Lab Members

Elizabeth Petri Henske, MD

Principal Investigator
Read more about Dr. Henske here.

Contact Info:

ehenske(at)partners.org

Karen Forti

Administrative Assistant

Contact Info:

kforti(at)partners.org

Jane Yu, PhD

Instructor in Medicine
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

jyu13(at)partners.org

Education / Training:

• Peking University of China (BS- Biology).
• Graduate School of the City University of New York (PhD, Biochemistry- 1999).
• Fox Chase Cancer Center, Post-doctoral Fellowship (Henske Lab).

Research Interests:

Dr. Yu has been an investigator in LAM research since 1998. She worked on the characterization of primary cell cultures derived from angiomyolipoma and LAM. She demonstrated that estrogen and tamoxifen stimulate LAM-associated angiomyolipoma cell growth and activate both genomic and nongenomic signaling pathways, and uncovered that estrogen-induced activation of mTOR is mediated via tuberin and Rheb. She currently develops animal models of LAM, studies mechanisms through which tuberin and hamartin regulate estrogen-mediated metastatic phenotypes, and develops estrogen-focused targeted therapeutic strategies for LAM.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Tennis
• Basketball
• Karaoke

Carmen Priolo, MD, PhD

Instructor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

carmen_priolo(at)dfci.harvard.edu
617-355-9012

Education / Training:

• University of Messina Medical School, Italy (MD- 2000)
• University of Messina and Regina Elena Cancer Institute (Medical Oncology- 2004)
• Catholic University (PhD, Endocrinological Sciences- 2007)
• Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School (Postdoctoral Fellowship)

Research Interests:

Dr. Priolo received her PhD from the Catholic University (Rome) in 2007. Her thesis focused on the generation of novel patient-derived pre-clinical models of prostate cancer and was developed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, where she also completed a post-doctoral training.

Dr. Priolo is currently an Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on the links between genetic and metabolic alterations in human tumors, with the goal to uncover metabolic dependencies in LAM and TSC that can be targeted therapeutically and exploited to improve diagnostics.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Cooking
• Piano
• Writing Poetry

Khadijah M. Hindi, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

khindi(at)partners.org
617-355-9021

Education / Training:

• University of Akron (BS, Chemistry- 2003)
• University of Akron (PhD, Inorganic Chemistry- 2008)

Research Interests:

Dr. Hindi received her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from The University of Akron, Akron, OH in 2008. Previously, Dr. Hindi was a postdoctoral fellow in the department of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology & Pulmonary Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. There she worked with silver-based antimicrobials and the treatment of chronic lung infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia complex organisms seen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Dr. Hindi’s current work in Dr. Henske’s laboratory involves investigating the role of cytokines in LAM pathogenesis using both in vitro and in vivo model systems.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Fashion
• Antiques
• Running
• Yoga
• Boxing

Tasha Morrison, BS

Research Technician

Contact Info:

tmorrison1(at)partners.org

Douglas Medvetz, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

dmetvetz(at)partners.org
617-355-9103

Education / Training:

• Walsh University (BS, Biology- 2003)
• University of Akron (PhD, Inorganic Chemistry- 2008)

Research Interests:

Dr. Medvetz received his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, focusing on the anticancer properties of silver containing small molecules. Doug is currently working on discovering novel therapies for TSC and LAM via high-throughput screening. He is also investigating the role of Folliculin in the pathogenesis of Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Basketball
• Weight Lifting
• Real Estate
• Beer / Brewing

Andrey Parkhitko, MS

Graduate Student / PhD Candidate
Russian State Medical University
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

aparkhitko(at)partners.org
617-355-9021

Education / Training:

• Russian State Medical University (MS, Molecular Biology- 2007)

Research Interests:

Andrey joined the Henske lab as an exchange student in 2006. He has focused on studying the role of autophagy and metabolism in pathogenesis of TSC and LAM.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Hiking / Outdoors
• Piano
• Playing with his two children

Damir Khabibullin, MS

Research Associate / Lab Manager
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Contact Info:

dkhabibullin(at)partners.org
617-355-9105

Education / Training:

• Kazan State University, Russia (BA- English Translation)
• Kazan State University, Russia (MS- Molecular Biology)

Research Interests:

Damir is currently working to identify the role and functions of folliculin, as it relates to the pathogenesis of Birt-Hogg-Dube (BHD) Syndrome. He is also developing animal models of FLCN inactivation.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Computers, computer games
• Archery

Erik Zhang, PhD

Research Scientist
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Contact Info:

ezhang2(at)partners.org

Education / Training:

• Zhongshan University of China (BS- Biology).
• Graduate School of the City University of New York (PhD, Biology- 1998).
• He was trained with Drs. Rembold, Chacko and Fisher in muscle biology.

Research Interests:

Dr. Zhang is currently investigating the role of estrogen-induced inflammation in the pathogenesis of LAM; he is specifically interested in the role of dyregulated expression of COX enzymes and prostaglandins in disease formation and progression. Dr. Zhang is skilled in utilizing bio-informatic methodologies and tools.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Web design
• Film / Movies
• Swimming

Chenggang Li, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

cli13(at)partners.org
617-355-9129

Education / Training:

• Harbin Medical University, China (M.M. & B.M)
• Peking Union Medical College, China (PhD)

Research Interests:

Dr. Li is currently studying the role of estrogen in LAM pathogenesis.

Anil J. Trindade, MD

Clinical and Research Fellow
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Contact Info:

atrindade(at)partners.org
617-355-9104

Education / Training:

• Lehigh University (BS, Biochemistry- 2001)
• Duke University School of Medicine (MD- 2005)
• Johns Hopkins Hospital (Osler Medicine Residency Training Program, 2005-2008)
• Harvard Combined Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (2008-2012)

Clinical Interests:

Dr. Trindade is primarily interested in treating patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (including pulmonary fibrosis). Other clinical interests include pulmonary vascular disease, lung transplantation and critical care medicine. He enjoys teaching medical students and housestaff and currently serves as a tutor for the Respiratory Physiology course at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Trindade is also an investigator on several clinical trials involving patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Research Interests:

Dr. Trindade is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the lab of Elizabeth Petri Henske. He is investigating the contribution of dysregulated microRNA expression in the pathogenesis of LAM.

Hobbies / Interests:

• Tennis, Squash and Racquetball
• Running
• Kayaking
• Skiing
• Food and Mixology