Current Lab Members
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Prajakta Ambegaokar
Education:
BS: Pharmacy, Charotar University of Science and Technology, India
MS: Pharmacology, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University, Worecester, MA
PhD: UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MAI will be working on engineering an AAV capsid specifically for efficient genomic editing of human T cells.
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Motahareh Arjomandnejad
Academic Role: PhD candidate
Education:
BSc: Cellular and Molecular Biology, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran
MS: Biotechnology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
PhD: Medical Biotechnology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran (2014-)
PhD: Immunology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA (2019-)A limiting factor in widespread application of gene therapy is the induction of an immune response. In systemic Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) gene therapy, there is an immune response to both the AAV vehicle and the introduced transgene. My project focuses on generation of chimeric antigen receptor regulatory T cells (CAR-Tregs) to suppress an immune response against AAV gene therapy and the introduced transgene.
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Meghan Blackwood
Academic Role: Research Associate IV
Education: BS - Biology, UMass Dartmouth
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Travis & Elisa
Academic Role: Lab Mascot
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Ashley Harkins
Academic Role: PhD candidate
Education:
BS - Drexel University
PhD - UMass Chan Medical School (2021-)Co-mentored by Dr. Robert Brown, MD, DPhil. Working on CAR Treg therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Focusing on alleviating pathological inflammation in the central nervous system.
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Acadia Kopec
Academic Role: Research Associate I
Education: BS - Biochemistry, Stonehill College
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Katelyn Sylvia
Academic Role: Lab Manager
Education: BA - Biology, College of the Holy Cross
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Amanda Tutto
Academic Role: Research Associate IV
Education:
BS - Animal Science, UCONN
MS - Animal Science, growth and physiology, UCONN