Diana Ranoa

Dr. Diana Ranoa is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology. Her research focuses on developing T cell receptor-based immunotherapies for solid tumors, particularly CAR-T cell therapies. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of the Philippines (2006) and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from UIUC (2014). Postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago (2014–2019) and a Research Fellowship at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (2019–2024) preceded her current role.

Her research interests include Immuno-Oncology, CAR-T cell engineering, and overcoming immune suppression in tumors. She employs techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and murine tumor models. Notable contributions include demonstrating CAR-T efficacy in ovarian cancer models and mitigating SARS-CoV-2 transmission through saliva-based testing.

Awards include the 2021 Presidential Award for pandemic leadership and the 2010 DeBoer Fellowship. Her lab's work bridges basic science and translational medicine, with a focus on improving immunotherapy efficacy and safety. She collaborates on projects like PAC-1 molecule enhancements for CAR-T therapies and has contributed to public health strategies during the pandemic.