Nina Lukinova, Ph.D.

Dr. Nina Lukinova reviews correlative science aspects in CTEP-sponsored early phase clinical trials with the specific focus on biomarkers for immunotherapy. She performs as an active member of Biomarker Review Committee and multiple working groups and research projects on biomarkers in cancer drug development.  Dr. Lukinova also provides site visits to monitor the regulatory compliance of the laboratories and biorepositories engaged in the CTEP-sponsored Precision Medicine clinical trials.  

Prior to joining CDP in 2016, she served as an Associate Director in a private biotech company holding responsibilities in product development for clinical diagnostics.  She led a CLIA-certified contract service laboratory, where she validated quantitative clinical assays for highly specific biomarkers in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and for monitoring levels of 5-fluorouracil in plasma, developed and filed a patent on a new diagnostic assay for Lyme disease, led proof-of-principle studies for an assay to detect blood levels of new oral anticoagulants.  Her Ph.D. thesis on early mechanisms of blood coagulation had included clinical assay development to detect pathologies in blood clotting and fibrinolysis.  After completing her postdoctoral training in molecular genetics at The University of Pennsylvania and publishing her findings in Nature and Genetics, she has transitioned to biotech industry with the focus on clinical assay development under different platforms and technologies.

Selected Publications

• Lukinova N., Song X., Macomber P., White J.A. (2015) Composition and Methods for the Diagnostics of Lyme Disease (International Patent Publication Number WO 2016/049148 A1). 
• Sabin L.R., Zhou R., Gruber J.J., Lukinova N., Bambina S., Berman A., Lau C.K., Thompson C.B., Cherry S. (2009) Ars2 Regulates Both miRNA- and siRNA-Dependent Silencing and Suppresses RNA Virus Infection in Drosophila. Cell, 138(2):340-351.
• Shelly S., Lukinova N., Berman A. and Cherry S. (2009) Autophagy Is an Essential Component of Drosophila Immunity Against Vesicular Stomatitis Virus. Immunity, 30(4):588-598. 
• Lukinova N., Roussakova V., Fortini, M.E. (1999) Genetic Characterization of Cytological Region 77A-D Harboring the Presenilin gene of Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics, 153:1789-97. 
• Ye Y., Lukinova N., Fortini M.E. (1999) Neurogenic Phenotypes and Altered Notch Processing in Drosophila Presenilin Mutants. Nature, 398:525-529.