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, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. 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.
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.
Avik Chattopadhyay, PhD
(Postdoctoral Scholar)
Avik Chattopadhyay, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar in the lab from India. Avik completed his B.Sc. at the University of Calcutta and M.Sc. at the Banaras Hindu University in Zoology. He earned his Ph.D. in Immunology from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, under the supervision of Prof. Dipankar Nandi (who graduated with a PhD from the lab of Nobel laureate J. P. Allison). Avik’s doctoral research focused on the metabolic responses of tumor cells to interferon-gamma, a critical determinant in immunotherapy outcomes. Furthermore, his investigations led to the discovery of novel anti-inflammatory compounds identified through high-throughput screening against interferon-gamma-induced nitric oxide production. Avik has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Sun Pharma Science Foundation Science Scholar Award 2023 in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Currently, his research as a postdoctoral scholar is dedicated to advancing precise and effective immunotherapy strategies targeting challenging cancers and inflammatory diseases. Avik aspires to establish himself as an independent researcher, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to innovate solutions in disease biology.
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.
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.
Erin O’Connor (Research Specialist)
Erin O'Connor is a recent graduate of the College of Charleston, where she obtained a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. As a research specialist, she hopes to contribute to a greater understanding of the role of genetic engineering in treating physical and mental illnesses. In the future, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Genetics.
Eva Allen (Nursing Student)
Eva Allen is a student in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) degree program at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is interested in autoimmune disorder research, specifically Type 1 Diabetes. Her goal is to obtain a Doctor of Nursing Practice after college.
Leonardo Rios, PhD (Postdoctoral Scholar)
Leonardo Rios, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher from Brazil co-mentored by Dr. Katherine Antel and Dr. Leonardo Ferreira. Leonardo obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, under the mentorship of Associate Professor Shaheen Mowla. During his Ph.D. studies, he investigated the oncogenic potential of the HIV-1 Transactivator of Transcription (Tat) protein in lymphoma development. His thesis elucidated novel mechanisms whereby Tat disrupts the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of two critical oncogenes, MYC and AICDA. Building upon his doctoral research, Leonardo undertook a postdoctoral position at UCT, funded by the UCT-FHS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Cancer Research and the AACR/AORTIC BIG Cat Grant, where he continues to collaborate in ongoing research in the Mowla lab. His current research aims to leverage novel CAR technologies in the treatment of aggressive lymphomas.
Meghan Schreck (Undergraduate Student)
Meghan Schreck is a student with the MUSC Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). She is pursuing a B.S. in Molecular Biology on the pre-medical track as a student-athlete at the University of Tampa. She hopes to gain a stronger understanding of regulatory T cells (Tregs) applied in cancer research.
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)
Lucas Bialousow (PhD Student, 2022-2023)
Sahery Arain (Master’s Student, 2023)
Rylie Elbert (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2023)
Sophia Wilson (SURP Undergraduate Student, 2023)
Vishnu Gudivada (Undergraduate Student, 2022-2024)
Alexander Sougiannis, PhD (Medical Student, 2023-2024)
Rob Robino (Research Specialist, 2021-2024)
Maryam Jafri (Master's Student, 2024)
Osama Abuhasheesh, MD (Hematology Oncology Fellow, 2023-2024)
Subhomitra Ghoshal (Rotation PhD Student, 2024)
Tylar Roof (Rotation PhD Student, 2024-2025)