Thi Thanh Thoa Tran, PhD, MS

Bio

Dr. Tran currently serves as a Research Assistant Professor. She earned her PhD degree from the Nano Medical Engineering lab in 2017, where her research focused on the selection and validation of an RNA aptamer that regulates a photosensitizer.

Prior to joining Indiana University, Dr. Tran served as a Research Professor Fellow in the esteemed Korean Brain PLUS21 program at Korea University. Following that, she held positions as a Research Scientist and a PI of a project at LSTME in Busan, where she focused on aptamer selection on a chip. Subsequently, she served as the Research and Grant Director and PI of Apta-dynamic Lab in Aptagen LLC, showcasing her experience in fundraising and the management of research groups and projects.

Dr. Tran's focus is on personalized cancer diagnostics and treatment, particularly in the development of the regulable photosensitizer by aptamer for targeted and tunable photodynamic therapy.

Throughout her career, Dr. Tran has actively contributed to the field, serving as the corresponding author of two papers and the main author of two patents, along with numerous peer-reviewed papers. Her scientific passion and extensive research experiences create a strong foundation for contributing to advancing pancreatic cancer diagnostics and therapy development.

Dr. Tran is an Associate Editor of Prabha Materials Science Letters and co-founder of the Innovative Bioscience Group. She has served as the chairman and invited speaker at 8 scientific conferences in Singapore, South Korea, and Europe.

Key Publications

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ohTYs4IAAAAJ&hl=en

Titles & Appointments

Assistant Research Professor of Surgery

Education

2017 PhD Tokyo Metropolitan University

2010 MS Vietnam National University

2004 BS Hue University
Research

Her research lies at the intersection of technological advancements and basic & translational research in the generation of RNA/DNA/RNA-based nanoparticles for personalized cancer diagnostics and cancer treatment, as well as RNA-based tunable photosensitizers for photochemical internalization therapy.

She obtained her PhD degree from the Nano Medical Engineering lab in 2017, where her research focused on the selection and validation of an RNA aptamer that regulates a photosensitizer. Following that, her experience as a research professor fellow in the esteemed Korean Brain PLUS21 program at Korea University further honed her research skills, leading to the development of a novel selection method based on target and graphene oxide absorption. This work resulted in co-authoring two patents shared with Dr. Man Bock Gu, published in 2022 and 2023. Subsequently, she embarked on independent research as a research scientist and a PI of a research group at LSTME in Germany, focusing on aptamer selection on a chip. Afterward, she had the opportunity to work as a Research and Grant Director and PI of Apta-dynamic Lab in Aptagen LLC.

Her scientific passion, research experiences with aptamers, and achievements in cancer research create a strong foundation for her future research programs, focusing on using aptamers and aptamer-based nanoparticles for personalized cancer diagnostics and treatment, as well as the development of photosensitizers for PCI.
Professional Organizations

Academic advisor and co-founder of Innovative Bioscience Group

Biosensor and Bioelectronic member

Editor of PRABHA Materials Science Letters

Royal Society of Chemistry, RCS Advances

Research Labs

Faculty research at IU School of Medicine is transforming health. Details about the medical research being conducted in faculty labs throughout IU School of Medicine are available in the Research section of this site.

Faculty Labs