Mandana Arbab, PhD

Manda Arbab is the Lodish Family Assistant Professor at the Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Department of Neurology. Manda received her PhD in Regenerative Medicine at the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research and Utrecht University in The Netherlands where she worked on induced pluripotent stem cell modeling of motor neuron diseases and advancing CRISPR technologies. She went on to complete an NWO Rubicon postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the lab of Prof. David Liu where she developed a high-throughput genome-integrated platform to measure the activity of CRISPR tools at synthetic loci in mammalian cells. These data elucidated how target sequence features, DNA repair pathways, and genome editor characteristics affect genome editing outcomes, and enabled the development of predictive machine learning models of genome editing outcomes that facilitate precision genome editing strategy design. She has applied these insights to develop in vivo genome editing therapeutics to cure and treat genetic neurological disorders in cells and animal models of human disease.

She and her team continue to pursue their goal of developing novel genome editing therapeutics, translating these drugs from bench to bedside, and using genome editing technologies to uncover the pathogenic processes that underlie neurodegenerative diseases. In 2021, Manda was awarded the Pathway to Independence Award from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Current group members

  • Kwangjun Lee

    Role Postdoctoral fellow

    Education PhD Biomedical Science, Florida State University

    Research interests I have created mutant cell and mouse models by CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair to investigate functional short sequence motifs in circadian clock genes. My goal is to broaden my expertise in genome editing therapeutics, aiming to cure and treat genetic disorders in cell and animal models of human diseases.

    Hobbies I am a passionate sports fan. Currently, I enjoy playing tennis and golf. Additionally, I enjoy spending time at the gym and swimming to stay active and fit.

    Fun fact In 2022, I made a hole-in-one, we believed that it brings good fortune for three years! It is still valid!!

  • Andrea Bianchi

    Role Postdoctoral fellow

    Education PhD Translational and Molecular Medicine, Milan

    Research interests Genome editing is my passion. I transitioned to cancer immunology, exploring the role of B cells in cancer and became an expert in genetically modifying these cells for innovative cell therapies. My interests further include the tumor microenvironment mechanisms of aging.

    Hobbies Good food, organizing social gathering, perfume making.

    Favorite quote Your self respect has to be stronger than your feelings.

  • Gabrielle Saulnier

    Role Program Coordinator

    Education I completed my undergraduate degree in Health Promotion at Radford University, where I focused on public health and healthcare administration.

    Hobbies Exploring Boston and taking french lessons.

  • Jing headshot

    Jing Zhao

    Role Data Analyst

    Education M.S. in Bioinformatics from Northeastern University

    Research interests My work focuses on designing and optimizing computational workflows for high-throughput biological data analysis, including creating pipelines for CRISPR screening, and RNA-seq analysis, to solve complex biological problems and contribute to the understanding of human health, diseases, and genomics.

    Favorite activities Tennis and hiking.

    Favorite quote Work hard, play hard.

  • Alanna Kirschner

    Role Research Assistant

    Education I received my B.S. from Bates College, where I majored in Biochemistry and minored in Religious Studies.

    Research Interests While in undergrad, I developed an interest in the biochemistry of the nervous system and the perturbations that underlie neurodegenerative diseases.

    Hobbies Fantasy novels, pencil sketching, and trying new restaurants.

    Currently watching Succession

  • James Chacharone

    Role Research Assistant

    Education B.S. in Chemistry from Wake Forest University

    Research interests I spent my undergraduate career working on mutating amino acids of radical SAM enzymes in the vitamin B1 synthesis pathway. I look forward to applying my knowledge of chemistry towards neurodegenerative diseases.

    Fun fact I am red/green colorblind.

    Favorite quote Do today what others won’t so tomorrow you can do what others can’t.

  • Magdalena headshot

    Magdalena Lang

    Role Graduate researcher

    Education Medicine and Biomedical Neuroscience Master’s at TU Munich

    Research interests Translating
    discoveries into clinical practice—especially in Neurology. I’m on a quest to understand how the brain and body tick.

    Favorite activity Dancing! Whether it's ballroom or in my kitchen waiting for something to bake, it’s my happy place.

    Fun fact I was one of the dancers who helped open the UEFA Euro Soccer
    Championship 2024. It was pretty epic!

  • Lisa Diez headshot

    Lisa Diez

    Role Rotating PhD Candidate, Program in Neuroscience

    Education B.S. Double Major in Neural Science and Psychology, New York University

    Research interests     As an undergrad and lab technician, I studied auditory development, social learning and hearing loss. I’m now excited to dive into molecular neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases.

    Favorite activities Live music, reading, yoga

    Fun fact I did equestrian vaulting (‘gymnastics on a horse’) for over a decade!

  • Adam Eckardt headshot

    Adam Steven Eckardt

    Role Rotating Phd Candidate, Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program

    Education B.S. in Biochemistry & Pharmacology/Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin Madison

    Research interests I aim to link the understanding of disease mechanisms with practical therapeutic applications to develop innovative solutions for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

    Hobbies Chess, golf, fitness, and brewing cold brew coffee.

    Fun fact: I have a black belt in Judo.

    Favorite quote: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Join us

Lab outings

December 2024 - Level 99

Former group members

  • Marissa Sumathipala

    PhD Candidate, Program in Neuroscience

    Education Harvard College; Cambridge University

  • Ivy Nguyen - headshot

    Ivy Nguyen

    PhD Candidate in the Biological & Biomedical Sciences (BBS) at Harvard Medical School

    Education B.S in Biological Chemistry, Bates College

  • Junghyun Yoo - headshot

    Junghyun Yoo

    PhD Candidate, Program in Neuroscience

    Education University of California, Berkeley (BA in Molecular and Cell Biology, Neurobiology emphasis)

  • Joy Horng

    PhD Candidate, Biological and Biomedical Sciences program

    Education BSc in Chemistry, Northeastern University