What is the goal of your lab?

We strive to uncover the mechanistic underpinnings of natural killer cell recognition of target cells in the context of cancer and viral infection, while engendering an environment that celebrates diversity, career development, and personal growth.

What kinds of experimental techniques can I learn in your lab?

As a translation immunology laboratory, our work comprises a wide variety of techniques ranging from molecular biology, biochemical assays, mammalian cell culture, virus production and infection, cell-based immunological assays, genetic engineering using lentiviral transduction and CRISPR/Cas9, humanized mouse model work, and processing and testing human samples.

What is it like to work in the lab?

Very fun! Even with the long, odd hours that high-level research entails, we believe that scientific research is a social activity—often peppered with humor—that should be fun and inspiring.

What support can I obtain for a future career in science and/or medicine in your lab?

We are eager to contribute to the next generation of future scientists and doctors by training individuals of diverse backgrounds and career stages in the art of translational immunology research. We support individuals pursuing higher degrees (MD, PhD, MD/PhD, etc.) or career trajectories within the realms of scientific research and/or healthcare.

What activities do you do outside of the lab?

As is essential for high-level creativity and productivity, we re-enforce the need for “extracurricular” activities that we enjoy in the form of social gatherings, sports/exercise, and group activities (go-carting, paintball, salsa dancing, etc.). We’d love to have new experiences with you!

What kind of work have you previously done and what influenced you to start a lab?

My previous research involved discovering novel ligands for NK-cell receptors implicated in human diseases such as HIV, developing humanized mouse models, and understanding immune responses to COVID-19 infection and vaccines. Clinically, I specialized in clinical pathology and transfusion medicine, which encompasses the field of cellular therapies against cancers. I am bridging my research experience and clinical expertise to create a translation immunology laboratory—focused on NK cells—supported by the incredible research environment within Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. In addition, I have personally always loved teaching and mentoring as well as engaging in open discussion of scientific discoveries, and so starting a lab in academia was a dream come true.

Why are NK cells the “best cells” for cellular therapy against cancer and infections?

Funny you would ask for our non-biased opinion about this subject. We believe NK cells are the “best cells” for cellular therapy because: (1) they can be given safely in the allogeneic setting, (2) they are the most hyper-specialized lymphocyte in cytotoxicity (killing), and (3) they will never betray you, that is, they will virtually never (a) attack healthy tissues, (b) support viral replication, or (3) undergo malignant transformation (unless they are inadvertently transformed by Epstein-Barr virus). We believe they are our best option as a cheaper, universal, “off-the-shelf” cellular therapy that can be made available to everyone.