JOHNATHAN CALDON, M.S.
Research Specialist
Email: caldon@wisc.edu
Research Interest: I am researching the efficacy of T cells derived from newly-differentiated iPSCs as an immunotherapy.
Education: I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Rochester in 2017. Afterwards, I attended the Medical College of Wisconsin where I obtained a Master of Science in Immunology while researching the relationship of gammaherpesvirus infection and autoimmune disease.
Personal Information: In my free time, I enjoy video games, movies, and watching football (go Patriots!).
SAMUEL DETTLE
Graduate Student
Email: sdettle@wisc.edu
I am a Yellow Jacket Alum (UW-Superior); here, I earned my B.A in biochemistry, played for the college basketball team, and took long walks on the beach listening to the intro of careless whisper on repeat. I was born and raised in Wisconsin, and from a young age I was indoctrinated into the Badger and Cheese head nation. I enjoy cross country skiing, biking, running, and jumping.
SARITHA SANDRA D’SOUZA, PhD
Scientist II
Email: dsouza2@wisc.edu
Research Interest: I have been actively working as a part of the stem cell Biology Precision Medicine core to chalk out methodology for the safe use of induced pluripotent stem cell derived blood products using non-human primate models, genetic modification of NHP iPSCs and evaluating iPSC derived CAR-T cell therapies.
Education: I completed my PhD from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India in 2011. My doctoral work was focused on the regulation of tumor angiogenesis by angiopoietins. Part of my doctoral research work was completed in thePediatric Oncology laboratory, University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany, wherein I worked on RNA interference technique to silence Angiopoietin 2 and its subsequent effect on neuroblastoma progression. The work also included drug-based therapy against angiopoietins in a xenograft model of neuroblastoma.
Personal Information: I celebrate my birthday the same day as my husband. I moved to Madison with my small family in 2011. Having lived in India, Germany and now in USA I have mastered the skill to communicate in 6 languages, though my German is no good at all. I love to dance, travel and I am looking forward to good memories here in the USA.
Research Interests: My current research is focused on generating CAR-Neutrophils from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and NHP iPSCs, and studying their therapeutic effects both in vitro and in vivo in combination with CAR T cells.
Education: B.S.E in Nano Science and Engineering and B.S in Biotechnology (2022), Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
Personal Information: I was born in South Korea and completed my higher education there before moving to Madison in 2023 for my PhD program. Having lived in Brazil for four years during my adolescence, I developed a deep interest in learning different cultures, artworks, and languages. In my free time, I enjoy studying Spanish with Duolingo, listening to music at home or biking along Lake Monona.
MD EHSANUL KABIR, DVM, MSc
Graduate student
Email: ekabir@wisc.edu
Research Interest: My research focuses on generating macrophages from different genetically modified human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) by use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, with a particular emphasis on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) macrophages, to develop cellular immunotherapy strategies for targeting solid tumors.
Education: DVM (2013): Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh.
MSc in Pathology (2015): Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh.
Personal Information: I love playing cricket and badminton, and I am interested in photography and writing Bengali poems as well.
MAHSHID SALEH, PhD
Post Doc
Email: saleh5@wisc.edu
Research Interests: Stem cell & gene therapy, regenerative medicine, clinical trials. My previous work was a clinical trial about cell therapy in patients with severe COVID-19 using Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells. In these patients, WJ-MSCs were used to modulate immunity and overcome cytokine storms. My research in Dr. Igor Slukvin’s lab is focused on the generation of blood cells from iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) and the generation of different types of DCs (dendritic cells) from iPSCs. I sincerely hope the results of my research in my years in UW-Madison to be a progressive step toward a favorable treatment for the patients who need it.
Education: BSc. Laboratory Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran; MSc. Hematology & Blood Banking, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Ph.D. Applied Cell Sciences (Cell Therapy), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
Personal Information: I was born in Iran, and I moved to Wisconsin-Madison in the Fall of 2022 to gain a more in-depth knowledge on stem cell-related therapies as a whole. I am an instructor and an expert in playing the Tombak drum (a Persian musical instrument), and I’ve played live in various arenas in Tehran. I love to dance in my spare time, and I enjoy playing tennis, running and swimming to keep fit. A healthy mind in a healthy body.
Woman, Life, Freedom.
DIVINE MENSAH SEDZRO, PhD
Research Associate
Email: sedzro@wisc.edu
Research Interest: The focus of my research is to establish the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into hematopoietic progenitors and mature blood cells in order to understand molecular mechanisms of early hematopoietic differentiation and provide a novel source of cells for bone marrow transplantation, transfusion and cancer immunotherapy.
Education: BSc (First Class Honors) – University of Cape Coast, Ghana; Master’s Degree – Jiamusi University, China; Doctorate Degree – University of Science and Technology of China, China.
Personal Information: I love watching movies and documentaries during my leisure times. My dream is to spend holiday in a cabin within the Arctic or somewhere in Alaska during winter.
PORTIA SMITH
PhD Candidate
Email: prsmith6@wisc.edu
Research Interests: My thesis project focuses on the generation of macrophages from human pluripotent stem cells for the use of cellular therapy to treat solid tumor cancers. Particularly, I am focused on genetically modifying targets of inhibitory pathways within the tumor microenvironment by use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.
Education: B.S. in Integrated Biological Sciences (2019) University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
Personal Information: I have previously lived in Vermont my entire life prior to moving to Madison for my PhD program, where I downhill skied as a child, met Bernie in college, and ate Ben and Jerry’s from the factory regularly (true story). In my free time in Madison, you can find me cheering at a Badgers game with friends, antiquing on the weekends, or reading a novel at home after a long day of western blotting.