MEMBERS
Silvia C. Formenti, MD
Principal Investigator
formenti@med.cornell.edu
Dr. Formenti received her medical degree in Italy from the University of Milan. She is board certified in medical oncology, radiology and radiation oncology. A recognized leader in radiation oncology and breast cancer research, Dr. Formenti’s groundbreaking work has transformed the paradigm in radiation biology, demonstrating the efficacy of combining radiotherapy with immunotherapy to control cancer cell growth in solid tumors. In combination with immune checkpoint blockade, focal radiotherapy can be used to recruit patients’ immune systems to reject their individual tumor, resulting in a form of personalized immunotherapy, specific for each individual patient. She has translated preclinical work into clinical trials in metastatic solid tumors like breast and lung cancer, and in brain metastases. She is currently leading six investigator-initiated clinical trials of immunotherapy and radiotherapy. A prolific researcher, Dr. Formenti has published more than 250 papers recognized by high-impact journals including Nature Medicine, JAMA, Lancet Oncology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In 2019, she was honored to receive the ASTRO Gold Medal.
Jeffrey Kraynak
Laboratory Supervisor
jek2102@med.cornell.edu
Jeffrey Kraynak was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from John Carroll University and worked for four years at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Molecular Cardiology. He spent two years in Chicago working in the Department of Rheumatology at Northwestern University and moved to New York City in June 2009, where he joined the Department of Biochemistry at NYU and later worked in a Pulmonary Function Clinic at Bellevue Hospital. Jeffrey joined the Department of Radiation Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine in June 2015, where he assists with numerous aspects of laboratory research and management. Mr. Kraynak is also an accomplished author, screenwriter, and filmmaker.
Fabiana Gregucci
, MD.
Dr. Gregucci earned her Doctor of Medicine and Surgery, Master's in Biostatistics, and completed her residency in Radiation Oncology from the University of Padua, Italy. After completing her training, she joined Regional General Hospital F. Miulli - Bari (Italy), where she has been engaged in both clinical and research activities. Dr. Gregucci is an expert in breast cancer, central nervous system cancer, and stereotactic radiotherapy. She was an executive board member of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) study group for Breast Cancer and Central Nervous System. In 2017, she was awarded an AIRO Scholarship for an international training project and completed the training program on Radiomics Research at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Texas, USA). During the last years, she developed deeply interest and skills in clinical research following several projects and finalizing data publication. Since 2022, under the mentorship of Dr. Formenti, Dr. Gregucci has advanced her expertise as a Fellow in Radiation Oncology, honing her skills in clinical and translational research. Her work primarily focuses on radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and the immune system's response to cancer. Dr. Gregucci now plays a pivotal role in Dr. Formenti's clinical research initiatives and is responsible for overseeing the clinical trial office.
Aaron Berliner, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Dr. Aaron J. Berliner joins Weill Cornell Medicine as a research associate in the Department of Radiation Oncology under Dr. Silvia Formenti and collaborating with Dr. Chris Mason to study the effects of space radiation on biological systems. Before this role, Dr. Berliner was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also served as the inaugural lecturer in the university's Aerospace Engineering program. Additionally, he played a pivotal role as the lead coordinator of the NASA-funded Space Technology Research Institute (STRI) CUBES (Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space). He earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering under Dr. Adam Arkin and his M.S. in Nuclear Engineering under Dr. Lee Bernstein at UC Berkeley in 2022. His academic journey began at Boston University, where he studied biomedical engineering and synthetic and systems biology. Dr. Berliner’s career started at NASA Ames Research Center, where he worked with Dr. John Hogan and Dr. John Cumbers on projects in 3D printing, bioelectrochemistry, and astrobiology. In 2013, he joined the Life Sciences group at Autodesk Research in San Francisco, contributing to groundbreaking work in bioprinting, software engineering, synthetic virology, and DNA origami. Driven by his passion for space exploration, he returned to academia as an NSF Graduate Fellow, helping to establish CUBES. Dr. Berliner contributed to the emerging field of Space Bioprocess Engineering (SBE), which applies bioengineering principles to develop biotechnologies for long-term space missions. His contributions include extending life support cost metrics and conducting technoeconomic analyses of Lunar and Martian missions. He has focused on designing biomanufactory-driven reference mission architectures for human exploration of Mars, providing space agencies with parametric designs that address mission requirements and operational considerations. These efforts encompass advanced life support systems, biological and chemical manufacturing, and in situ resource utilization (ISRU), helping to pave the way for sustainable human presence in space.
