Monica L. Guzman

Monica L. Guzman, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Pharmacology in Medicine within the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. Her research program focuses on identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities in malignant stem/progenitor cells while preserving normal hematopoietic function through innovative microenvironment modeling and residual disease detection.

Education:

• Undergraduate: University of Guanajuato, Mexico
• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics: University of Kentucky
• Post-Instructional Training: University of Rochester

Research Focus: The Guzman Laboratory pioneers 3D bone marrow microenvironment systems to study leukemia stem cell (LSC) biology, developing combinatorial approaches including epichaperome inhibitors and enhanced CAR T-cell therapies. Current work addresses measurable residual disease detection, clonal hematopoiesis progression, and therapeutic resistance mechanisms in acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma through integrated flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing, and microfluidic technologies.

Scientific Recognition:

• NIH Director’s Innovator Award (DP2) 2010
• V-Foundation Scholar 2010
• Irma T. Hirschl/Monique Weill-Caulier Investigator Award 2015
• Evans MDS Foundation 2019
• 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists in America 2020
• Hispanic Role Models in Science 2020
• 'Ciencia y Vida' Outstanding Mexican Scientists 2023

Research Infrastructure: Leads the Guzman Lab developing translational models that bridge in vitro 3D microenvironment systems with in vivo therapeutic testing. The laboratory implements microfluidic devices for single-cell analysis of early oncogenic events and maintains active collaborations within the Tri-Institutional community for clinical translation of stem cell-targeted therapies.