Cassady Lab
Kevin A. Cassady, MD
Principal Investigator
Kevin.Cassady@NationwideChildrens.org
Kevin Cassady, MD, received his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine, and his pediatric specialty training at University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Cassady completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Molecular Virology in Dr. Bernard Roizman’s lab at the University of Chicago and then completed his pediatric infectious disease training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where he joined the Pediatric Infectious Disease Faculty. Dr. Cassady is an associate professor at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and in the Ohio State University Department of Pediatrics. He is a member of both the Center for Childhood Cancer and the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Cassady’s research focuses on how Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) induces and modulates the antiviral immune response. By understanding how the cell restricts virus replication, his lab has developed a recombinant HSV that selectively replicates in tumor cells and can be used safely to treat brain tumors. The lab is now advancing this virus into clinical trials and are investigating ways to improve virotherapy by harnessing the antiviral immune response and directing it against the tumor.
Uksha Saini
Research Scientist
Uksha.Saini@NationwideChildrens.org
Sarah Schaaf
Research Assistant
Sarah.Schaaf@NationwideChildrens.org
Sarah graduated with a bachelor of science in Biochemistry from the University of Toledo in May of 2017. After taking a year off from research, she returned with a passion for making a difference in someone's life. Working at Nationwide Children's Hospital has given her the chance to combine this passion with science. Research affords her the opportunity to learn new techniques and be hands on while working with cells and viruses to study cancer treatment.
Naomi Barker
Research Assistant
Naomi.Barker@NationwideChildrens.org
Joel Lee
Graduate Student
Joel works on problems related to an HSV-derived oncolytic virus (C134) and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST).