LAB MEMBERS

Current Lab Members

Mohammad Rashidian
Principal Investigator, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Rashidian's research focuses on leveraging protein engineering to create novel imaging probes and immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. These imaging probes have the potential to aid in the diagnosis of challenging conditions like myocarditis or unexplained fevers. A specific area of interest is the development of immunotherapies aimed at guiding cellular therapies, such as CAR T or NK cells, toward the formation of enduring memory cells. Mohammad's multidisciplinary interests encompass immunology, imaging, protein engineering, and chemical biology. He initiated the lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the summer of 2019.

Taha Rakhshandehroo
ACS Postdoctoral Fellow
Taha is an American Cancer Society (ACS) postdoctoral research fellow that started on October 2019. He completed his Ph.D. at UC San Diego in the lab of Dr. David Cheresh. His previous work involved understanding the paracrine effects of the secretome of cancer stem cells. Taha is utilizing his molecular biology background in concert with our labs chemical biology and immunology specialty to develop novel immunotherapeutics and imaging agents.

Shreya Mantri
Harvard BBS PhD student
Shreya is a PhD student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD program at Harvard Medical School. She obtained her BSc in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles where she also worked as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Utpal Banerjee studying hematopoiesis in the Drosophila Melanogaster model system. After an internship experience in Ira Mellman's lab in the Cancer Immunology department at Genentech, she developed a keen interest in the field of cancer immunotherapy and hopes to devote her PhD to discoveries that will ultimately improve the lives of cancer patients.

Jenny Rowley
Harvard Medical Student
Jenny is a medical student at Harvard Medical School who is completing a research year focused on studying novel immuno-PET imaging markers through an HMS Research Fellowship. She obtained her BA from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master’s in Reproductive Science at Northwestern University, where she completed thesis work studying inflammatory changes in the aging ovary. In the future, she aspires to bring together her passion for research, women’s health and imaging as a radiologist with a focus on molecular imaging of women’s cancers. Outside the lab, she is a proud mom of a dog and over 100 plants (and counting!).

Ukjae Lee
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ukjae is a Sejong Fellowship postdoctoral research fellow who joined our lab in August 2023. He earned his Ph.D. from Seoul National University under the mentorship of Prof. Byung-Gee Kim. His prior research focused on the rational design of tyrosinase and its biomedical applications, including the development of photoactivatable tyrosinase and tyrosinase immobilization. In our lab, Ukjae leverages his expertise in protein engineering to develop innovative immunotherapies.

Soheil Tavakolpour
PhD Student
Soheil is a PhD student in Molecular Genetics. His primary research interest is in immunology, especially autoimmune disease. He has finished his MSc in IAU-Science and Research Branch, Tehran, and is currently a PhD student there. In the past few years, Soheil has published several papers mostly focusing on “pemphigus”, a devastating autoimmune disease. He is now working on developing novel treatments for autoimmune diseases.

Léa Berland
MD PhD Student
Léa is a student from the MD PhD French program INSERM. She finished her third year of medicine in Nice Sophia Antipolis Medical School and her Master in Immunology at La Sorbonne, University of Paris. She's currently doing her PhD in Dr Rashidian's lab. She previously completed a research internship to study the response of lung cancer patients to immunotherapy in Nice, France, before completing another internship in Dr. Calin's team at MD Anderson, Houston. To be at the heart of scientific discovery and at the cutting edge of medicine would be her dearest wish; with research, it is possible to excel in medical practice in order to provide the best care to patients.

Radia Khan
Research Technician
Radia performed her master’s thesis in our lab and subsequently joined as a research technician. Her interest in cancer research began during her internship at Helix in San Diego. She also gained experience at the Suter lab at EPFL, where she worked on developing cell lines to quantitatively study transcription factors. After engaging in immunology-related courses at EPFL, Radia realized that oncology and immunotherapy are the fields she wishes to dedicate her future to.
Just before joining our lab, she completed an innovative internship at HemostOD in Switzerland, where her team engineered platelets to express CAR and deliver therapeutics to specific cancers. Radia is enthusiastic about contributing to CAR-T cell projects in our lab and making a meaningful impact on patients' lives. Outside the lab, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking.

Harris Allen
Research Technician
Harris became a part of our lab during his second year at Harvard University in 2021. Following his graduation, he continued his journey with us as a research technician, with aspirations to attend medical school and specialize as a surgical oncologist. Beyond his academic pursuits, Harris holds the position of President at the Harvard Immunology Club, dedicates his time as an SAT tutor for the CHANCE organization, and actively participates in the Physician Mentoring Program. In his leisure moments, he finds joy in skiing, soccer, and lacrosse.

Leïla Munaretto
Research Technician
Leïla is a former graduate student who successfully completed her master's thesis in our lab. She holds a master's degree in life sciences engineering from EPFL University in Switzerland. Her journey with us began in April 2023 when she embarked on her master's thesis project. Her fascination with cancer biology and bioengineering was sparked during her undergraduate studies when she first encountered an oncology course. From that point forward, she has remained committed to developing innovative solutions in the fight against cancer.
Following the completion of her master's degree, Leïla made the decision to continue her work in our lab as a research technician while preparing her application for a PhD program. Outside of the laboratory, she enjoys various activities, including swimming, scuba diving, and traveling with her friends.

Martina Wecera
Research Technician
Martina joined our lab after earning her degree in Biochemistry from the University of La Plata in Argentina. Her dissertation focused on supervised machine learning classifier models for virtual drug screening. Previously, she participated in a summer research program at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, where she worked on the rational in silico design of antibodies using AI. Martina is passionate about leveraging protein design to advance the next generation of immunotherapies. In her free time, she enjoys visiting museums, dining out, and exploring the city of Boston.

Elodie Marcandalli
Graduate student
Elodie is a dedicated Life Sciences Engineering student from EPFL, currently conducting her master's thesis in the lab. Her studies have centered on immuno-oncology and immunotherapy, fueled by a passion for advancing cancer biology research. At the Barth lab at EPFL, she optimized engineered chimera binding to counteract CAR-T cell immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. She also completed a six-month internship at Merck, where she optimized the cell line development workflow for monoclonal antibody-producing cells. In the lab, she is focused on understanding the in vivo behavior of CAR T-cells. Elodie is highly motivated and enthusiastic about her project.

Prunelle Letang-Mathieu
Graduate Student
Prunelle is currently pursuing her master's degree in Life Science Engineering at EPFL University in Switzerland, specializing in cellular and molecular engineering. She is conducting her master's thesis in our lab. Her academic journey has fostered a keen interest in cancer biology and immunology, particularly in immunotherapies, which she has explored through coursework and lab immersions during both her bachelor's and master's studies. Prior to joining our lab, she gained valuable experience through a six-month internship at Incyte pharmaceutical, focusing on early clinical development.

Serena Lelouch-ferdinand
Graduate Student
Serena, a Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology student at EPFL University in Switzerland, is currently conducting her master's thesis research in our lab. Before joining us, she gained foundational experience through biotechnology lab work and pharmaceutical coursework, where she first encountered CAR T cell therapy—a field that has captivated her interest. Driven by her passion to contribute to this area, Serena previously interned at Roche in their Pharma Research and Early Development department.

Previous lab members:

Benjamin Louis
Graduate student and then Research Technician (2022-2024)
LinkedIn profile
Benjamin started his journey in our lab during his master's thesis at EPFL, where he excelled and achieved the highest score. Impressed by his dedication and skills, he chose to continue contributing to our lab as a research technician before starting his Ph.D. studies at the University Hospital of Zürich.

Ester Simkova
Graduate student (2023)
LinkedIn profile
Ester, a former Master's student in Life Sciences Engineering from EPFL University in Switzerland, conducted her master's thesis research in our lab, and achieved the highest score for her outstanding work. She has since continued her academic journey and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at EPFL.