Education Background: M.S Chemical Engineering, Arizona State University.
B.S Chemical Engineering, MIT-WPU Pune

Research Projects: AAV Production and NGS Library Preparation

Research Interest: AAV and CRISPR-Cas9 associated Gene Therapy

Career Ambition: Gene Therapy Scientist

Awards and Honors: Engineering Graduate Fellowship, The Master’s Opportunity for Research in Engineering

sbrahmankar@meei.harvard.edu

Education Background:

• M.D., National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
• Ph.D., Program in Molecular Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan

Research Interest: Gene Therapy, Inherited Neurodegenerative Diseases, Inherited Optic Neuropathy and Retinopathy

Career Ambition: Apply gene therapy to optic neuropathy and retinopathy in various conditions

Memberships: 

• Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology
• Ophthalmologic Society of Taiwan

hcheng11@meei.harvard.edu

Education Background: BS in Biotechnology; PhD in Biology, Texas Tech University

Research Projects: Identify modulators that can alter the capability of a cell to produce AAV vectors.

Research Interest: AAV manufacturing, Gene therapy.

Career Ambition: Advancing medicine through genomic technologies for the benefit of individuals and society.

yning3@meei.harvard.edu

Education: Bachelor’s in Health Sciences, Minors in Psychology and Chemistry

Research Interest: Stem Cell Therapy, Neurodegenerative Diseases

Career Ambition: Lab Coordinator

Awards & Honors: Dean’s List (all years of college)

mchagnon2@meei.harvard.edu

Education Background: B.S. Health Science Studies from Quinnipiac University

Career Ambition: Continue to explore and pursue opportunities in Healthcare Administration

posborn@meei.harvard.edu

Education: Bachelors and Masters in Biotechnology, Doctoral degree in Synthetic Biology

Research Projects: I am undertaking the existing challenge associated with the manufacturing of AAV vectors by adopting a synthetic biology approach in engineering the key molecular determinants.

Research Interest: Gene Therapy, Synthetic Biology, DNA/RNA therapeutics, Viral vectors development/engineering

Career Ambition: Development of genetic medicines while using the principles of synthetic biology

Awards & Honors: Scholarships for both Masters and Bachelors studies from the respective educational institutions.

jdoshi1@meei.harvard.edu

Education: BS in Biological Sciences/Biotech, University of Massachusetts Lowell, RALAT Certified, Certificate in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Boston University

Research Project: Gene Therapy

Research Interest: Gene therapy and drug discovery

Career Ambition: To further my study in Animal Research and Epidemiology

Membership: Member of New England Branch for American Association of Laboratory Animal Sciences (NEBAALAS)

reynette_estelien@meei.harvard.edu

Anil Chekuri, PhD, has been focused on understanding the molecular bases of Inherited Retinal Degenerations (IRDs) and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). He aims to investigate key molecular pathways underlying several forms of retinal dystrophies and development of therapeutic targets to rescue retinal function. His research also focuses on the development of novel Adeno Associated Viral (AAV) vectors with improved retinal tropism and efficacy for therapeutic delivery suitable for translational studies. Dr. Chekuri is currently working to develop gene therapy for various forms of retinal disorders.

achekuri@mgh.harvard.edu

Nerea Zabaleta, PhD, is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her research lab forms part of the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, USA, and of the Ocular Genomics Institute. She received a PhD degree in biomedical research from the University of Navarra, Spain, in 2018. She has a strong background in translational gene editing and gene therapy for inherited liver metabolic disorders as well as preclinical development of vaccines. Her laboratory aims at developing and optimizing adeno-associated viral vector (AAV)-based therapies for inherited and infectious disorders. Her goal is to create custom AAV vectors that adequate to the needs of each disease and target specific cell types rather than specific organs, creating more effective and safer therapies. Her work has been published in high impact journals, and she is inventor of two patents, including an AAV-based vaccine platform. Additionally, she is a board member of ECUSA (Spanish Scientist in the USA, non-profit) and volunteers her time to advocating for inclusion and gender equity.

nerea_zabaletalasarte@meei.harvard.edu

Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in Boston, MA, USA. He directs the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, USA, a part of the the Ocular Genomics Institute, a bench to bedside research program to study, diagnose, and develop treatments for diseases of the eye.

He received a degree in cellular and genetic engineering from the University of Leuven, Belgium. His previous work led to the discovery of novel AAV serotypes such as AAV9, novel insights into AAV structure-function, and vector immunobiology. His laboratory aims to gain a deeper understanding of mechanisms of gene transfer, to develop technologies to overcome hurdles to gene therapy clinical applications, and to translate specific gene therapy programs in vision, hearing, and other fields. Recent studies leverage structural and evolutionary information on AAV as a starting point for the rational design of synthetic viral vector systems, a first generation of which is referred to as AncAAVs which are now progressing to the clinic for a number of indications. Dr. Vandenberghe previously co-founded GenSight Biologics and Akouos. He also is a founder, board member, and advisor to Odylia Therapeutics, a non-profit catalyzing translation for gene therapies within the challenging field of ultra-rare disorders. Dr. Vandenberghe has over 50 peer reviewed publication and more than a dozen licensed patents, mostly related to gene therapy methods, technologies, and applications.

luk.vandenberghe@gmail.com