Theisen Lab Staff

Emily R. Theisen, PhD
Principal Investigator
Emily.Theisen@NationwideChildrens.org

Emily R Theisen, PhD, is a principal investigator in the Center for Childhood Cancer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Theisen earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and her doctorate in pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. She trained with Dr. Stephen Lessnick in the Center for Childhood Cancer at Nationwide Children’s as a postdoctoral fellow before joining the faculty. Dr.Theisen has spent her career studying pharmacological modulation of chromatin regulators in pediatric cancer, with a specific focus on Ewing sarcoma. Her laboratory focuses on how context defines different roles for chromatin complexes, with an emphasis on LSD1-containing complexes. The laboratory aims to understand how specific functions of chromatin complexes interact with disease-specific chromatin context in order to uncover novel therapeutic strategies.

Cenny Taslim, PhD
Senior Bioinformatics Scientist
Cenny.Taslim@NationwideChildrens.org

Cenny Taslim, PhD, is a senior bioinformatics scientist in the Center for Childhood Cancer. Dr. Taslim received her bachelor's degree in industrial engineering at The Ohio State University. She furthered her education at the same institution, obtaining a doctorate in Industrial Engineering and master’s of science in computer science. She then underwent a postdoctoral training in the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Statistics as a postdoctoral researcher. Dr. Taslim’s expertise lies in applying machine learning and statistical methods to next- and third-generation sequencing, with a focus on analyzing fusion oncoproteins and developing user-friendly analysis pipelines.

John Sherman, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
John.Sherman2@NationwideChildrens.org

John Sherman, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Theisen Lab. He received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University and focused his undergraduate research on the expression of heat shock proteins during the development of flesh fly larvae. He received his doctoral degree from the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) program at The Ohio State University. Here he worked with Dr. Ruoning Wang on the integration of cell cycle control in G2 and metabolism. Here he taught himself the python programing language and the basics of data science. He joined the Theisen Lab in 2021 to use unbiased multiomics approaches to study the mechanism of action of novel therapies in Ewing sarcoma and build upon is bioinformatics expertise. Here he has integrated genomic, proteomic, and single-cell multiomics analyses.

Sabhra Dash, PhD
Research Scientist
Sabhra.Dash@NationwideChildrens.org

Subhra Dash, PhD, is a research scientist in the Theisen Lab within the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Nationwide Children’s. Originally from Odisha, India, she earned her doctoral degree in cancer and molecular biology from BITS Pilani, India. She completed her postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health, where her work focused on pediatric oncology, with a particular emphasis on investigating MYCNdriven mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in neuroblastoma. In the Theisen Lab, Dr. Dash investigates the role of lysinespecific demethylase (LSD1)–containing chromatin complexes and evaluates LSD1 inhibitors as potential therapeutic strategies to control Ewing sarcoma progression.

Caleb Frye, PhD
Postdoctoral Scientist
Caleb.Frye@NationwideChildrens.org

Caleb Frye, PhD, is a postdoctoral scientist in the Theisen Lab. He received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Heidelberg University and later received his PhD in chemistry from Duquesne University. His work used a combination of bioinformatics, biophysics and biochemistry to study SARS-CoV-2 and its interactions with the host immune response, ultimately contributing to the discovery of key mechanisms by which the virus could manipulate the immune system. He then joined the Theisen Lab in 2026, where his work uses biophysics and cell biology to understand how DNA structure and dynamics influence the function of EWSR1::FLI1, with the goal of developing a novel set of therapeutics targeting these interactions for treatment of Ewing sarcoma.

Colin Hayes, MD
Hematology Oncology Fellow
Colin.Hayes@NationwideChildrens.org

Colin Hayes, MD is a Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Colin earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Penn State University and graduated medical school from the Penn State College of Medicine. He completed his pediatrics residency training at the University of Michigan before moving to Columbus for fellowship in 2024. Colin joined the Theisen lab in July 2025, where he is studying GLRX3, an iron-sulfur cluster protein that is a dependency in Ewing sarcoma.

Anand Rane, MS
Senior Research Associate
AnandMohan.Rane@NationwideChildrens.org

Anand Rane, MS, is a senior research associate and lab manager of the Theisen Lab. Originally from Mumbai, India, Anand came to the United States to attain a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Louisiana Tech University. He gained an extensive experience at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, where he worked on projects related to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. Anand joined the Theisen lab as lab manager in December 2025 and assists with studies related to iron-sulfur cluster proteins in Ewing Sarcoma, mentors' students and facilitates collaborations for the lab.

Runwei Zhou
Biochemistry PhD Candidate
Runwei.Zhou@NationwideChildrens.org

Runwei Zhou is a PhD Candidate in the Ohio State Biochemistry Program (OSBP) at The Ohio State University. Originally from Beijing, China, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry before joining Dr. Emily Theisen’s lab. Her research focuses on understanding how the fusion transcription factor EWSR1::FLI1 drives oncogenic gene regulation in Ewing sarcoma, a rare pediatric cancer. By integrating biochemical, structural and genomic approaches, she aims to uncover how the molecular features of EWSR1::FLI1 coordinate to reprogram the cancer genome and identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities of EWSR1::FLI1.

Lexis Rice
Research Student
Lexis.Rice@NationwideChildrens.org

Lexis Rice is a PhD student in the Ohio State Biochemistry program (OSBP) at The Ohio State University. She received her bachelor's degree in biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology from the University of Tennessee before joining the Theisen Lab in April 2026. She is studying unique features of genome regulation in Ewing sarcoma to enable the identification of new treatments.

Aran Weinglass
Research Intern
Aran.Weinglass@NationwideChildrens.org

Aran Weinglass received his bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University with a research distinction in biochemistry and a minor in medical pharmacology. During his undergraduate career, they worked in the Theisen Lab investigating iron metabolism as a mechanism of SP-2509 cytotoxicity in Ewing sarcoma. He joined the Theisen Lab to apply biochemical and cell-based approaches to understand the mechanism of action of novel therapies in Ewing sarcoma.