Laboratory Alumni

Stefanie Lesch

Post-Doctoral Fellow
 stefanie.lesch@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Matias Porras Paniagua, PhD

PhD Student, Bioengineering
 matiasp@seas.upenn.edu

Kimberly Veliz, PhD

PhD Student, Gene Therapy and Vaccines
 kveliz@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Tyler Hansen

M.S. Student, Bioengineering
 hansent@seas.upenn.edu

I earned my B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University in May 2022, where I completed a senior thesis regarding the improvement of CAR T manufacturing and processing through perfusion and selection under Dr. William Kelly. Following my graduation, I completed my M.S.E. in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania in December 2023, where I began working as a research specialist under Dr. Saar Gill focusing on a novel engineered cytokine to selectively stimulate CAR T cells in vivo. I am particularly interested in improving the safety and efficacy of adoptive cell therapies through gene editing and combination therapies. I am well-versed in flow cytometry as well as whole blood processing and basic cell culture.

Darryl Sams

Research Specialist
 darryl.sams@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

I received my B.S. in Biology, with a minor in sociology, from Morehouse College in May of 2023, with the distinct honor of being a Co-Valedictorian. Upon graduation, I began working as a research specialist under Dr. Saar Gill and Dr. Nathan Welty researching improving CAR-macrophage persistence using CD33-engineered hematopoietic stem cells to treat solid-tumor cancers. My tasks were, primarily, the detection of chimeric antigen receptors in myeloid cells and macrophages by target locus PCR amplification.