Staff & Faculty Directory

Tristen Wright, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical and Anatomical Sciences. He earned his B.S. in Biotechnology from Arkansas State University and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he trained in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and studied the molecular regulation of mitochondrial apoptosis by the BCL-2 family of proteins. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where his research focused on the biology of pediatric brain tumors.

Wright’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive pediatric brain tumors and identifying vulnerabilities that can be exploited for therapeutic development. His laboratory combines cell and molecular biology, cancer biology, protein biochemistry, proteomics, and genetic approaches to investigate how oncogenic proteins alter cellular signaling and survival. He focuses on how dysregulated apoptotic pathways contribute to tumor development and therapeutic resistance in pediatric brain tumors. His research ultimately aims to identify new therapeutic strategies that selectively target tumor cells while minimizing toxicity to the developing brain.