Investigators

Summary

1. Establishing novel experimental cell-based immunotherapies against human cancer. With my prior collaboration on developing an anti-ICAM1 CAR T against anaplastic thyroid cancer, I am interested in using and modifying the existing anti-ICAM CAR T (under FDA IND# 19291) as a novel therapy against multiple myeloma. Additionally, I am also interested in developing a mRNA CAR T program as a possible treatment modality against other malignancies under an industry sponsored research program.

2. Optimization of hematopoiesis and immune effector cells by vascular niche. My prior research efforts (Greenbaum A*, Hsu YM*, et al. Nature. 2013 *Equal contribution) have let to the discovery of tissue-specific niche factors that are critical for HSPC maintenance, expansion, and mobilization. In collaboration with Shahin Rafii at Weill Cornell Medicine, I am interested in investigating the effectiveness and the associated mechanism to expand human hematopoietic stem cells and and immune effector cells (e.g. cross-presenting dendritic cells) with modified human vascular niche.

3. Laboratory investigator for cell therapy based clinical trials at University of Pittsburgh and Hillman Cancer Center. As the Director of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Immunologic Monitoring and Cellular Products Laboratory (IMCPL), I am interested in serving as a Co-investigator and laboratory lead in enabling many cell-based IND clinical trials at UPMC.