Our People
Principal Investigator
David A. Barbie, M.D.
Dr. David A. Barbie is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, and Associate Director of the Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science. He obtained an A.B. from Harvard College in 1997 and M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 2002. Dr. Barbie was an HHMI Medical Fellow from 1999-2000 between his 2nd and 3rd years of medical school, working in Dr. Ed Harlow’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2005, followed by a year as medical chief resident in 2006. Dr. Barbie was a medical oncology fellow in the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare program, which he completed in 2008. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. William Hahn’s lab at the Broad Institute, he received a tenure-track independent investigator position in 2010 at Dana-Farber, and a clinical position within the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology. He has received numerous awards, including young investigator awards from ASCO and ASCI, becoming a key opinion leader in the emerging field of innate antitumor immunity. He promotes a collaborative and open research environment with a diverse group of clinicians and scientists including biologists, biochemists, immunologists, engineers, pathologists and oncologists from around the world.
Dr. David A. Barbie is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology, and Associate Director of the Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science. He obtained an A.B. from Harvard College in 1997 and M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 2002. Dr. Barbie was an HHMI Medical Fellow from 1999-2000 between his 2nd and 3rd years of medical school, working in Dr. Ed Harlow’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2005, followed by a year as medical chief resident in 2006. Dr. Barbie was a medical oncology fellow in the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare program, which he completed in 2008. Following a post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. William Hahn’s lab at the Broad Institute, he received a tenure-track independent investigator position in 2010 at Dana-Farber, and a clinical position within the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology. He has received numerous awards, including young investigator awards from ASCO and ASCI, becoming a key opinion leader in the emerging field of innate antitumor immunity. He promotes a collaborative and open research environment with a diverse group of clinicians and scientists including biologists, biochemists, immunologists, engineers, pathologists and oncologists from around the world.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Erik Knelson, M.D., Ph.D.
I am an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at DFCI. I earned my MD and PhD from Duke University and completed residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, followed by fellowship in hematology & oncology through the combined program at DFCI and MGH. I study tumor cell cytokine release and innate antitumor immunity. I use cell lines, patient samples, and mouse models of thoracic cancers to investigate novel targeted and immune therapeutic approaches, with a focus on STING signaling.
I am an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at DFCI. I earned my MD and PhD from Duke University and completed residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, followed by fellowship in hematology & oncology through the combined program at DFCI and MGH. I study tumor cell cytokine release and innate antitumor immunity. I use cell lines, patient samples, and mouse models of thoracic cancers to investigate novel targeted and immune therapeutic approaches, with a focus on STING signaling.
Navin Mahadevan, M.D., Ph.D.
I am an instructor in pathology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. I completed my MD and PhD at the University of California, San Diego, followed by pathology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship in Molecular Pathology. My interest is the generation of immune responses in solid (lung) tumor microenvironments. I use cell lines, patient samples, and ex vivo models of lung cancer tumors to understand the tumor cell-intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of immune responses, with emphasis on myeloid antigen presenting cell and T cell interactions. I am also interested in clinically applicable molecular, immune, and histologic/immunohistochemical characterization of solid tumors and their microenvironments.
I am an instructor in pathology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. I completed my MD and PhD at the University of California, San Diego, followed by pathology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship in Molecular Pathology. My interest is the generation of immune responses in solid (lung) tumor microenvironments. I use cell lines, patient samples, and ex vivo models of lung cancer tumors to understand the tumor cell-intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of immune responses, with emphasis on myeloid antigen presenting cell and T cell interactions. I am also interested in clinically applicable molecular, immune, and histologic/immunohistochemical characterization of solid tumors and their microenvironments.
Tetsuo Tani, M.D., Ph.D.
I am a pulmonologist from Japan with an MD and PhD from Keio University. I joined the Barbie Lab in 2019 to study tumor immunology, especially innate immune signaling in KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer. The purpose of my research is to identify novel treatments for lung cancer patients.
I am a pulmonologist from Japan with an MD and PhD from Keio University. I joined the Barbie Lab in 2019 to study tumor immunology, especially innate immune signaling in KRAS mutant non-small cell lung cancer. The purpose of my research is to identify novel treatments for lung cancer patients.
Sarah Shelton, Ph.D.
I am a biomedical engineer interested in building vascularized in vitro models of the tumor microenvironment using microfluidics as part of a collaborative project with Dr. Roger Kamm’s lab at MIT. My focus is developing immunocompetent models to study T cell extravasation and migration in order to explore mechanisms of T cell recruitment or exclusion in tumors.
I am a biomedical engineer interested in building vascularized in vitro models of the tumor microenvironment using microfluidics as part of a collaborative project with Dr. Roger Kamm’s lab at MIT. My focus is developing immunocompetent models to study T cell extravasation and migration in order to explore mechanisms of T cell recruitment or exclusion in tumors.
Koji Haratani, M.D., Ph.D.
I am a medical oncologist, and also completed a research fellowship in Japan. I have conducted prospective/retrospective clinical research, translational research using tumor tissue and blood samples from oncology clinics, and laboratory-based experimental research. I am happy here to be trained as physician-scientist. My current interest is to evaluate how multiple immune cell compartments are regulated to localize and function in the tumors. Also, my main project is to develop novel strategies to induce both innate and adaptive immunity against malignant cells by manipulating their own intrinsic mechanisms.
I am a medical oncologist, and also completed a research fellowship in Japan. I have conducted prospective/retrospective clinical research, translational research using tumor tissue and blood samples from oncology clinics, and laboratory-based experimental research. I am happy here to be trained as physician-scientist. My current interest is to evaluate how multiple immune cell compartments are regulated to localize and function in the tumors. Also, my main project is to develop novel strategies to induce both innate and adaptive immunity against malignant cells by manipulating their own intrinsic mechanisms.
Marco Campisi, Ph.D.
I received my undergraduate and masters degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino (Polito) in Italy, followed by a Ph.D for a joint project between Polito, MIT, and DFCI. My current projects in the lab focus on developing physiologically relevant 3-D vascularized cancer models using microfluidic devices to study the biological interactions between endothelial cells and cancer spheroids, and the mechanisms of immune cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. I am also interested in developing polymer nanoparticles as carriers for immunotherapies and cancer treatments.
I received my undergraduate and masters degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Torino (Polito) in Italy, followed by a Ph.D for a joint project between Polito, MIT, and DFCI. My current projects in the lab focus on developing physiologically relevant 3-D vascularized cancer models using microfluidic devices to study the biological interactions between endothelial cells and cancer spheroids, and the mechanisms of immune cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. I am also interested in developing polymer nanoparticles as carriers for immunotherapies and cancer treatments.
Kartik Sehgal, M.D.
I am an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and the division of Head and Neck Cancer at DFCI. I study mechanisms of primary and secondary resistance to PD(L)-1 blockade using our lab’s 3D ex vivo mouse/patient derived organotypic tumor spheroids (MDOTS/PDOTS) model. Our goal is to develop rational combination strategies of PD(L)-1 inhibitors and molecularly targeted therapies to prevent/combat therapeutic resistance.
I am an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and the division of Head and Neck Cancer at DFCI. I study mechanisms of primary and secondary resistance to PD(L)-1 blockade using our lab’s 3D ex vivo mouse/patient derived organotypic tumor spheroids (MDOTS/PDOTS) model. Our goal is to develop rational combination strategies of PD(L)-1 inhibitors and molecularly targeted therapies to prevent/combat therapeutic resistance.
Ryohei Yoshida, M.D., Ph.D.
I am a pulmonologist and physician-scientist who studies innate immune signaling in lung cancer. I am also interested in the mechanisms of resistance in lung cancers harboring EGFR mutations.
I am a pulmonologist and physician-scientist who studies innate immune signaling in lung cancer. I am also interested in the mechanisms of resistance in lung cancers harboring EGFR mutations.
Shriram Sundararaman, M.D.
I studied bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and received my MD from the University of Virginia, working in the Barbie Lab for one year studying 3-D ex vivo models of the tumor microenvironment. I am currently a resident in medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. I am interested in innate antitumor immunity and cellular interactions within the tumor-immune microenvironment.
I studied bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and received my MD from the University of Virginia, working in the Barbie Lab for one year studying 3-D ex vivo models of the tumor microenvironment. I am currently a resident in medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. I am interested in innate antitumor immunity and cellular interactions within the tumor-immune microenvironment.
Elliot Brea, M.D., Ph.D.
I earned my MD and PhD at Weill Cornell Medical College where I did my graduate work in David Scheinberg’s lab at Sloan-Kettering Institute investigating regulators of MHC-I and antigen presentation in tumors, along with development of TCR mimetic antibodies. I then did my residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and am currently a hematology/oncology fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am interested in developing CAR-T for lung cancer and other solid tumors along with strategies to identify novel targets for solid tumor CAR-T therapy and am doing a joint project between the Barbie lab and Eric Smith lab at DFCI. I hope to leverage single cell RNA seq as well to identify novel targets in patients who have progressed after first line TKI.
I earned my MD and PhD at Weill Cornell Medical College where I did my graduate work in David Scheinberg’s lab at Sloan-Kettering Institute investigating regulators of MHC-I and antigen presentation in tumors, along with development of TCR mimetic antibodies. I then did my residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and am currently a hematology/oncology fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am interested in developing CAR-T for lung cancer and other solid tumors along with strategies to identify novel targets for solid tumor CAR-T therapy and am doing a joint project between the Barbie lab and Eric Smith lab at DFCI. I hope to leverage single cell RNA seq as well to identify novel targets in patients who have progressed after first line TKI.
Graduate Students
Minyue (Zoey) Chen, B.A., B.S.
I studied Biology and Mathematics at the Case Western Reserve University, and am currently a masters student in the Immunology program at Harvard Medical School. My research interests in cancer immunotherapy drive me to study the innate immune response via the cGAS-STING pathway.
I studied Biology and Mathematics at the Case Western Reserve University, and am currently a masters student in the Immunology program at Harvard Medical School. My research interests in cancer immunotherapy drive me to study the innate immune response via the cGAS-STING pathway.
Erin Shannon, B.S.
I studied Health Sciences at Boston University and am currently completing my MS in Medical Sciences from BU with a thesis on the role of the STING/TBK1 pathway in the development of mesotheliomas.
I studied Health Sciences at Boston University and am currently completing my MS in Medical Sciences from BU with a thesis on the role of the STING/TBK1 pathway in the development of mesotheliomas.
Lab Technicians
Tran Thai, B.S.
Tran is the Barbie Lab manager. She has overseen lab operations since its inception in 2010. Her technical expertise spans many cell and molecular biology/biochemistry techniques including cloning, PCR, and ELISA. In addition, Tran manages day-to-day lab operations and is a valued source of life and career advice.
Tran is the Barbie Lab manager. She has overseen lab operations since its inception in 2010. Her technical expertise spans many cell and molecular biology/biochemistry techniques including cloning, PCR, and ELISA. In addition, Tran manages day-to-day lab operations and is a valued source of life and career advice.
Luann Zerefa, A.B.
I studied Integrative Biology and Earth & Planetary Sciences at Harvard University where I used osteohistology to explore the terrestriality and biology of extant amphibians and early tetrapods. My current work involves generation of patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids (PDOTS) within microfluidic devices, which can be used to study novel potential immunotherapies.
I studied Integrative Biology and Earth & Planetary Sciences at Harvard University where I used osteohistology to explore the terrestriality and biology of extant amphibians and early tetrapods. My current work involves generation of patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids (PDOTS) within microfluidic devices, which can be used to study novel potential immunotherapies.
Barbie Lab Alumni
Brandon Piel, B.S., QC Analyst at Lonza
Maria Saigí Morguí, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist, Juan-Rodés Postdoctoral researcher, Catalan Institute of Oncology
Saemi Han, B.A., Medical Student, Seoul National University College of Medicine
Jessica Ritter, Ph.D., Scientist at Verseau Therapeutics
Shunsuke Kitajima, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
Israel Cañadas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Cañadas Lab
Russ Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School; Jenkins Lab
Hideki Terai, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Keio University
Zehua Zhu, PhD, Clinical Genomics Scientist, Invitae
Shenghong Yang, PhD, Financial Professional, Lexington Life Insurance
Amir Aref, PhD, Vice President of Translational Science, XSphera Biosciences
Hadrian Golay, MD, Physician scientist in pediatrics, University Hospital of Geneva
Rohit Thummalapalli, MD, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Edmond Chan, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Maria Saigí Morguí, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist, Juan-Rodés Postdoctoral researcher, Catalan Institute of Oncology
Saemi Han, B.A., Medical Student, Seoul National University College of Medicine
Jessica Ritter, Ph.D., Scientist at Verseau Therapeutics
Shunsuke Kitajima, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research
Israel Cañadas, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Fox Chase Cancer Center; Cañadas Lab
Russ Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, MGH Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School; Jenkins Lab
Hideki Terai, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Keio University
Zehua Zhu, PhD, Clinical Genomics Scientist, Invitae
Shenghong Yang, PhD, Financial Professional, Lexington Life Insurance
Amir Aref, PhD, Vice President of Translational Science, XSphera Biosciences
Hadrian Golay, MD, Physician scientist in pediatrics, University Hospital of Geneva
Rohit Thummalapalli, MD, Fellow in Hematology/Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Edmond Chan, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School