Lab Members

Over the past ten years, I have dedicated my career to treating retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. Through my medical training and experience treating hundreds of ophthalmology patients, not only have I discoved a passion for my clinical work with patients, but I have also become increasingly devoted to genetics research in the field of inherited retinal dystrophies. Moreover, in the past three years, I have been working at the Dr. Stephen Tsang’s Lab team and continue to the research projects about RP.

I am highly motivated in translational research that will bring engineering designs to gene and protein delivery for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases. In 2018, I completed my Master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences and during this training period I worked in several projects developing drug delivery systems for eye diseases. In September 2019, I started my PhD in the Biomedical Engineering Program at Columbia University. Since then, I have initiated projects on retinal disease modeling using iPSC derived retinal organoids, and am developing potential therapies for inherited retinal diseases, including gene-dependent and gene-independent therapeutic approaches. My long-term research aspirations are to apply genome engineering technology to treat patients suffering from genetic disorders leading to blindness.

My career goals focus on translational research and developing therapeutics that are clinically applicable, and I hope to see the work I do on the bench be directly relevant and supportive to clinical studies. My background began in genetics and synthetic biology in the Dr. Kaihang Wang lab at Caltech, pushing my interest in a gene editing approach for bioengineering and biomedical engineering studies. The desire to combine genomic perturbations with clinical relevance brought me to Dr. Stephen Tsang's lab, allowing me to experiment with in vivo models and patient-derived cell lines for translational research in genome engineering. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my two cats and playing video games.

As a student studying biomedical engineering, my interests lie in genome engineering and utilizing the tools in this field for therapeutic purposes. This interest drew me to the Tsang lab, where I now am a doctoral candidate focusing on developing treatments for inherited retinal diseases. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing tennis, reading, and watching anime. 

I am a fifth-year PhD candidate specializing in therapeutic gene reprogramming of the metabolome, aiming to mitigate retinal degenerations such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. My work has contributed to successfully publishing gene metabolic reprogramming efforts in the retina. Beyond my research, I enjoy engaging in various activities, including mountain biking, cooking, guitar, video games, swimming, and camping, which provide a balanced blend of creativity and adventure outside the lab.

Working on ways to restore normal phenotype in RPE cells from Bietti's Crystalline Dystrophy patients derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Investigating ways to replicate the disease phenotype using interactions between blue light exposure and ROS generation. 

After working at a cell and gene therapy start-up focused on developing adeno-associated viral therapeutics for rare diseases, I became interested in exploring translational research and returned to Columbia University to pursue a doctorate in biomedical engineering. In Dr.Stephen Tsang’s lab I focus on leveraging gene editing tools such as CRISPR to uncover pathogenic mechanisms for retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and developing potential cell therapies for retinal diseases.

Outside of lab I enjoy going to Pilates, cooking, trying new coffee shops, and snowboarding when it’s cold out. 

I focus on the inflammatory mechanisms underlying chronic diseases, using genetic techniques to develop and treat both small and large animal models. During my PhD at the Technical University of Munich, I generated the first pig model of inflammatory bowel disease by genetically modifying in vitro-derived embryos. I analyzed disease-associated microbe-host-interactions in this and other disease models using microbiomics and intestinal organoids. In the Tsang Lab, I am investigating the potential of metabolically reprogramming retinal immune cells via immunoengineering to mitigate inherited retinal degenerations.

Outside the lab, I enjoy climbing, beatboxing, and exploring New York neighborhoods.

My research interesting is utilizing patient-derived iPSC-RPE cells (iRPE) to establish in vitro disease modeling, underpinning the potential of customized cell and gene therapy to optimize treatment modalities for individual patients. These advances promise to enhance clinical outcomes and elevate the quality of life for individuals confronting retinal disorders. Secondly, decode the molecular intricacies of retinal diseases. With my subsequent induction into the Precision Medicine Fellowship at the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia, I have continued to infuse my acumen into precision medicine, focusing on elucidating the intricate relationships between genetic blueprints and their phenotypic manifestations. Currently, I am weaving gene-editing technology into the fabric of my research. The refinement of genome-repaired iRPE cells heralds a new chapter in the evolution of cell replacement therapies, while the advancements in both in vitro and ex vivo genome editing are poised to redefine the boundaries of gene therapy and holds the chance to significantly improve patient care.