Dr. Nikki Lytle, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Lytle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology with appointments in the MCW Cancer Center and Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology. She serves as Co-Director of the MCW Surgical Oncology Tissue Bank. Dr. Lytle completed her graduate work at the University of California San Diego where she focused on identifying signals that are critical for therapy-resistant pancreatic cancer cells. She then went on to join the Salk Institute for her postdoctoral fellowship where she studied how tissue injury can contribute to tumor initiation or progression to metastasis. Dr. Lytle was named a HopeFunds for Cancer Research Fellow in 2019 for her work in pancreatic cancer. She established her lab at MCW in 2022, joining the LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program. In 2025, she was selected as the AGA-Bern Schwarz Family Fund Research Scholar in Pancreatic Cancer.
Likes: Dogs, standup comedy, podcasts, goats, community outreach
Dislikes: Electric scooters
414-955-7589
Dr. Priyanga Jayakrishnan, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Jayakrishnan was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, India. She completed her bachelor’s degree at PSG College of Technology and master’s degree at Anna University. After graduating, she went on to earn her Ph.D. in cancer biology at the SASTRA University in the laboratory of Dr. Dipita Guha. While there, her work broadly focused on deciphering the molecular mechanisms that contributes to centrosomal dyshomeostasis in triple-negative breast cancer. In August 2023, Dr. Jayakrishnan joined the laboratory of Dr. Nikki Lytle at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a postdoctoral fellow. She is currently investigating how therapy-induced injury contributes to breast progression, and the contribution of liver-derived Midkine to pancreatic cancer liver metastasis.
Invited Speaker: Mechanisms & Models of Cancer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (08/2026)
MCW Cancer Center Trainee Travel Award (08/2026)
Invited speaker: Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting (05/2026)
MCW Cancer Center Postdoctoral Fellowship, Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center (07/2025 to 07/2027)
Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Seed Grant for Postdocs (01/2025 to 01/2026)
Best Poster Presentation Award: MCW Graduate School Research Poster Session (10/2024)
Best Oral Presentation Award: MCW Postdoc Research Symposium (09/2024)
Likes: “Trouble”, Coffee, Forests & Mountains, Movie theater
Dislikes: Vegetables, odd numbers
Isabella Facchine
Doctoral Candidate, Year Four Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program Alumni Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Isabella graduated with a B.A. in Biological Sciences and a teaching certificate in Secondary Education in Biology in 2020 from University of Maryland - Baltimore County. Isabella went on to teach middle school science for a few years before transitioning to a clinical research role, assisting in the development of a liquid biopsy test to screen for cancerous biomarkers. In February 2024, Isabella joined the Lytle lab and is now researching how current standard-of-care practices influence distant metastatic sites and inform pro-metastatic niche formation. Since joining the Lytle Lab, Isabella has been selected for talks at institutional, regional, and national meetings, with one invited institutional talk. Isabella is also heavily involved with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program (IDP), sitting on the Student Ambassador’s Committee, engaging in new student recruitment, and recently matriculating off the IDP Onboarding Phase Committee.
Voted Best Poster: Annual Graduate Student Association Symposium, 03/2025
Recipient: MCW Graduate Student Association Travel Award (2025)
Recipient: MCW Cancer Center Travel Award (2025)
Likes: Running, emo music, creative expression with art, stickers, and hair
Dislikes: Being overly caffeinated and losing toenails
Alex Eng
Graduate Student, Medical Scientist Training Program
Alex graduated with a B.A. in Chemistry in 2022 from Marquette University in Milwaukee Wisconsin. He went on to work at Saint Luke's Emergency Department as a scribe prior to entering medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2024. Alex joined the Lytle Laboratory in December 2024 as a medical student and continued full-time through the Medical Student Summer Research Program (MSSRP). Inspired by the Lytle Lab, he applied internally to MCW’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) and was accepted in December 2025, officially joining as a PhD student. He currently studies modulating cellular states in triple negative breast cancer as well as membrane associated proteins required for pancreatic cancer liver metastasis.
Recipient: Dr. Michael J. Dunn Summer Research Poster Award, 09/2025
Likes: Coffee, dogs
Dislikes: Water, cats
Anna Bauer
Graduate Student
Anna graduated from St. Norbert College in Green Bay (go pack go) with majors in Biology (Biomedical Science) and Mathematics along with a minor in Chemistry in 2025. She initially became interested in precision medicine and cancer research through MCW's Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) in May of 2023. In May of 2024, Anna took part in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the Medical University of South Carolina, focusing on precision public health and implementation science. Anna joined the Lytle lab in February of 2026 and is researching the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts within the tumor microenvironment and the linkage between patient-derived organoids and matched therapies.
Likes: Running, her dog Boomer, ice cream, audiobooks, the morning, dad jokes
Dislikes: Thunderstorms, slow drivers, Styrofoam
Cole Peters
Research Technologist
Cole graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology in early May of 2025. While there he researched PDK1 and its role in the unfolded protein response using a yeast model. Shortly after graduation, Cole joined the Lytle Lab at MCW in late May of 2025. Since joining the Lytle Lab, Cole now specializes in pancreatic and breast cancer mouse models. Along with mouse models, he assists other lab members with their experiments such as dissociations, cell culture assays, bacteria work and putting a smile on their faces! In Cole’s free time, he enjoys playing video games, hanging out with friends, and watching movies or shows.
Likes: Horror, bees, fashion, men
Dislikes: Any weather exceeding 68°F & 40% humidity, men
Melissa Mena
Program Director, LaBahn Pancreatic Cancer Program
As the Pancreas Program Manager, Melissa oversees all aspects of our MCW Pancreatic Cancer Program's operations, from maintaining timelines to managing finances and ensuring research regulatory compliance. Her core responsibilities include developing and executing the annual program plans, budget management, contract execution, resource scheduling, and maintaining comprehensive databases. Melissa provides critical support to Dr. Lytle's laboratory as well as the MCW Surgical Oncology Tissue Bank. She also creates program materials, oversee event organization, and assist with stakeholder reporting. Through strategic planning, Melissa aims to drive the success and impact of our program.
Likes: Coffee, fantasy/sci-fi books, snowboarding, creative outlets
Dislikes: Unloading the dishwasher, cloudy days
414-955-1835
Surgical Oncology Tissue Bank
Co-Directors
Dave Seo, MD, Assistant Professor
Mohammed Aldakkak, MD, Assistant Professor
Nikki Lytle, PhD, Assistant Professor
Staff
Miriam Budithi, Clinical Research Coordinator I
Olive Guerra, Clinical Research Coordinator II
Jenny Grewal, Research Technologist III
Katelyn Bergmann, Research Technologist I
Lytle Lab Alumni
Research Technologists
Kai Liptow, Research Technologist II, 02/2023 –05/2025
Entered MCW M.D./Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program 06/2025
Masters Students
Omar Cortez-Toledo, Masters Student, Interdisciplinary Program, MCW, 02/2023 – 08/2025
Recipient, MCW Cancer Center Graduate Student Fellowship, 11/2023 – 07/2025
Undergraduate Students
Parnian Vakili, MCW-University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Joint Cancer Research Program, 10/2023 – 05/2026
Entered UW Milwaukee’s accelerated Master’s Program in Biomedical Sciences 06/2026
Voted best poster presentation: MCW Cancer Center Trainee Symposium, MCW, 05/2026
Selected speaker: MCW Cancer Center Trainee Symposium, MCW, 05/2026
Selected presenter: Wisconsin State Capital “Research in the Rotunda: Showcasing the Work of UW Undergraduates,” Madison WI, 03/2026
Recipient, Senior Excellence in Research Fellowship, 09/2025 – 05/2026
Voted best poster presentation: National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Pittsburgh PA, 04/2025
Recipient, MCWCC-UWM Undergraduate Research Grant, 06/2024 – 12/2024
Summer, Medical School, and Part-time Students
Tiffany Andohkow, MCW Medical School student, 04/2026 – 09/2026
Recipient, SAMS/MSSRP competitive research summer fellowship, 06/2026 – 08/2026
Andrew Lavin, MCW Medical School student, 10/2025 – 09/2026
Recipient, SAMS/MSSRP competitive research summer fellowship, 06/2026 – 08/2026
Myra Haider, Trinity University undergraduate student, Summer 2026
Troy Biermann, MCW Medical School student, 11/2024 – 09/2025
Voted best poster presentation: Medical Student Summer Research Day Poster Session, 09/2025
Recipient, SAMS/MSSRP competitive research summer fellowship, 06/2025 – 08/2025
Zaynab Iqbal, UW Madison undergraduate student, Summer 2025
Krisha Pakala, SUPREMES Brookfield Central High School program, Summer 2024, Spring 2025
Mariah Williams, Student-Centered Pipeline to Advance Research in Cancer Centers (SPARCC), Summer 2023
Brett Mueller, MCW Medical School student, Winter 2023