School of Medicine


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  • Praveesh Valissery

    Praveesh Valissery

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Infectious Diseases

    BioPraveesh was raised in Chennai, India and studied Biotechnology at the Loyola College while minoring in English Literature. He received his Ph.D. from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India). He has experience in organic chemical synthesis and molecular biology. With Prof. Suman Kumar Dhar, he studied the cell cycle of the malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) and worked on the optimization of water-soluble Artemisinin nanopreparations in the mouse model of malaria (Plasmodium berghei). His PhD thesis concerned “The design, discovery and improvement of novel and existing antimalarial compounds”. He helped in the synthesis and characterization of a novel class of hybrid antimalarial drug, CQ-CFX.

    In the Egan lab, Praveesh is interested in exploring essential protein-protein interactions taking place at the interface between the malaria parasite and the red blood cell at key moments during invasion. His research involves the use of genome editing tools, including lentiviral and adenoviral vectors to modify hematopoietic stem cells and generate genetically modified red blood cells by ex vivo erythropoiesis.

    In the long term, he hopes to

    1. acquire enough skill to study and develop antimalarial vaccine antigens and improve existing vaccine formulations.

    2. employ a reverse genetics approach to understand mechanisms that facilitate parasite invasion using genetically modified red blood cells.

  • Bing Wang

    Bing Wang

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Stem Cell Transplantation

    BioMy academic training and research experience have equipped me with multidisciplinary skills and knowledge of molecular biology and immunology.

    I led two projects when I was an undergraduate, in which I got primary academic learning. My team member and I investigated the bacteria content in drinking water from two types of machines that are commonly used in colleges under the guidance of our experimental microbiology teacher Zhihong Zhong. Secondly, we produced a hybridoma cell line secreting monoclonal antibody against the core antigen of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to develop an ELISA kit for the detection of HCV under the guidance of Dr. Rushi Liu and Minjing Liao.

    Thereafter, as a Ph. D. candidate at Xiaoming Feng’s lab, my research primarily focused on understanding the biology of regulatory T cells (Treg) and CD11c+ myeloid cells using cutting-edge single-cell sequencing and conditional knockout mice under healthy and disease conditions. We first revealed the heterogeneity and bifurcated differentiation pathway of human Tregs from normal donors and transplanted patients at the single-cell transcriptome level. A subsequent first and corresponding author publication identified a key innate responsive protein in CD11c+ alveolar macrophages, NRP2, that protects mice from lung injury via promoting the phagocytosis of neutrophils. I also participated in two projects regarding the role of a serine/threonine kinase, LKB1, in mice CD11c+ dendritic cells from lymphoid tissues and adipose tissue with diet-induced obesity. These academic experiences guided me into a strong passion and independent capacities for biomedical studies.

    For my postdoctoral training, I will focus on developing Treg therapies and genetic stem cell therapy to cure patients with IPEX syndrome (a severe autoimmune disease) at preclinical and clinical stages, and other immune disorders. My sponsor Dr. Rosa Bacchetta is a well-known leader in treating IPEX patients and developing Treg therapies. My co-mentor Dr. Maria Grazia Roncarolo is a well-recognized pediatric immunologist and also one of the pioneers in the stem cell and gene therapy field, who discovered the type 1 regulatory T cells or Tr1 cells and translate the scientific discoveries into novel Treg therapies. Both of them have an excellent record of training postdoctoral fellows. The proposed projects will provide me with great opportunities in cutting-edge technology and translational research and outline a set of career development including grant writing, public presentation, and lab management, which will enhance my ability to become an independent investigator and help me to reach my goal of developing efficient and safe Treg therapies for a wide range of immune disorders and associated human diseases.

  • Wenjun Wang

    Wenjun Wang

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Stem Cell Transplantation

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy postdoctoral research focuses on investigating novel therapy for childhood leukemias.

  • Chongyang Zhang

    Chongyang Zhang

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Cardiology

    BioDr. Zhang is a Postdoctoral Scholar at RabLab in the cardiopulmonary division. She has a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Rochester, NY. She has research in cardiovascular research and chronobiology published in high impact peer-reviewed journals. She is recipient of honors including predoctoral fellowship from AHA, Travel Grant for Early Career Investigators from Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. She has served as ad hoc reviewer for more than 40 manuscripts for reputed journals.

  • Yanxian Zhang

    Yanxian Zhang

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Endocrinology and Metabolism

    BioThrough my academic training and research experience, I have cultivated a strong foundation in engineering and molecular biology. My work involves integrating diverse concepts from disciplines such as chemical engineering, protein engineering, supramolecular chemistry, and biophysics to address complex biomedical challenges. As a graduate student with Dr. Jie Zheng, my research focused on both natural and synthetic macromolecules. My research involved utilizing polymer chemistry to design biocompatible multifunctional hydrogels, as well as investigating the thermodynamics of amyloid proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Leveraging my expertise in thermodynamics and supramolecular chemistry, I contributed to the study of understanding protein misfolding and aggregation. I identified sequence-independent inhibitors to prevent protein misfolding and developed a rational strategy for inhibitor design, enabling cross-interaction activity and the fluorescent detection of amyloids. Driven by a strong interest in translational research, I pursued postdoctoral training here at Stanford School of Medicine. In Dr. Danny Hung-Chieh Chou's lab at Stanford University, I received comprehensive training in peptide engineering and molecular biology. I am dedicated to addressing formulation challenges for insulin with stable ultra-concentrated and ultra-fast properties, aimed at miniaturizing insulin pumps and advancing the next-generation of insulin automatic delivery systems. This work is supported by the JDRF postdoctoral fellowship. Furthermore, I am working on therapeutics development and have successfully developed an insulin derivative that acts as a full insulin receptor antagonist. This development holds promise as a candidate for treating the rare disease of hyperinsulinism. Throughout my postdoctoral training, I have gained proficiency in grant writing, public speaking, and mentoring students. These experiences have significantly strengthened my skills as an independent investigator. Looking forward, my research goal is to develop innovative strategies that support the functionality and delivery of biological therapies.

  • Ying Zhu

    Ying Zhu

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

    BioDr. Ying Zhu is a postdoctoral scholar in the Rosen Lab at Stanford University in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition. She received her PhD in 2023 from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Her research studied the role of intestinal Acyl-CoA long-chain synthetase 5 in diet-induced obesity using inducible transgenic mouse model. Within the Rosen Lab, Dr. Zhu is focusing on intestine epithelial metabolic dysfunction in pediatric IBDs and chronic intestinal inflammation.