Our People
Jens Lohr, M.D., Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Jens obtained his M.D. from Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany, and was trained as an immunologist at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). He completed a residency in internal medicine at UCSF, and a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care program. He performed postdoctoral work in immunology at UCSF (San Francisco, CA) and in cancer genomics at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, MA). Dr. Lohr is Board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology and practices as a clinician at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care.
Jens obtained his M.D. from Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany, and was trained as an immunologist at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). He completed a residency in internal medicine at UCSF, and a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care program. He performed postdoctoral work in immunology at UCSF (San Francisco, CA) and in cancer genomics at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, MA). Dr. Lohr is Board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology and practices as a clinician at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care.
Julia Frede, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Julia went to university in Heidelberg and did my PhD in Cambridge, UK, where she investigated the dynamics of cell fate in epithelial carcinogenesis using transgenic approaches. She is very interested in clonal evolution and genetic heterogeneity, and, being a cell biologist by training, she is excited to have the opportunity to broaden her expertise, applying genomic approaches and single cell technologies to investigate the mechanisms driving multiple myeloma. When not in the lab, she enjoys running, going to the cinema and drinking coffee.
Julia went to university in Heidelberg and did my PhD in Cambridge, UK, where she investigated the dynamics of cell fate in epithelial carcinogenesis using transgenic approaches. She is very interested in clonal evolution and genetic heterogeneity, and, being a cell biologist by training, she is excited to have the opportunity to broaden her expertise, applying genomic approaches and single cell technologies to investigate the mechanisms driving multiple myeloma. When not in the lab, she enjoys running, going to the cinema and drinking coffee.
Jing Yang, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Jing got her PhD degree from Peaking Union Medical College and School of Medicine Tsinghua University in China. In her past research experiences, she has studied virology, immunology, and cancer. Her current work involves exploring the resistant mechanism of cancer immunotherapy and chemotherapy. She likes to find delicious restaurants and explore new places in Boston, when not in the lab.
Jing got her PhD degree from Peaking Union Medical College and School of Medicine Tsinghua University in China. In her past research experiences, she has studied virology, immunology, and cancer. Her current work involves exploring the resistant mechanism of cancer immunotherapy and chemotherapy. She likes to find delicious restaurants and explore new places in Boston, when not in the lab.
Joanna Blocka, M.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Joanna studied medicine and earned her MD degree at University of Wuerzburg, Germany. She obtained clinical training in hematology and oncology at University Hospital of Heidelberg, Germany. She joined Lohr Lab in 2022 as a research scholar and grant recipient of the German Research Foundation. Her work focuses on interrogation of genetic evolution as well as transcriptional and phenotypic changes of multiple myeloma and its mechanisms of therapy resistance using single-cell approaches from peripheral blood. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing with her son, exploring Boston and trying new foods.
Joanna studied medicine and earned her MD degree at University of Wuerzburg, Germany. She obtained clinical training in hematology and oncology at University Hospital of Heidelberg, Germany. She joined Lohr Lab in 2022 as a research scholar and grant recipient of the German Research Foundation. Her work focuses on interrogation of genetic evolution as well as transcriptional and phenotypic changes of multiple myeloma and its mechanisms of therapy resistance using single-cell approaches from peripheral blood. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing with her son, exploring Boston and trying new foods.
Julia Poller, Medical Student
Julia is a medical student at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and a scholar of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation. She gained first insight into experimental research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). Julia is very interested in studying the molecular mechanisms of resistance to CAR-T-Cell treatment in multiple myeloma and joined Dr. Lohr`s lab in 2020. She aspires to be a physician scientist in the future. When Julia cannot be found in the lab, she is usually around food. Next to science and food she also enjoys swimming, hiking and traveling.
Julia is a medical student at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and a scholar of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation. She gained first insight into experimental research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). Julia is very interested in studying the molecular mechanisms of resistance to CAR-T-Cell treatment in multiple myeloma and joined Dr. Lohr`s lab in 2020. She aspires to be a physician scientist in the future. When Julia cannot be found in the lab, she is usually around food. Next to science and food she also enjoys swimming, hiking and traveling.
Pablo Hernandez Lopez, B.S., Master's Student
Pablo received his BS in Biotechnology at University of Elche, Spain. Currently, Pablo is master´s student in Medical Biology at University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research experience at the Neurosciences Institute of Alicante (Spain) and at EPFL (Switzerland) have provided him with knowledge and skills in molecular biology, genetics, cancer biology, and immunology. He joined Lohr Lab in 2022 to conduct his Master´s Thesis and he is interested in studying the immune microenvironment of myeloma tumors to use it as a prognosis marker for multiple myeloma patients. Outside the lab, Pablo enjoys practicing any kind of sport, drawing, listening to Twenty One Pilots, and spending his free time with friends.
Pablo received his BS in Biotechnology at University of Elche, Spain. Currently, Pablo is master´s student in Medical Biology at University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research experience at the Neurosciences Institute of Alicante (Spain) and at EPFL (Switzerland) have provided him with knowledge and skills in molecular biology, genetics, cancer biology, and immunology. He joined Lohr Lab in 2022 to conduct his Master´s Thesis and he is interested in studying the immune microenvironment of myeloma tumors to use it as a prognosis marker for multiple myeloma patients. Outside the lab, Pablo enjoys practicing any kind of sport, drawing, listening to Twenty One Pilots, and spending his free time with friends.
Klothilda Lim, M.S., Lead Research Associate
Klothilda received her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her MS in Biotechnology Enterprise from the Johns Hopkins University. Her academic and industrial work experiences have provided her with knowledge and skills in cancer biology, epigenetics and gene-editing technology. In her current position, she manages clinical trial activities and uses a variety of single cell and genomic approaches to define dynamic changes in primary patient samples with a disease focus on hematologic malignancies. In her free time, she enjoys food, photography, outdoor activities and traveling.
Klothilda received her BS in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and her MS in Biotechnology Enterprise from the Johns Hopkins University. Her academic and industrial work experiences have provided her with knowledge and skills in cancer biology, epigenetics and gene-editing technology. In her current position, she manages clinical trial activities and uses a variety of single cell and genomic approaches to define dynamic changes in primary patient samples with a disease focus on hematologic malignancies. In her free time, she enjoys food, photography, outdoor activities and traveling.
Nathaniel Tadros, B.S., Research Associate
Nathaniel graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May of 2022 with a BS in Biochemistry. In his undergraduate studies, he worked with cell culture and gene editing technologies, and built a prototype data collection tool to monitor specific health indexes of Rapid Cycling Brassica rapa. In the Lohr lab, he hopes to study the development of resistance to CAR-T cell treatment therapies in cancer patients. In his free time, he likes to hike, kayak, and go rock climbing.
Nathaniel graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in May of 2022 with a BS in Biochemistry. In his undergraduate studies, he worked with cell culture and gene editing technologies, and built a prototype data collection tool to monitor specific health indexes of Rapid Cycling Brassica rapa. In the Lohr lab, he hopes to study the development of resistance to CAR-T cell treatment therapies in cancer patients. In his free time, he likes to hike, kayak, and go rock climbing.
Alumni
Kayleen Shi, Medical Student
Kayleen is a medical student at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and a scholar of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. She joined the lab in 2021 and is interested in studying resistance mechanisms to CAR-T-Cell therapy in multiple myeloma, focusing on the role of the bone marrow microenvironment. She gained insights in experimental research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. In her free time, she likes to play badminton, explore new places and play with every dog she meets.
Kayleen is a medical student at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and a scholar of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. She joined the lab in 2021 and is interested in studying resistance mechanisms to CAR-T-Cell therapy in multiple myeloma, focusing on the role of the bone marrow microenvironment. She gained insights in experimental research at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. In her free time, she likes to play badminton, explore new places and play with every dog she meets.
Antonis Kokkalis, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Antonis received his Bachelor degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at University of Thessaly and his M.Sc and Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the Medical School of University of Athens. He examined the epigenetic role in cellular differentiation and reprogramming by correlated the genome wide binding profile to gene regulation. Chromatin structure and epigenetics in lymphoma are not well characterized and he is enthused to be correlating with molecular biology and Next Generation Sequencing techniques for better understanding them. During his free time he like running, playing tennis and cooking. Antonis is currently working as a Field Applications Specialist at BD.
Antonis received his Bachelor degree in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at University of Thessaly and his M.Sc and Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the Medical School of University of Athens. He examined the epigenetic role in cellular differentiation and reprogramming by correlated the genome wide binding profile to gene regulation. Chromatin structure and epigenetics in lymphoma are not well characterized and he is enthused to be correlating with molecular biology and Next Generation Sequencing techniques for better understanding them. During his free time he like running, playing tennis and cooking. Antonis is currently working as a Field Applications Specialist at BD.
Hannah Stuart, B.S., Research Associate
Hannah graduated in May 2020 from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Computational Biology. In her undergraduate research, she explored the impact of common antidepressants on disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis using imaging techniques. In the Lohr Lab, she explores computational tools as they apply to the study of multiple myeloma (MM) with focuses on characterizing genome architecture and the MM microenvironment in response to treatment. Outside the lab, she enjoys doing yoga, exploring the great outdoors, and coffee. Hannah is currently pursuing her PhD at Dartmouth.
Hannah graduated in May 2020 from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Computational Biology. In her undergraduate research, she explored the impact of common antidepressants on disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis using imaging techniques. In the Lohr Lab, she explores computational tools as they apply to the study of multiple myeloma (MM) with focuses on characterizing genome architecture and the MM microenvironment in response to treatment. Outside the lab, she enjoys doing yoga, exploring the great outdoors, and coffee. Hannah is currently pursuing her PhD at Dartmouth.
Tushara Vijaykumar, M.S., Senior Research Associate
Tushara has broad research experience as a cell biologist and is currently investigating hematologic malignancies particularly to understand the mechanisms of drug resistance in multiple myeloma. She was drawn towards cancer research and studied the mechanism of inhibition of deubiquitinases (DUBs) by isothiocyanates (ITCs) as part of her masters program at Brandeis University. Previously, she worked at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) understanding the molecular basis of male reproductive toxicity upon exposure to endocrine disruptors, after completing her Bachelors in Biotechnology from India. Apart from science, she enjoys outdoor activities with friends, creative arts, cooking and traveling. Tushara is currently a Project & Operations Manager with Treadwell Therapeutics.
Tushara has broad research experience as a cell biologist and is currently investigating hematologic malignancies particularly to understand the mechanisms of drug resistance in multiple myeloma. She was drawn towards cancer research and studied the mechanism of inhibition of deubiquitinases (DUBs) by isothiocyanates (ITCs) as part of her masters program at Brandeis University. Previously, she worked at the National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) understanding the molecular basis of male reproductive toxicity upon exposure to endocrine disruptors, after completing her Bachelors in Biotechnology from India. Apart from science, she enjoys outdoor activities with friends, creative arts, cooking and traveling. Tushara is currently a Project & Operations Manager with Treadwell Therapeutics.
Monica Nair, B.S., Research Associate
Monica graduated with a B.S. from the University of Rochester in Computational Biology with minors in Spanish and Psychology. In her current position, she enjoys being able to apply her computational biology background to study multiple myeloma treatment resistance and genetic mutations. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, photography, and listening to podcasts. Monica is currently pursuing her MD with a research focus at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.
Monica graduated with a B.S. from the University of Rochester in Computational Biology with minors in Spanish and Psychology. In her current position, she enjoys being able to apply her computational biology background to study multiple myeloma treatment resistance and genetic mutations. During her free time, she enjoys hiking, photography, and listening to podcasts. Monica is currently pursuing her MD with a research focus at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.
Johannes Waldschmidt, M.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Johannes studied Medicine at University of Freiburg, Germany, University of Uppsala, Sweden, and University of Zurich, Switzerland. He was trained as a hematologist-oncologist at Freiburg University Medical Center where his experimental work has been focused on characterizing the bone marrow microenvironment in multiple myeloma. As scholar of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and research fellow in cancer genomics, he studies patterns of adaptive and genomic resistance in multiple myeloma by genetic interrogation of bone-marrow derived tumor cells, circulating myeloma cells, CAR T cells and cell-free DNA from the peripheral blood. Johannes is one of the recipients of the 2019 Young Investigator Award by the International Myeloma Society (IMS). In 2020, he will return to Germany to establish his own laboratory at Freiburg University Medical Center.
Johannes studied Medicine at University of Freiburg, Germany, University of Uppsala, Sweden, and University of Zurich, Switzerland. He was trained as a hematologist-oncologist at Freiburg University Medical Center where his experimental work has been focused on characterizing the bone marrow microenvironment in multiple myeloma. As scholar of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and research fellow in cancer genomics, he studies patterns of adaptive and genomic resistance in multiple myeloma by genetic interrogation of bone-marrow derived tumor cells, circulating myeloma cells, CAR T cells and cell-free DNA from the peripheral blood. Johannes is one of the recipients of the 2019 Young Investigator Award by the International Myeloma Society (IMS). In 2020, he will return to Germany to establish his own laboratory at Freiburg University Medical Center.
Praveen Anand, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Praveen obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He worked on developing tools for large-scale computational analysis of protein-ligand interactions during PhD. He subsequently ventured into analysis of RNA-protein interactions using HT-Seq technology at National Center for Biological Sciences (Das Lab, inStem), Bangalore. He secured a B4 fellowship through which he continued to collaboratively work on developing neural network based approaches to identify RNA-binding motifs in Eddy lab at Harvard University. He currently works on developing computational tools and pipeline for analysis of high-throughput datasets on circulating tumor cells (CTCs). He usually spends most of his time playing rapid chess when not in lab.
Praveen obtained his PhD from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He worked on developing tools for large-scale computational analysis of protein-ligand interactions during PhD. He subsequently ventured into analysis of RNA-protein interactions using HT-Seq technology at National Center for Biological Sciences (Das Lab, inStem), Bangalore. He secured a B4 fellowship through which he continued to collaboratively work on developing neural network based approaches to identify RNA-binding motifs in Eddy lab at Harvard University. He currently works on developing computational tools and pipeline for analysis of high-throughput datasets on circulating tumor cells (CTCs). He usually spends most of his time playing rapid chess when not in lab.
Guangwu Guo, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Guangwu used computational approaches to understand the contribution of genomic alterations to the pathogenesis and the development of drug resistance in multiple myeloma, particularly by using "liquid biopsy" approaches. He is currently a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at WuXi NextCODE.
Jake Kloeber, B.S., Research Associate
Jake received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester. In his free time he enjoys running, cooking, and drinking coffee. He is interested in becoming a physician-scientist and is currently pursuing his MD-PhD at Mayo Clinic.
Jake received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester. In his free time he enjoys running, cooking, and drinking coffee. He is interested in becoming a physician-scientist and is currently pursuing his MD-PhD at Mayo Clinic.
Charles Seifer, B.S., Research Associate
Charlie was a chemistry major at Wesleyan University. He enjoys playing tennis and basketball, food science, and the Nespresso in lab. He is currently attending medical school at the University of South Florida.
Charlie was a chemistry major at Wesleyan University. He enjoys playing tennis and basketball, food science, and the Nespresso in lab. He is currently attending medical school at the University of South Florida.