Experience

SQZ Biotechnologies

• United States
• Biotechnology Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Scientist - Project Lead

  • Nov 2019 - Present

  •Project: Directed differentiation of dopaminergic neurons from human iPSCs through microfluidic Cell Squeeze® delivery of multiple transcription factor mRNAs • Successfully generated dopaminergic neurons from iPSCs using Ascl1 self-amplifying RNA along with five transcription factor mRNAs as a potential cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease patients •Pioneered the use of the proprietary Cell Squeeze® technology to deliver Neurog2 mRNA into iPSCs to generate excitatory neurons as proof of concept •Joined as the first member of the regenerative medicine team and made key advances in engineering iPSCs and design of target mRNA to enable extended protein stability •Data generated was published in ISSCR conferences and was the key data for the $2M NIH SBIR Grant Show less



Brigham and Women's Hospital

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  • Jan 2017 - Nov 2019

  • Project: The contribution of chromosome 21 genes to Alzheimer’s disease risk in Down syndrome • Discovered that the chromosome 21 genes APP and DYRK1a each rescue the Alzheimer’s Disease-relevant phenotypes of elevated tau phosphorylation in Down syndrome iPSC-derived cortical neurons • Optimized and differentiated Down Syndrome iPSCs into neurons and astrocytes with Neurog2 and Dual-Smad inhibitors protocols • Generated multiple Down Syndrome iPSC lines with only two functioning copies of four (APP, DYRK1a, RCAN1, and SYNJ1) chromosome 21 genes using CRISPR-Cas9 methodology • Optimized high throughput measurement of lysosome and endosome number/size in human cortical neurons Show less



Northwestern University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  • Jun 2014 - Aug 2016

  • Project: Develop method to manipulate planarian stem cells • Independently established an electroporation protocol to deliver biomolecules into fluorescence-activated cell sorter-purified planarian stem cell populations • Extensive hands-on experience with planarian flatworm model organism maintenance and fluorescence-activated cell sorter for enrich planarian adult stem cells • Project: Develop method to manipulate planarian stem cells • Independently established an electroporation protocol to deliver biomolecules into fluorescence-activated cell sorter-purified planarian stem cell populations • Extensive hands-on experience with planarian flatworm model organism maintenance and fluorescence-activated cell sorter for enrich planarian adult stem cells