People at The Letai Lab |
We are a passionate and unique group of scientists, coming from all around the world, as seen in our lab family map! We are joined together by our common goal of improving patient treatment through BH3 mimetics.
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LAB PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Tony Letai is a professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana Farner Cancer Institute.
He received his MD and PhD at the University of Chicago. His PhD was done under the supervision of Elaine Fuchs. His thesis examined the role of point mutations in keratin proteins in heritable blistering diseases. Dr. Letai then completed clinical training in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital followed by a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He was introduced to apoptosis and BCL-2 family proteins as a post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of the late Stanley Korsmeyer. His laboratory has studied how apoptosis can be evaded, particularly in cancer cells, and how this evasion may be detected and targeted. Key to these studies is a novel assay - BH3 profiling. The laboratory will be testing whether BH3 profiling can be used as a predictive biomarker in clinical cancer therapy. In his free time, Dr. Letai likes to play soccer, tennis, music, and hang around the house to irritate his lovely wife, three kids, and dog. |
Lab Members
B.A. Chemistry and Biology, 2003, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
S.M. Chemistry, 2005, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jeremy_Ryan@dfci.harvard.edu PUBMED |
Jeremy Ryan, Staff Scientist: I started in the Letai lab as a technician in 2006, and since then I have been responsible for many of the techniques used by the lab. I find method development interests me most, and I am fortunate to be trusted with our flagship method, BH3 profiling. Having converted the initial ELISA-based method to quick and relatively simple protocols to use membrane potential or cytochrome c retention, our newest methods can be used on small samples from patients so that we might be able to understand not only tumor biology but better direct therapy.
Outside of the lab, I love wildlife photography, music, drawing, and story writing. |
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Salma Parvin, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow: I joined Letai lab in 2017. I am developing high-throughput functional assays to assign novel therapies for Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic leukemia by targeting BCL-2 family proteins.
In free time, I enjoy binge-watching, cooking, painting, exploring different restaurants in Boston and spending time with my husband. |
University of Calcutta, BSc and MSc
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, PhD
Salma_parvin@dfci.harvard.edu
PUBMED
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, PhD
Salma_parvin@dfci.harvard.edu
PUBMED
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Julie MacDonald, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow:I joined the Letai Lab in 2019 after completing my Ph.D. in the Laboratory for Aging and Infertility Research under Jonathan Tilly and Dori Woods at Northeastern University. My work here seeks to understand how therapy-induced senescence in varied cancer models impacts apoptotic priming, and more broadly how the Bcl-2 family control of apoptosis is impacted by aging.
I also enjoy baking, trying new crafts, playing tennis, and can be frequently found at the Museum of Fine Arts on weekend afternoons. |
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Maria Davern, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow: I joined the Letai lab in November 2021 after completing my PhD in cancer immunology in the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Center in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2017-2021). My interest in cancer immunology and targeting programmed cell death pathways to overcome treatment resistance began during my MSc in Translational Oncology, which I carried out in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2016-2017). The primary focus of my work here in the Letai lab aims to identify novel combinations of drugs to combine with immunotherapies to prevent tumour recurrence, improving survival outcomes for patients. In my free time I enjoy running, reading, yoga and barre classes.
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Technical University of Munich, BS
Oregon Health& Science University, MD PhD njavidi-sharifi@mgh.harvard.edu PUBMED |
Nathalie Javidi-Sharifi, Clinical Fellow in Hematology-Oncology and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow: I joined the Letai lab in January 2022. I completed my clinical fellowship training in Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital before joining the lab. Originally from Munich, Germany, I studied biochemistry at the Technical University of Munich. I later moved to Portland, Oregon, for a PhD in Cancer Biology, mentored by Dr. Brian Druker and Dr. Jeffrey Tyner. I also completed medical school and residency training in Internal Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. My focus in the lab is on hematologic malignancies and functional precision medicine. I'm applying functional profiling techniques developed in the Letai lab to clinical questions in lymphoma therapy. Outside of work, I enjoy time with my family, gardening, reading, running, and yoga.
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Michael Olson, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow: I joined the Letai lab in 2022 after finishing up my PhD in Immunology at the University of Utah. During grad school, I became interested in the field of cellular immunotherapy as I investigated a novel target for CAR T cell therapy as well as an interesting mechanism of antigen loss that promotes CAR-T relapse. I joined the Letai lab with an interest in better understanding the mechanisms underlying T cell survival and cytotoxicity and how we can manipulate these pathways to improve T cell-based immunotherapies. Outside of the lab I enjoy biking, excessive walking, getting confused by my YouTube recommendations and thrifting.
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Cheyanne Walker-Williams, Research Technician/Operations Coordinator: I joined the Letai Lab in July 2021, where I first worked with Dr Stephan Bohl studying the role that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway has on myeloid malignancies. Then I transitioned into working with Dr Julie MacDonald researching BCL-2 family proteins in relation to therapy-induced senescence on several cancer models. Now, I work with Dr. Michael Olson on CAR-T Therapies. I also manage the daily functions of the lab as part of my coordinator role.
Outside of work, I like writing poetry, exploring Boston and trying new foods! Smith College, Bachelor's Degree cheyanne_walkerwilliams@dfci.harvard.edu |
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Leah Krotee, Research Technician: I joined the Letai Lab in July 2022. Broadly, my interests are in physiology and human health. I am especially interested in work that has clinical relevance as I have a passion for translational research which is what brought me to the Letai lab. Currently, I am working with Dr. Emma-Jayne Minihane on studying the use of dynamic BH3 profiling in the development of targeted drug therapies for AML patients.
I am from a small rural town in Maryland and am excited to have the opportunity to live in the city and explore all that Boston has to offer! In my free-time I enjoy finding new restaurants to try, watching Netflix, being in nature, and swimming. Dickinson College, Bachelor's Degree Leah_Krotee@DFCI.HARVARD.EDU |
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Emma-Jayne Mihihane, Post Doctoral Researcher: After completing my PhD at the University of Cambridge (Babraham Institute, Dr Simon Cook lab), I joined the Letai lab in August 2020. My PhD research focused on developing optimised combinations of BH3 mimetics with BRAF and/or MEK1/2 inhibitors in melanoma and colorectal cancer, and this is where my interest in precision medicine began. I am now hoping to investigate acquired resistance to BH3 mimetics, and other targeted therapies, in AML with the aim of understanding the mechanisms underpinning the resistance.
I am originally from the small island of Jersey in the Channel Islands so I am excited to now be living in Boston and exploring all that it has to offer. In my spare time I enjoy running, finding new places to explore, portrait sketching, and testing out the local restaurants! |
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Jason Wu, Research Technician: I joined the Letai Lab in May 2023, where I currently work with Jeremy Ryan using baseline BH3 profiling on clinical samples from leukemia patients to help gauge treatment effectiveness and be able to predict patient response to anticancer therapies that rely on invoking the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. I am also investigating the effects that hypoxic conditions can have on the apoptotic priming of cancer cells.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis/basketball, spending time with my dog and cat at home, and cooking the most delicious Chinese recipes passed down from my family! Purdue University, Bachelor's Degree jason_wu@dfci.harvard.edu |
Laboratory for Functional Precision Medicine (LFPM)
Given the rapid development of new small molecule cancer therapeutics, there is a growing need for predictive diagnostics to match cancer patients with optimal therapies. Unfortunately, molecular changes induced by cancer therapies are complex, and for most patients we cannot accurately predict tumor response based on pretreatment genomic or proteomic measurements. We previously developed a precision medicine technology with a functional phenotypic readout called dynamic BH3 profiling (DBP). DBP exposes cancer cells to drugs and measures induction of apoptotic cell death signaling after 24 hours ex vivo. We previously performed proof of principle tests using large excisional tumor samples and demonstrated that DBP predicts chemotherapy response in animal models and humans.
The Laboratory for Functional Precision Medicine (LFPM) is a small lab space within the Laboratory for Systems Pharmacology to perform dynamic BH3 Profiling. The goal is to use dynamic BH3 Profiling for identifying drug treatments for cancer types (with a focus on solid tumors), and for precision medicine:
The Laboratory for Functional Precision Medicine (LFPM) is a small lab space within the Laboratory for Systems Pharmacology to perform dynamic BH3 Profiling. The goal is to use dynamic BH3 Profiling for identifying drug treatments for cancer types (with a focus on solid tumors), and for precision medicine:
- HT-DBP screens on colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, sarcoma, ovarian cancer, rapid autopsy tumors, and canine cancers.
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Patrick Bhola, Instructor at DFCI and Co-Director of the LFPM: Patrick Bhola joined the Letai Lab in 2010 after completing a PhD at Rockefeller University. Patrick studies apoptotic heterogeneity within tumors, and has developed high-throughput approaches to evaluate chemicals that sensitize tumors for apoptosis. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys going to baseball games, aimlessly driving along the seacoast, and spending time with his wife and son.
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Saurashtra University, BSc
Nottingham Trent University, MRes Helsinki University, PhD disha_malani@dfci.harvard.edu PUBMED |
Disha Malani, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow : I joined the Letai Lab after my PhD in leukemia functional precision medicine in Professor Olli Kallioniemi's group at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki. My persistent interest in functional precision medicine led my research efforts to explore the apoptosis angle for solid tumors in the Letai Lab. I investigate the therapeutic potential of chemical compounds/drugs using imaging-based dynamic BH3 profiling to find the most effective drugs for patients with solid tumors. In addition, I apply different data analysis strategies to define molecular and phenotypic features associated with apoptosis priming, ex vivo drug responses, clinical characteristics and clinical therapy responses.
In my free time, I love to walk in nature, play badminton, swim and do fun activities with my toddler. |
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Shaili Soni, Research Technician: I joined the Letai lab in June 2023, exploring my interests in translational research. I’ve been working with Dr. Patrick Bhola in the LFPM conducting high-throughput dynamic BH3 profiling to identify drug-induced apoptotic priming in tumor cells. Recently, I’ve been continuing a project that allows us to profile solid tumor samples with low cell counts using live-cell imaging.
I’m new to Boston so I’m enjoying finding new hikes & running routes, spending too much time at bookstores, playing around with film photography, and having movie nights :) Rutger's University, Bachelor's degree shaili_soni@dfci.harvard.edu |
Michael Yorsz, Research Technician
Hi! I joined the lab in June 2022 to work with Dr. Bhola in the LFPM. I am co-leading a project that is investigating the varying kinetics by which different classes of cancer drugs induce proapoptotic signaling at the mitochondria. Through the project, we are improving our ability to construct rational drug combinations, detect the initiation of antiapoptotic dependencies, and perform rapid ex vivo drug testing of patient tumor samples.
I live in Central Square, Cambridge (across the Charles River from Dana-Farber). When I am not in the lab, I am likely either doing something there or enjoying the forest reservations around Boston.
Since I grew up near Boston and now work here, I have found it deeply meaningful to read and understand the history of its land and the land of the surrounding area. As an example, click this link to read about how the suburb I grew up in was incorporated into what is now Massachusetts: https://www.winchester.us/DocumentCenter/View/3741/Beginning-of-Winchester_Land?bidId=
Colby College, Bachelor's degree
michaelc_yorsz@dfci.harvard.edu
Hi! I joined the lab in June 2022 to work with Dr. Bhola in the LFPM. I am co-leading a project that is investigating the varying kinetics by which different classes of cancer drugs induce proapoptotic signaling at the mitochondria. Through the project, we are improving our ability to construct rational drug combinations, detect the initiation of antiapoptotic dependencies, and perform rapid ex vivo drug testing of patient tumor samples.
I live in Central Square, Cambridge (across the Charles River from Dana-Farber). When I am not in the lab, I am likely either doing something there or enjoying the forest reservations around Boston.
Since I grew up near Boston and now work here, I have found it deeply meaningful to read and understand the history of its land and the land of the surrounding area. As an example, click this link to read about how the suburb I grew up in was incorporated into what is now Massachusetts: https://www.winchester.us/DocumentCenter/View/3741/Beginning-of-Winchester_Land?bidId=
Colby College, Bachelor's degree
michaelc_yorsz@dfci.harvard.edu