Immunology
Team MFW
Next-Generation Clinically Relevant Models of Fibrosis and Wound Healing
Chronic fibroinflammatory diseases (NASH, PF-ILDs, scleroderma, Crohn’s disease, and others) are characterized by aberrant tissue repair and are driven in part by pathological matrix production, macrophage and fibroblast activation, and metabolic reprogramming. Similar processes impact the solid tumor microenvironment, contributing to tumorigenesis, immune suppression, and drug resistance.
In close collaboration with our pharma partner Boehringer Ingelheim, the task of this new research group is to develop new physiologically relevant fibrotic disease models that can help us better understand pathological fibrosis as compared to normal wound healing processes. This will increase the chances of developing effective therapies that can maximally reduce fibrosis progression without interfering with the natural wound healing processes.
Mentors
- Prof. Dr. Jill Steinbach-Rankins (Industry mentor)
Senior Associate Director, Innovation Technology Lead, Development Sciences and Management, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, CT, USA - Dr. Karim Christian El Kasmi (Industry mentor)
Senior Associate Director, Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, CT, USA - Dr. Stuart Campbell (Academic mentor)
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Cellular and Molecular Physiology
University of Yale, New Haven, CT, USA
Team Location XSeed Labs Ridgefield
The research of this team is kindly supported by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Our Team Members
Dr. Lorenzo Talà
Group Leader
Short Bio
- 2023: System Specialist at the BioImaging & Optics Core Facility at EPFL, Switzerland
- 2017 – 2022: PhD in Biotechnology and Bioengineering at EPFL, Switzerland, with Prof. Alexandre Persat. Global Health Institute and Institute of Bioengineering.
- 2016: Research Engineer in the Genetic skin diseases lab at Institut Imagine, INSERM, Paris, France, with Prof. Alain Hovnanian
Dr. Sarah Shafaat
Postdoctoral Researcher
Short Bio
- 2023 – 2024: Head of Translational Research; SKM Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Lahore, Pakistan
- 2021 – 2023: Post-doctoral research Associate in Cellular therapies and regenerative medicine in the laboratory of Dr. James Dixon at the University of Nottingham, UK.
- 2019 – 2023: PhD Materials Science and Engineering; Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine in the laboratory of Prof. Sheila MacNeil, the University of Sheffield, UK.
- 2016 – 2018: MSc Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the University of Sheffield, UK.
Dr. Edouard Charlebois
Postdoctoral Researcher
Yogesh Maithania
Research Associate
Short Bio
- 2021 – 2023: Master of Science in Bioinformatics, Northeastern University, Boston, USA
- 2020 – 2021: Project Associate, HP Green R&D Centre, Bangalore, India
- 2019 – 2020: Research Associate, RCF Bio-research Labs, Mumbai, India
- 2016 – 2019: Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology, Mumbai University, Mumbai, India