Teams: Vandenberghe Lab
- Vandenberghe Lab > Huachun Liu, PhD
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Education Background: BS in Agronomy, Zhejiang University, China; PhD in Molecular Biology, UCLA
Research Projects: Capsid engineering of AAV
Research Interest: Delivery method for gene therapy
Career Ambition: Develop translational products to benefit patients
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Jiten Doshi, PhD
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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.
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Michael Florea
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Education: BSc – Biology, Imperial College London, MSc – Biotechnology, ETH Zurich
Research Project: Engineering AAVs to study hematopoiesis and aging
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Cheikh Diop
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Education: BA in Biochemistry, Suffolk University, Boston, MA
Research Project: Building AAV capsid libraries
Research Interest: Gene therapy, Infectious diseases, drug discovery
Career Ambition: Gain more research experience while actively contributing to the research projects carried out at the Vandenberghe lab. Eventually pursue a PhD in molecular biology / biochemistry in graduate school
Membership: ACS
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Reynette Estelien
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
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)
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Julio Sanmiguel
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Education: B.Sc., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, U. of Miami; ALM, Biotechnology, Harvard Extension School (in progress)
Research Project: Quality Control, Vector Characterization, Nucleic Acid Quantification, Discovery Group
Research Interest: AAV Structure, Virology, Biology of Memory, Personal Medicine
Career Ambition: Ph.D. and long life learning
Membership: ASGCT
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Urja Bhatt, MS
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Education: MS Molecular and Cell Biology, B.Tech Biotechnology
Research Project: Use diverse molecular biology tools to perform cloning
Research Interest: Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology
Career Ambition:
- Short-term: Achieve excellence in practicing my education, skills and expertise in Molecular Biology & Bioanalytical techniques.
- Long-Term: Gain meaningful experience to work for betterment of society.
Awards and Honors:
- Awarded GOLD MEDAL & Merit Scholarship in Biotechnology for consistently outstanding performance, D.Y. Patil University, 2016.
- Accorded prestigious Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE), Gov. of India, 2011.
- Won Amul Vidya Bhusan award for academic excellence in science stream, 2011.
- Awarded Certificate of Honor and Memento by current Prime Minister of India, Shree Narendra Modi for participation in National Biodiversity Quiz, 2007
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Education Background: MHA, Boston College. B.S., Premedical and Health Studies, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Research interest: Virology
Career Ambition: Institution/system level research lab management, standardization and improved utilization of resources from both research and clinical fields.
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Anil Chekuri, PhD
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Research Projects: Translational gene therapy approach to treat retinal degenerative diseases
Research Interest: Broad research goal is to identify molecular mechanisms underlying retinal degeneration and thereby design therapeutic targets for treatment
Career Ambition: To evolve as an independent researcher in near future
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Vandenberghe Lab > Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
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.
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Jackson W. Lau, MHA
Senior Lab Manager
Urja Bhatt, MS
Senior Research Technologist
Julio Sanmiguel
Senior Research Technologist
Reynette Estelien
Research Technologist
Cheikh Diop
Research Technologist
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow