Memorial Hospital Research Laboratories

The Viviane Tabar Lab

Research

Pictured: Viviane Tabar
Viviane Tabar, MD

I am a neurosurgeon-scientist and Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. I have clinical expertise in the surgical management of brain tumors such as complex gliomas, meningiomas, and skull base tumors.

The lab is focused on two major themes: harnessing the potential of human pluripotent stem cells for brain repair and tumor modeling and studying glioma biology with a focus on tumor cell heterogeneity and the microenvironment.

View Lab Overview

Research Projects

Tabar Lab

Featured News

Lorenz Studer and Viviane Tabar
Upcoming Clinical Trial Will Test New Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease in Humans
Study will be the first clinical trial testing an investigational stem cell therapy aimed at restoring lost brain cells called neurons in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD).
In the Lab
Fibrous extensions of a nerve cell (red) and an oligodendrocyte (green) growing on top of the nerve cell
Can Stem Cells Be Taught to Repair a Radiation-Damaged Brain?
In a recent study, Memorial Sloan Kettering scientists used stem-cell engineering to repair brain injuries in rats. The results raise hope for future therapies that could prevent or fix nerve damage in cancer patients who need brain radiation.
In the Lab
Pictured: Viviane Tabar
Investigators Use Stem Cells to Study Rare Pediatric Brain Tumors
Investigators have created the first-ever genetically engineered model of cancer made from human embryonic stem cells in culture.

View All Featured News

Publications Highlights

Berlin C, Lange K, Lekaye HC, Hopland K, Phillips S, Piao J, Tabar V. Long-term clinically relevant rodent model of methotrexate-induced cognitive impairment. Neuro Oncol. 2020 April 2; 22(8): 1126-1137PMCID: PMC7594568.

Dincer Z, Piao J, Niu L, Ganat Y, Kriks S, Zimmer B, Shi S, Tabar V, Studer Let al. Specification of functional cranial placode derivatives from human pluripotent stem cells. Cell Rep. 2013;5(5):1387-1402.  PMCID: PMC3887225

Funato K, Major T, Lewis PW, Allis CD, Tabar V. Use of human embryonic stem cells to model pediatric gliomas with H3.3K27M histone mutation. Science. 2014 Dec 19;346(6216):1529-33. PMCID: PMC4995593

View All Publications

People

Pictured: Viviane Tabar

Viviane Tabar, MD

  • Physician-scientist Viviane Tabar focuses on stem cells as tools for brain repair and for modeling brain cancer.
  • MD, American University of Beirut
212-639-3006
Office Phone
View physician profile
Physician profile

Members

Kosuke Funato
Kosuke Funato
Senior Research Assistant
Jinghua Piao
Jinghua Piao
Senior Research Assistant
Zaki Abou Mrad
Postdoctoral Fellow
Nidia Claros
Research Lab Manager
Shkurte Ademi Donohue
Shkurte Ademi Donohue
Research Technician
Kelsey Hopland
Kelsey Hopland
Graduate Student
Lucia Ruiz Perera
Lucia Ruiz Perera
Research Fellow
Yanhong Yang
Yanhong Yang
Research Scholar
Kenny Kwok Hei Yu
Instructor, Dept. of Neurosurgery
Petrina Georgala
Research Associate
Tamara Major
Research Associate
Peter Morgenstern
Research Fellow
Ryan C. Smith
Ryan C. Smith
Scientist, Dopamine Cell Biology, at BlueRock Therapeutics, New York, NY
Rong Wang, PhD
Rong Wang
Research Associate
Ran Xu
Research Fellow
Leif Droms
Research Technician
Nigel Durham
Research Technician
Vladimir P. Bermudez, PhD
Vladimir P. Bermudez
Scientific Research Manager
Monalisa Navare
Monalisa Navare
Research Technician
Gabriel Duran Rehbein, MD
Gabriel Duran Rehbein
Research Fellow

Achievements

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs

Career Opportunities

Apply now

Postdoctoral Fellow

Apply now

Get in Touch

Disclosures

Members of the MSK Community often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community. These activities outside of MSK further our mission, provide productive collaborations, and promote the practical application of scientific discoveries.

MSK requires doctors, faculty members, and leaders to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public. Not all disclosed interests and relationships present conflicts of interest. MSK reviews all disclosed interests and relationships to assess whether a conflict of interest exists and whether formal COI management is needed.

Viviane Tabar discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Ajax Health
    Professional Services and Activities
  • American University of Beirut
    Fiduciary Role / Position
  • BlueRock Therapeutics
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Robeaute
    Professional Services and Activities

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2024 through disclosure submission in spring 2025). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.


View all disclosures