Drissi Lab Staff

Rachid Drissi, PhD
Principal lnvestigator
Rachid.Drissi@NationwideChildrens.org

Rachid Drissi, PhD, is a principal investigator in the Center for Childhood Cancer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Drissi focuses on understanding high-risk pediatric brain tumor biology and the mechanisms of synergy and resistance in these malignancies to identify molecular therapeutic targets and develop new treatment paradigms. He is the director of the Translational Research and Correlative Studies Laboratory for the Collaborative Network for Neuro-Oncology Clinical Trials (CONNECT). He provides support to the extensive translational research endeavors for the Brain Tumor Research Program. Dr. Drissi leads biology studies in multiple clinical trials through several consortia such as the Children’s Oncology Group, Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and CONNECT. Dr. Drissi received his master’s degree in biochemistry and his doctorate degree in molecular and cellular biology from the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6) in Paris, France. He then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, studying the effect of DNA damage on DNA replication in human cells and the regulation of telomerase by the oncogene c-Myc. As an associate investigator at St. Jude, Dr. Drissi focused on the relation between telomere dysfunction and the DNA damage signaling pathway. Later, as director of the Brain Tumor Center Translational Research Laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Drissi’s research program expanded from a focus on the biology of telomeres and telomerase in cancer to a leadership role. His laboratory served as the core resource for designing and executing novel biomarkers and integrated proof of principle research studies in clinical trials developing new therapies for children and young adults with relapsed and high-risk brain tumors.  

Banlanjo Umaru, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Banlanjo.Umaru@NationwideChildrens.org

Banlanjo Umaru, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab in 2022 as a postdoctoral scientist. Dr. Umaru received his doctorate in Tohoku University in Japan in the field of medical sciences. Currently, Dr. Umaru’s research explores leveraging telomere damage to develop new treatment strategies for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

Zhuang Wang, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Zhuang.Wang@NationwideChildrens.org

Zhuang Wang, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral scientist. He received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from Virginia Tech with a focus on immunology. Currently, his research focuses on deciphering the complex immune landscape within diffuse midline glioma (DMG) tumors and dedicates to harnessing the power of immunotherapy to develop innovative therapeutic strategies for combating DMG. His work involves both experimental and computational approaches to identify potential targets and optimize immunotherapeutic interventions. In his free time, he likes to hike and workout.

Komal Khan
Research Assistant/Lab Manager
Komal.Khan@NationwideChildrens.org

Komal joined the Drissi Lab in 2024. She received her bachelor of science in health and rehabilitation with honors from The Ohio State University with a minor in microbiology. Currently, Komal is assisting on projects exploring therapeutic treatments for Diffuse Intrinsic Pediatric Glioma (DIPG). In her free time, Komal likes to watch movies and explore new cafes in Columbus with her friends and family.  

Archana Mahadevan Iyer
Senior Research Associate
ArchanaMahadevan.Iyer@NationwideChildrens.org

Archana joined the Drissi Lab in 2025. She completed her master's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Texas, Dallas in 2017. Currently, Archana is assisting on projects exploring therapeutic treatments for Diffuse Intrinsic Pediatric Glioma (DIPG). In her free time, Archana likes to hike, watch movies, and spend time with friends and family.