Teams: Vandenberghe Lab
- Vandenberghe Lab > Vishwa Vachhani
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
Education: Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology (Atmiya University), P.G. Diploma in Bioinformatics (NV Patel College of Pure and Applied Life Science, CVM University), Currently pursuing a Master of Science in Biotechnology (Northeastern University)
Research Projects: I am currently engaged in developing a novel mouse model to study retinal degradation resulting from Fam 161a deficiency. Additionally I am actively involved in conducting sectioning and staining procedures as part of this project.
Research Interest: Gene Therapy, Gene Knockout, Vaccinology, Virology, Drug Discovery, Infectious Diseases, Bioinformatics
Career Ambition: Empowering lives through impactful biotechnological solutions, leveraging my passion and expertise to make meaningful contributions that address pressing societal challenges.
Awards & Honors: Understanding Cancer Metastasis (John Hopkins University), Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy (The University of Manchester), The Science of Stem Cells (American Museum of Natural History), Collaborated in a six-day E-workshop on National Competitive examinations, organized by Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission, Represented my college by participating in a two-day international webinar on biotechnological advancements of the 21st century, Engaged in National Seminar on recent trends in system biology and Omics Technology
vvachhani@meei.harvard.edu

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
- Vandenberghe Lab > Paige Osborn
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
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

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- 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
hliu41@meei.harvard.edu

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- 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.
jdoshi1@meei.harvard.edu

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- 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
mflorea@g.harvard.edu
Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- Vandenberghe Lab > Reynette Estelien
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
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

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- Vandenberghe Lab > Julio Sanmiguel
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
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
julio_sanmiguel@meei.harvard.edu

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- Vandenberghe Lab > Urja Bhatt, MS
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
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
urja_bhatt@meei.harvard.edu

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
- Vandenberghe Lab > Anil Chekuri, PhD
Anil Chekuri, PhD
Investigator
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

Vandenberghe Lab Team
Luk H. Vandenberghe, PhD
Director (on leave)
Nerea Zabaleta, PhD
Investigator
Urja Bhatt, MS
Lead Research Lab Tech
Julio Sanmiguel
Lead Research Lab Tech
Reynette Estelien
Lead Research Lab Tech
Michael Florea
PhD Candidate
Jiten Doshi, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Huachun Liu, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Paige Osborn
Program Coordinator
Vishwa Vachhani
Student Intern
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.
nerea_zabaletalasarte@meei.harvard.edu
