing at Columbia University for her undergraduate degree, Tonea found her path changing. A biomedical engineering course showed her the potential for her research to have real impact, and she began conducting biological research in a university lab.

Then another event changed her course: COVID-19 pandemic. Sent home from college to Romania, she could no longer conduct research in a lab. Instead, she took up computational research, helping to use neural networks to analyze bacterial colonies.

For her PhD, Tonea wanted the ability to combine both parts of her research experience. She found it at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME).

Now, as a PhD student, she’s part of the lab of Asst. Prof. Samantha Riesenfeld and is co-advised by Tom Gajewski, the Abbvie Foundation Professor of Pathology. She studies cancer immunology using both mouse models and computational analysis.

“The program allows you to choose any lab you want,” Tonea said. “I really liked Sam’s lab, but I knew I could also be a part of another lab. And with the students, there is a lot of diversity in what they are studying. The program really promotes creativity and lets you choose what you want to do. That’s what led me here.”

Tonea is investigating the behavior of immune cells in so-called “cold tumors”—tumors that don’t elicit a strong immune response and therefore are resistant to immunotherapy treatments. She’s studying the role of tumor-associated macrophages, immune cells that are known to help create the environment around the tumor that makes it resistant to immunotherapy. 

“We are looking for methods to stop this,” she said. “We want to target proteins and other genes that might change these macrophages.” That work involves lab experiments with mouse models and computational tools like single-cell analysis or spatial transcriptomics, which analyzes gene expression throughout tissue. 

“A lot of times experimentalists don’t fully understand what it takes to correctly analyze a data set, and those on the computational side don’t understand the collection of data,” she said. “I think it’s valuable to be on both sides and understand how each works.”

In her free time, Tonea takes drum lessons at UChicago and spends her time exploring the city. “I went to undergrad in New York, so I knew I wanted to be in a city again,” she said. “Chicago has both quiet places and a lot of activities. Plus I love the lake.” 

After her PhD, Tonea hopes to find a postdoctoral fellowship and pursue a career in academia, using her combination of skills to tackle one of society’s most deadly problems. “Cancer is a problem that still needs help, and there’s always more to be discovered and dealt with,” she said.