FRANK UREÑA, PhDBiomedical Researcher • MD Candidate
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Cells make decisions.
Diseases become stories.
Medicine decides what
happens next.

PhD-trained biomedical researcher and MD candidate pursuing physician-scientist training in academic internal medicine, medical oncology, and translational cancer immunology.

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Scanning electron micrograph of a human T-cell showing the complex three-dimensional surface morphology with microvilli, membrane ruffles, and receptor-dense regions that characterize the immune synapse architecture.
Click + to zoom into T-cell surface details

Surface protrusions that expand the T-cell's sensing area — the physical prelude to antigen recognition and adhesion.

Chemical messages that steer immune behaviour: activation, memory, tolerance, or exhaustion.

The organised contact zone where a T-cell reads a target and commits to a response.

4Peer-Reviewed
Publications
2First-Author
Publications
HARVARDMEDICAL SCHOOL
MGH · 2022–2023
PhDMolecular Biosciences
& Bioengineering
MDExpected 2028
Nature BiomedicalEngineering /
JBC First-Author
Latest MD candidacy in progress · Nature Biomedical Engineering publication · First-author JBC paper · Pursuing academic internal medicine / oncology residency for 2027–2028 cycle.

Research Platforms

Gold T-cell surface T-Cell BiologyT-cell activation, signaling, and functional plasticity. Fluorescence microscopy in red and blue Cancer ImmunologyTumor–immune interactions and immunotherapy response. Scanning electron micrograph of blood cells Translational SystemsFrom mechanism to medicine through systems approaches.

Training Arc

Pathology at Lahey Clinic grounded the research arc in disease morphology, diagnostics, and clinical context.

Residency & Career Direction

Academic Medicine.
Discovery. Patient Impact.

  • Academic Internal Medicine
  • Hematology / Oncology
  • Physician-Scientist (PSTP-Style Track)
Explore Career Vision
Adaptive systems
Signal • response • motion
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