I am Dr. Egle Galdikaite-Braziene. I am a postdoc in the lab of Dr. Kinga Bujakowska, and my research goal is to contribute to the development of gene therapy strategies for large inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) genes. I am working on modeling IRD’s in zebrafish and cell cultures and using CRISPR/Cas9 based genome engineering techniques to assess the best strategies for gene therapies. At the iPS Research Lab I am working with Dr. Marcela Garita – Hernandez on modeling IRD’s in retinal organoids differentiated from patient derived and CRISPR/Cas9 edited iPS cell lines.
I am Dr. Hafiz Baig, a doctor in biotechnology and an enthusiastic of CRISPR. I have joined the iPSC research program in 2022 and I am also a postoc in Dr. Eric Pierce lab. I received my PhD in Biotechnology from The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan with Dr. Iqbal. My PhD research focused on defining the genetic causes of visual impairment in large consanguineous families from the highly inbred population of Southern Punjab region of Pakistan. I have identified the genetic causes of inherited retinal degeneration in several of these families. Then I moved to Switzerland to perform my postdoctoral training with Dr. Ansar at Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules-Gonin in Lausanne, working on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated exon skipping for the treatment of Cohen Syndrome. In the iPSC Research lab, I am working with Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez elucidating the mechanism of RNA Splicing Factor-dependent retinal degeneration in hiPSC-derived retinal organoids and RPE.
I am Rossano Michael Butcher and I am a Lead Research Technologist at the Ocular Genomics Institute. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Suffolk University in Boston, where I worked alongside Dr. Nolfo-Clements and observed the “Island Rule” and microevolution on white footed mice (Peromyscusleucopus) in the Harbor Islands of Boston. Since 2017, I have worked under the leadership of Dr. Qin Liu, whose work focuses on multiple approaches to treat inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) in which the genes are too big for conventional gene therapies. I am currently using the latest genome editing tools (traditional CRISPR-CAS9, Base Editing, and Prime Editing) to treat the most common mutations found in IRD patients, as well as testing novel nonviral delivery methods. In 2023, I joined the iPSC Research lab to generate cell lines harboring mutations of interest, to characterize and later validate my editing strategies and test new delivery methods.
I am Thibaud Metais, a Lead Research Technician in the IPS Research Laboratory of Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez. I come from Paris in France, where I graduated in 2020 with a Master of Science Research and Development major from Sup’Biotech Paris. During this time, I had the chance to work on different subjects such as brain organoid research with Dr. Frank Yates or neurodegenerative diseases in Theranexus. Since 2020, I have been working at the Institut Pasteur of Paris in the Stem cells and development unit of Pr. Shahragim Tajbakhsh. I worked alongside Dr. Barbara Gayraud-Morel on the identification of the effect of influenza infection on muscle stem cells and their niche. My scientific interests are mainly focused on iPSCs and organoids, but I always look forward to learning about new techniques and subjects all around me.
Having obtained his Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Biomedical Science from the Center for Stem Cell Research, Department of Biotechnology/Christian Medical College in India, Dr. Manian started working on iPSC and iPSC-derived cells back in 2008, with his doctoral research focusing on dissecting the molecular mechanisms involved in somatic cell reprogramming. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he underwent comprehensive training in the laboratory of Shinya Yamanaka at the CiRA in Japan, where he acquired expertise in generating clinical-grade iPSCs. During his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester, Dr. Manian was involved in the design and development of a tissue mimetic of the human retina utilizing iPSC-derived cells. His studies were focused on elucidating the specific contributions of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), choriocapillaris, and systemic factors in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other macular dystrophies using iPSC derived cells. His current interests includes high throughput functional phenotyping of DNA variants for the purpose of improving the genetic diagnosis of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), development of genome editing techniques for IRD and utilization of iPSC derived retinal organoids to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying these diseases.
I am Dr. Rodrigo Cerna-Chávez, a doctor in Biosciences from Newcastle University, UK and passionate about stem cells and retinal disease modeling. I did my Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Majlinda Lako focused on establishing pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal organoids and retinal pigment epithelium as a model system for drug screening in retinoblastoma. I recently started a postdoc position in Dr. Eric Pierce’s Lab conducting research on inherited retinal diseases. I joined the iPS Research Lab under the supervision of Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernández to determine how alternative splicing contributes to retinal disease utilizing hiPSC-derived retinal organoids and retinal pigment epithelium.
Alumni
Heran Getachew : Heran is currently working at Prime Editing as a Scientist II focusing on IPSC Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
I am Dr. Heran Getachew, a doctor in Biomedical Sciences who loves disease modeling. I received my Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Florida. My dissertation work focused on the intracellular trafficking and survival mechanisms of the oral bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis, within cardiovascular cells in the context of atherosclerosis. I completed my postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Eric Pierce at the Ocular Genomics Institute studying extracellular vesicles as biomarkers for inherited retinal degenerations. I also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Marcela-Garita-Hernandez on exciting projects involving retinal organoid differentiation derived from prime-edited hiPSCs for modeling inherited retinal diseases. This work led to my current role at Prime Medicine as a scientist focused on iPSC disease modeling.
Alba Ortega is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Neural Stem Cells and Brain Damage Group at University of Barcelona, Barcelona Spain
I am Dr. Alba Ortega, a doctor in Biomedicine in love with science and science dissemination! I conducted my doctoral thesis in Dr. Soriano’s laboratory at the University of Barcelona, working with neural stem cells to investigate adult neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity. During my years as a PhD student, I had the opportunity to carry out a research fellowship at the iPS Research lab under the supervision of Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez, where I developed and characterized retinal organoids from hiPSCs. Sounds good, right? Well, it’s even better! Since I had the opportunity to work with cutting-edge techniques to develop retina disease models and study retinogenesis!
Michael Scandura is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Genetics at Yale University, generating brain organoids using genetically modified hESCs to elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders.
I am Michael Scandura, a PhD Student at Yale University. I earned my bachelor’s degree in biology from Tufts University in 2018, after which I joined the Ocular Genomics Institute. Under the supervision of Dr. Eric A. Pierce, I helped identify the importance of DNA damage in the pathogenesis of NMNAT1-associated retinal degeneration and contributed to the development of a successful AAV-mediated gene therapy to treat the disease in a mouse model. To develop a better understanding of NMNAT1-associated disease, I was interested in learning how to work with hiPSCs and organoids. Under the supervision of Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez, I learned hiPSC culture techniques and how to apply gene editing to organoid models. This knowledge has been instrumental for the next stage of my career, as I am currently in a PhD program at Yale University investigating the mechanism of neurodevelopmental diseases using gene edited organoid models.
Nathan Ehrenreich is a Research Technologist in the Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
My name is Nathan Ehrenreich and I work as a Research Laboratory Technician II with Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez. In 2020, I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Vermont. During my time there, I also performed research on the binding capacities of truncated proteins that were linked with autism spectrum disorders. Much of my scientific foundation pertains to molecular cloning and transient transfection, and my research interests lie in iPSCs, CRISPR, and AAV technologies. I plan on eventually obtaining a PhD and starting my own research lab to further explore neurological disorders.
Hanmeng Zhang
I am Dr. Hanmeng Zhang. I obtained my Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin. My Ph.D. work focused on AAV-mediated gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases and the assessment of retinal function in various animal models using electroretinography and ocular imaging. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Eric Pierce’s lab at the Ocular Genomics Institute. My research centers on understanding the mechanisms behind NMNAT1-associated retinal degeneration and exploring potential therapeutic targets to prevent photoreceptor degeneration. I am also excited to work with Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez and learn about hiPS cell biology and retinal organoid models. Our projects involve identifying elusive genes responsible for retinal degeneration using patient-derived retinal organoids and determining the phenotype in retinal organoids generated from isogenic models of developmental retinal diseases.
Ha Eun Cho
I am a research technician at the Ocular Genomics Institute at MEEI, working under Dr. Jason Comander’s supervision. I graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in biology specializing in Cell, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. I have an interest in gene therapies for inherited retinal degeneration (IRD. With Dr. Marcela Garita-Hernandez’s help I am focusing on iPSC modeling to enhance my understanding of the pathogenicity associated with IRD.
