Lab members
Leonardo Ferreira, PhD
(Principal Investigator)
Leonardo M. R. Ferreira, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and, by courtesy, of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Hollings Cancer Center. He holds a B.Sc. in biochemistry from University of Coimbra, Portugal, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University. Fascinated by the phenomenon of immune tolerance, his long term goal is to control how the immune system defines self and non-self. Such knowledge will allow the design and development of powerful new engineered immune cell therapies to fight autoimmune disease, cancer, and aging.
Rob Robino (Research Scientist)
Rob Robino obtained a B.S. in molecular biology at the College of Charleston. His research interests include using chimeric antigen receptors to combat cancer and to re-introduce immune tolerance in autoimmune disorders. His long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist specializing in cancer and autoimmunity.
Iosif Gershteyn (Visiting Scholar)
Iosif M. Gershteyn is a systems immunologist focusing on harnessing computation in application to autoimmune disorders and aging. He is the Chairman of Ajax Biomedical Foundation, which supports several projects in partnership with the Ferreira lab, including the interrogation of interactions between diet and autoimmune disease and developing immunomodulatory approaches to reprogram pro-inflammatory tissue environments. Iosif is a 2022 Fellow in Antibody and Cellular Therapeutics at the Foresight Institute, and Senior Fellow at the Abigail Adams Institute. He holds degrees from Brandeis University, International Business School, and Quantic School of Business and Technology, as well as certificates from New England Complex Sciences Institute, Real World Risk Institute, and Johns Hopkins University.
Russell Cochrane (PhD student)
Russell Cochrane is a Ph.D. student in the biomedical sciences program. He obtained a B.S in genetics from Clemson University. His ambition is to uncover and understand the underlying immune mechanisms that could be leveraged to engineer innovative next-generation immunotherapies. He hopes that he can make a lasting impact in the cell and gene therapy field.
Osama Abuhasheesh, MD (Hematology Oncology Fellow)
Osama Abuhasheesh, M.D. is a pediatric hematology oncology fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina. He obtained his M.D. from Mu'tah University Faculty of Medicine in Jordan and completed his residency at the Cleveland Clinic. His research focuses on developing new immune cell therapies using patient samples and mouse models.
Alexander Sougiannis, PhD
(Medical Student)
Alexander T. Sougiannis, Ph.D. is a 4th year medical student at the Medical University of South Carolina. His research training involves sport sciences and molecular biology and immunology. He specializes in immune cell biology and has multiple publications describing interactions in the gut-drug-immune axis of colorectal and breast cancers. In the Ferreira lab, he is investigating how to modulate the immune environment in solid tumors. He holds degrees in Exercise Science from Southern Illinois University and the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He completed his doctoral work in Immunology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine where he was the recipient of an NIH F31 Ruth Kirschstein Predoctoral Fellowship. He is currently applying to general surgery residencies with the purpose of training in surgical oncology.
Chayse Nunciato (Undergraduate Student)
Chayse Nunciato is an undergraduate honors student at the College of Charleston. She is working towards obtaining a B.S. in Biology, with the goal of attending medical school. With an ambition to take part in cellular research surrounding autoimmunity, she hopes to gain a greater understanding in the Ferreira Lab about engineered immune receptors and their impact on a cell's function.
Francesco Hamilton (High School Student)
Francesco Hamilton is a high school student at Academic Magnet. His research interests include Oncolytic Virotherapy, Focused Ultrasound, and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Diagnosis. He hopes to gain a greater understanding of HLA proteins and T cell receptors (TCR) and their applications in cancer treatment. Currently pursuing a VOC-based cancer diagnosis machine, he hopes to become a researcher himself one day.
This could be you!
Get in touch with us. We are always looking for passionate and creative scientists at all levels to join our efforts in the study and engineering of immunology.
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Lab alumni
Valentina Morozova, MD (Visiting Scholar, 2022)
Matthew Dominguez (FLEX Medical Student, 2022)
Capers Zimmerman (Research Scientist, 2021-2022)
Andrew Fiorentino (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2022)
Karisma Virk (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2022)
Jaime Quiroga (Visiting PhD Student, 2022)
Lucas Bialousow (PhD student, 2022-2023)
Sahery Arain (Master’s student, 2023)
Rylie Elbert (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2023)
Sophia Wilson (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2023)
Eva Allen (Research Assistant, 2022-2023)
Vishnu Gudivada (Undergraduate Student, 2022-2024)