Past Lab Members

Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Alameh received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Montreal, and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Polytechnique Montreal. His thesis work focused on understanding the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters affecting chitosan-siRNA nanoparticle macromolecular properties and their effect on in vitro, and in vivo efficacy; a work that has led to better understanding of chitosan-nucleic acid design principles. Dr. Alameh joined the laboratory of Dr. Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2018, where he lead multiple vaccine projects as well as projects to better understand the interaction of lipid nanoparticles with the immune system. Dr. Alameh is also involved in the development of novel proprietary lipids, adjuvants and display strong interest in mRNA construct optimization.

Dr. Alameh is Co-Director of the Engineered mRNA Core.

Izzy Bergeron

Summer Intern, 2024

Izzy Bergeron interned at the Weissman Lab in the summer of 2024, following her graduation from Morristown (N.J.) High School. During her time at the lab, she focused on learning laboratory skills, and furthering her understanding of RNA synthesis. Izzy is now attending the University of Alabama in the Honors College program. She intends to major in mechanical engineering as part of an accelerated bachelor's/master’s program.

Goutham Bojja, B.S.

Graduate Student

Goutham Bojja received his B.S. in Pharmacy from GITAM University, India in 2020.  During his undergraduate program, his research was focused on improving the bioavailability of Naproxen using various cyclodextrins.  Goutham's research interest in the field of biomaterials led him to take up the master’s program in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania.  Upon beginning his studies at Penn, he developed an interest in the field of genetic engineering and vaccine development. With the direction of Drs. Mohamad Gabriel-Alameh and Istvan Tombacz, he is worked on the space of genetic engineering, mRNA production, and LNP formulation for vaccines.

Wendy Bonilla-Acosta, M.S.

Research Specialist

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Wendy Bonilla-Acosta received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University. During her time as an undergraduate student, Wendy researched sexual dimorphism and sexual selection in D. melanogaster (fruit flies) and C. maculatus (bean beetles). After graduation, Wendy attended Rowan University and received her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences.  

In October 2021, Wendy joined the Weissman Lab under the supervision of Dr. Xiomara Mercado-Lopez and worked on vaccine development against viral diseases such as Influenza and Flaviviruses.  

Alicia Costábile, M.S., Ph.D.

Short-term Intern
Dr. Alicia Costábile received her B.S. in Biochemistry from Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República (Uruguay) and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from PEDECIBA and Universidad de la República. She has extensive experience in molecular parasitology, working on the characterization of candidate genes to control flatworm infections. She also specialized in next-generation sequencing and data analysis. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on the transcriptomic analysis of flatworm stem cells. In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, she joined the Laboratory of Experimental Evolution of Virus at Institut Pasteur Montevideo and the Laboratory of Molecular Virology at the Faculty of Sciences, for the development of a national RT-qPCR diagnostic kit. In 2021 she joined the Center for Innovation in Epidemiological Surveillance (CiVE) where she is responsible for developing and fine-tuning of molecular and sequencing strategies to detect emerging pathogens in the context of One Health approach. In addition, she has been one of the people in charge of Uruguay’s SARS-CoV2 genomic surveillance program. She is currently working in the development of mRNA vaccines against neglected arbovirus and is also a Research assistant of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Sciences. She joined Dr. Weissman lab for a short-term internship in 2023.

Thomas Egwang, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Thomas Egwang  has a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM)  degree from Makerere University in Uganda.  He completed his M. Sc. and Ph.D.  degrees in Parasitology and Immunology at University of Guelph and McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, respectively. Following postdoctoral training in molecular biology at Case Western Reserve University and University of California, Berkeley /Naval Biosciences Laboratories, he joined Centre Interdisciplinaire  de Recherches Medicales de Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon in Central Africa as Directeur de Recherche where he conducted immunological and molecular studies of loaisis and onchocerciasis, two filarial helminth diseases endemic in Central and West Africa. With a TDR/World Health Organization Career Development Grant, he pivoted to malaria and returned to Uganda where he co-founded Med Biotech Laboratories (MBL), a non-government biomedical laboratory whose major focus has been malaria  research and capacity building.  MBL made significant contributions to the development of a malaria blood stage vaccine BK-SE36 in collaboration with Osaka University. During a brief hiatus between 2007 and 2009, he obtained an MBA from ESAMI/Maastricht University and was Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences based in Kenya.  Dr. Egwang  joined the Weissman Lab August 2024 to April 2024 as a visiting scholar with the goal of  gaining hands-on experience in making mRNA-LNPs  and establish collaborations in capacity building and the application of mRNA-LNPs to endemic diseases in Uganda.

Fiona Feng

Student Worker, Summer 2024

Fiona Feng is an undergraduate student at Brandeis University studying neuroscience on the pre-med track. She joined the Weissman Lab as a summer student in May 2024 under the mentorship of Dr. Ted Kreider.  She worked on projects to investigate methods of increasing mRNA yield and HIV vaccine development

Victoria Gribman, B.A.

Student Intern

Victoria Gribman graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in Health Care Management from Wharton. While at Penn, Victoria conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Elena Atochina-Vasserman investigating the efficient delivery of mRNA and the generation of an mRNA vaccine for norovirus. Victoria is currently working as a strategy consultant in the life sciences.

Yuchen Jiang, B.S.

Student Worker

Yuchen Jiang is a master student in biotechnology at Penn Engineering. He completed his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering/biology from the joint program of Southwest Jiaotong University and Georgia State University. Yuchen worked in Dr. Weissman's lab November 2023 to May 2024 under the guidance of Dr. Yi-Kan Pan and Dr. Garima Dwivedi, focusing on vaccine efficacy detection.

Margaret Lippincott, M.S.

Research Specialist

Margaret earned her B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Drexel University in 2015 and M.S. in Genomics from St. Joseph's University in 2022. Prior to joining the Weissman lab, she worked at CHOP for 5 years as a technician while supporting research and working on mouse models of lysosomal storage diseases and gene therapy, including validating one of the new mouse models.

Blake Lippman

Student Worker

Blake Lippman is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania studying Neurobiology and International Relations, pursuing a Pre-Med track. Blake worked in  Dr. Weissman’s lab during his freshman, sophmore and junior years, under the guidance of Dr. Xiomara Lopez. Long term, he aspires to work on research that advances therapeutic development for rare disease in an industry or clinical research atmosphere.

Hiromi Muramatsu, Ph.D.

Senior Research Investigator

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Dr. Hiromi Muramatsu received his B.S. from the Tokyo University of Science in Tokyo, Japan in Chemistry in 1989. He earned his doctorate in Veterinary Science from the Nippon Veterinary and Life Sciences University in Tokyo, Japan in 2004 under the tutelage of Professor Kazuaki Takahashi. His thesis work focused on the role of superoxide anions during experimental cerebral ischemia using an MCA technique in rats. Dr. Muramatsu was a researcher at the Nippon Medical School in the laboratory of Professor Katayama from 1983-2001. In this role he became an expert in generating and characterizing focal ischemia in rats. He joined the laboratory of Dr. Frank Welsh in 2001 to continue his research in ischemia. He was an NRSA Post doc from 2004-2005 and trained under Dr. Katalin Kariko in molecular biology techniques focusing on RNA therapies. He worked with Drs. Kariko and Weissman through 2013, studying the effect of non-immunogenic mRNA on erythropoietin levels in mice. He joined BioNTech SE in 2013 with Dr. Katalin Kariko to starting up the mRNA Division, where they continued the work initiated at the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to the University of Pennsylvania in the laboratory of Dr. Drew Weissman in 2016. Working with Drs. Weissman and Norbert Pardi, his work focused on protein replacement therapies and mRNA vaccines.

Tyler Ellis Papp, B.S.

Research Specialist

Tyler Ellis Papp earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Anthropology from Drexel University in 2016. While enrolled, he was a research intern at Fox Chase Cancer Center, under the mentorship of Dr. Jose Russo, M.D./F.A.C.P. At Fox Chase, Tyler investigated functions of long non-coding RNAs in the context of parity-induced breast cancer prevention in postmenopausal years. After graduating from Drexel, Tyler joined the laboratory of Dr. Jean Bennett, M.D./Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, who pioneered Luxturna, the first ever FDA-approved Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) based gene therapy in 2017, which ultimately cured genetic blindness for those who suffered from Leber Congenital Amaurosis. As a research specialist in Dr. Bennett’s lab, Tyler contributed significant experimental data to support industry-sponsored Pre-IND studies for other AAV-based gene therapies in multiple retinal degenerative diseases with the aim to advance to the clinic.

In April 2020, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Drew Weissman, as a research specialist to focus on novel cell-specific targeting projects and efficient delivery of mRNA-LNPs. Under the mentorship of Assistant Research Professor Dr. Hamideh Parhiz, Tyler’s continued research efforts help elucidate the expanded translational application of the mRNA-LNP therapeutic platform for multiple injuries and diseases. In the future, Tyler plans to advance his research career through graduate studies in gene therapy and immunology.

 

Norbert Pardi, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Medicine

Hamideh Parhiz, PharmD, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr. Parhiz is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  Her research is mainly focused on developing a new generation of targeted mRNA-LNP therapeutics for a variety of non-vaccine applications such as acute inflammatory conditions, fibrosis, and cancer.  She received her PharmD/Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Mashhad, Iran, where she developed optimized Polyethyleneimine-based carriers for gene delivery.  She joined Dr. Muzykantov’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania as a NIH T32 postdoctoral fellow in 2016 before joining Dr. Weissman’s lab in 2018.  Her work has resulted in the publication of more than 40 papers and patents.  Dr. Parhiz and her team’s main research goal is to provide safe and effective mRNA therapeutics for acute and chronic pathological complications.

Alexander Percec

Student Worker, Summer 2024

After graduating from the Haverford School, Alexander Percec joined the Weissman lab in the summer of 2024. During his time at the lab, he focused on RNA synthesis, cell culture, and animal studies. Following this, Alex is going on to pursue further education at the University of Richmond where he is aiming to integrate his interests in Health/Medicine and Business. His time at the Weissman lab undoubtedly provided a strong foundation for his future pursuits.

Matthew Pine, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Candidate & Postdoctoral Fellow

Matthew Pine received his B.S. in 2018 from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he double majored in Biology and Theology.  He joined the Weissman lab to pursue his passion for vaccine development that was fostered through his internship experiences with Merck and Co.  Matthew received his Ph.D. from The University of Pennsylvania is 2023, under the co-mentorship of Drs. Drew Weissman and Norbert Pardi.   His thesis work focused on developing a universal, prophylactic vaccine for Lyme disease utilizing the mRNA-LNP platform.  Matthew's postdoctoral work in the lab was on vaccine projects for SARS-CoV2 and universal influenza as well as studying immune responses to lipid nanoparticles.  

Bryn V. Queeley, M.S.

Research Specialist

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Bryn Queeley received her B.S. from Rowan University with a degree in Biochemistry. Shortly after graduation she pursued a Master’s degree in Bioengineering from Temple University. Bryn is now aspiring to be a medical scientist, similarly, to her supervisor Dr. Elena Atochina-Vasserman, with whom she studies mRNA synthesizing and vaccine development. Bryn joined the Weissman lab November 2021.

Erin Reagan, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Candidate

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Dr. Reagan completed her undergraduate studies at Hofstra University in New York in 2015, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Biochemistry with a minor in Mathematics. While at Hofstra, Erin conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Scott Lefurgy, Ph.D. Her thesis work involved probing the mechanism of antibiotic-resistant mutations in FOX-4 cephamycinase and the functional differences between variants of octopine dehydrogenase found in Argopecten irradians.

Upon beginning her studies at Penn, Erin’s strong interest in the development of vaccines and therapeutics led her to the Weissman Lab, as well as to the lab of Dr. Katharine Bar, who co-mentor her.  In the Weissman Lab, Erin worked on the development of mRNA vaccines for protection against infectious diseases.  

Daniel Rodriguez

Research Specialist

Hamna Shahnawaz,B.A.

Research Specialist

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Hamna Shahnawaz received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Bryn Mawr College in 2018. She joined the Weissman lab in the summer of 2017 as a CTSA-TRIP awardee. Under the supervision of Dr. Weissman, she worked on a project improving the efficiency of mRNA translation through molecular modifications, and later continued this project as her undergraduate thesis. Following her graduation, Hamna joined the lab full-time as a research specialist and contributed to projects to refine LNP delivery and explore the non-vaccine applications of mRNA-LNPs. Hamna also produced in vitro transcribed mRNA for lab members and collaborators, and provided training to lab personnel on mRNA production until 2021.

Adam Sirusas, B.A.

Research Specialist

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Adam Sirusas received his B.A. in Biomathematics from Rutgers University, New Brunswick in May 2020. While completing his degree, Adam helped investigate the molecular ecology of bats regarding the fungal pathogen P. Destructans, as well as how climate change affects gene expression in coral.

After a handful of temporary COVID-19 diagnostic positions, Adam joined the Weissman Lab in 2021 under the supervision of Drs. Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh and Istvan Tombacz. He supported his colleagues’ research on mRNA vaccine technology by producing in vitro-transcribed mRNA and performing a variety of assays. In the near future, Adam plans to attend graduate school and work on interdisciplinary research problems that incorporate his diverse academic background.

Chutamath (Mint) Sittplangkoon, B.S.

Ph.D. Candidate

Chutamath (Mint) Sittplangkoon received her B.S. in 2015 from Kasetsart University in Thailand, where she majored in Biology. Chutamath enrolled in the Ph.D. Biotechnology program at the Center of Excellence in Immunology and Immune mediated diseases of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand under the supervision of Prof. Tanapat Palaga. She joined the Weissman Lab as a visiting student from May 2019 to December 2020 under the supervision and guidance of Drs. Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh and Drew Weissman. Her thesis work focuses on developing a therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccine against melanoma, and studying the effect, or influence, of mRNA nucleoside modification on immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy in mouse tumor models.

Yulin Song

Intern, May-June 2024

Undergraduate, University of Michigan

 

Obinna Uzosike

Student Worker, Summer 2023

Obinna Uzosike is a senior at Princeton University majoring in Molecular Biology while on the pre-med track. In the Summer of 2023, he worked with Dr. Kreider on elucidating the functions of HIV-1/SIV/SHIV Tat variants in vitro. After graduating and upon successful completion of the Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS), he plans to attend the Perelman School of Medicine to pursue an M.D. or M.D./Ph.D.

Dian Wang, M.B.

Research Specialist

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Dr. Dian Wang received her Bachelor of Medicine degree from Beijing Medical University, P.R. of China in 1984. Dian participated in a variety of projects, including age-related changes to substantia nigra in rat brains, quantitative histochemistry studies on cellular acetylcholinesterase activity, and quantitative and analytical studies on the activity of acetylcholinesterase of nucleus and substantia nigra of senescent rats using image analysis systems.

In 1990, Dr. Wang joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Pennsylvania State University. Her work focused on the mechanism of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) crossing the placental barrier and infecting the developing human fetus and causing disease in the newborn. Between 2000 to 2006, Dr. Wang worked for the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, where she developed animal model systems for research on coronary artery disease and the development of therapeutic and prevention strategies. She worked with Dr. Xia at the Department of Anatomy, Pathology, and Cell Biopsy on mouse and rat disease model maintenance, as well as studying the expression and trafficking of transport proteins using cell culture and Western Blot. In 2011, she worked as a research assistant at the Department of Dermatology and mainly focused on mRNA stability and protein-mRNA interaction utilizing cell culture, yeast culture, Northern Blot, and Western Blot.

Dr. Wang joined the Weissman Lab as a Research Specialist in 2019. She worked with Dr. Jibin Zhou in preparing DNA for use in various projects.

Ying Xu, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Ying Xu received her B.S. in chemistry at Qingdao University in 2016 and M.S. in Nanoscience and technology at University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019. She joined the Ph.D. program at Case Western Reserve University under the supervision of Dr. Fu-Sen Liang and earned her Ph.D. in 2023. Her Ph.D. thesis focused on developing CRISPR-based chemically inducible platforms for the editing of chemical modifications (e.g., N6-methyladenosine and 5-methylcytosine) on RNA. After graduation, she joined the labs of Drs. Weissman and Alameh in August 2023. Dr. Xu worked on nucleic acid editing using mRNA and lipid nanoparticles.

Amir Yadegari, M.Sc.

Research Specialist

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Amir Yadegari earned a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of Tehran, Iran in 2013. After graduation, he mainly worked on the synthesis and characterization of nanostructures for biomedical applications such as anticancer drug delivery systems, biosensors and wound healing at University of Tehran. In 2017, Amir joined Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a research associate where he continued working on synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials biomaterials for anti-cancer drug delivery systems, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. In June 2020, Amir joined Dr. Weissman's lab at University of Pennsylvania where he mainly worked on modification of mRNA-LNP for specific targeting and gene delivery applications under supervision of Dr. Hamideh Parhiz.

Ousamah Younoss Soliman, M.Sc.

Research Specialist

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Ousamah Soliman received his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, from Polytechnique Montreal in 2015. During his time as an undergraduate student, he completed three internships in a research laboratory focusing on biomaterials for gene delivery. Under the supervision of Professors Michael D. Buschmann and Marc Lavertu, he led experimental projects with the aim of optimizing the production parameters of chitosan based polyelectrolyte complexes. Within that group, he had contributed to the development and validation of a fully automated production system for sterile large scale and robust assembly of polymeric nanoparticles encapsulating different kinds of therapeutic RNA and DNA. Furthermore, he received his Master’s Degree within that same research group. The Master’s research project involved an exhaustive screening of polyelectrolyte complexes designed for mRNA delivery, with the aim of systematically evaluating the influence of macromolecular properties of chitosan and hyaluronic acid, and components stoichiometry on the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and their in vitro transfection efficiency. He had joined the Weissman Lab as a research specialist and worked under the supervision of  Dr. Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh. Mr. Soliman has produced over 600 mg of pure mRNA used in several vaccine research & development projects. He has a strong interest in optimization of in-vitro synthesized nucleoside-modified mRNA.

Yan Zhao, M.S.

Research Specialist

Yan graduated from the China Pharmaceutical University in June 2022 with a B.S. in Chinese Pharmacy and continued his education at Johns Hopkins University, earning a master’s degree in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. While at Johns Hopkins, Yan worked in the laboratory of Dr. Andy Pekosz, where his work focused on investigating the effect of N-linked glycosylation in Influenza A virus H6N2 neuraminidase. After graduation, Yan worked in Dr. Scott Hensley’s lab at University of Pennsylvania as a research specialist working on antibody responses against Influenza and Sars-CoV-2.  He joined Weissman Lab in 2024 as a research specialist, working under the supervision of Dr. Qin Li.