People
Francesca S. Gazzaniga, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Francesca grew up in Vermont and attended Dartmouth College where she received a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences in Elizabeth Blackburn’s lab at UCSF where she studied the role of telomerase in human CD4+ T cells and breast cancer cell lines. Her postdoctoral work in Dennis Kasper’s Lab was a collaboration with Joon Seok Park in Arlene Sharpe’s lab. Together, they discovered that gut bacteria suppress PD-L2 and RGMb to promote anti-tumor immunity. During her postdoc, she also collaborated with Don Ingber’s Lab at the Wyss Institute to develop a mouse microfluidic gut on a chip. She loves hiking, camping, paddle boarding, and spending time with her family.
Tsering Yanortsang
Senior Research Technologist/Gazzaniga Lab Manager
I come with 20 years of experience working with Lab rodents of which, 10 years I led Gnotobiotic facility as Gnotobiotic facility manager. Over the years I have trained more than 30 lab members (including technicians and students) from basic rodent restrain to complex experimental procedures under aseptic technique and I thoroughly enjoy teaching.
A fun scientific fact is that: As difficult as it sounds to maintain Germfree status in rodents, it is very simple given right procedure is followed.
Outside work, I love being silly (be it dancing or painting) with my children and LOL (laugh out loud) with them.
Shumeng Hao, Ph.D.
Postdoc
Shumeng received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, China. She joined the Gazzaniga lab in August 2023 where her research focuses on microbiota and response to immunotherapy. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies, cooking and shopping.
Thanpisit (Tutor) Lomphithak, Ph.D.
Postdoc
Tutor received his PhD in Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. His academic journey has taken him across the globe. He did his master’s thesis in Tohoku University in Sendai Japan and part of his PhD thesis at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. He likes embracing diversity and learning from different cultures. During his PhD he studied cell death modalities, particularly immunogenic cell death and incorporating nanomaterials and nanomedicine. His passion lies in the fascinating world of cancer immunotherapy and the incredible potential of immune cells to combate cancer. He is ready for the day when our research from the lab bench can have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Tutor has a deep love of coffee and enjoys savoring it whenever he can. During his free time, he enjoys trying new foods, exploring new places, and engaging in activities he’s never done before.
My Nguyen
Harvard Undergrad
My is a second-year student at Harvard College and is originally from Boston. He is concentrating in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a secondary focus on Computer Science. He started off in previous labs working with the computational side of gut microbiome studies, and it has become a passionate topic that he has pursued throughout his laboratory work and courses. Despite being unable to play an instrument himself, he is a dedicated concert fanatic with twenty-seven concerts attended in 2023 alone. In his remaining free time, you may find him baking, reading, or rewatching his favorite shows with friends.
Lab Alumni
Ashley Roth (Northeastern University co-op student)- currently a Medical Assistant at Mass General Hospital
Rowan Waring (Northeastern university co-op student)- incoming medical student at University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
Laura Childs (summer undergraduate student, Tufts)- currently a grad student at Duke
Lowi Gebremedhin (HMS immunology summer student program, UCONN)- currently a clinic assistant at Mass General Hospital
Cathleen Krabak (graduate rotation student, HMS)- currently Harvard Immunology graduate student
Rachel Lim (summer high school student)- currently an undergrad at Princeton University
Katelyn Geisler (Northeastern University co-op student) - currently an undergraduate at Northeastern University
Jack White (Northeastern University co-op student) - currently an undergraduate at Northeastern University
Sara Lopez-Quintana (summer undergraduate student, Williams College)- currently a dental assistant
Sneha Yelemanchili (undergraduate student, Harvard College)- currently undergraduate student at Harvard
Naira Gutiez Garcia (visiting graduate student, CIC bioGUNE)- currently a grad student at CIC bioGUNE, Spain
Emily Liu (graduate rotation student, HMS)- currently Harvard Immunology graduate student
Emily Liu (summer high school student)- currently a high school student
Sheena He (HMS immunology summer student program, University of Hawaii)- currently undergraduate at University of Hawaii
Ashley Killian (summer Harvard Amgen student)- currently undergraduate at University of California, Berkeley
Nattaya “Mind” Duangthim (visiting graduate student, Chulalongkorn University)- currently grad student at Chulalongkorn in Thailand