Carissa is a postdoctoral researcher in the Sturgeon laboratory and is the lab’s resident Immunologist. She currently works on elucidating the ontological origins, phenotypes, and functions of human pluripotent stem cell-derived natural killer cells. These studies could lead to the generation of functional “off the shelf” natural killer cells used for cancer immunotherapies. Carissa originally hails from the great state of Minnesota, dontcha know. She received her Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Colorado-Denver where she studied the epigenetic regulation of B cell development by Mi-2/NuRD chromatin remodeling complexes. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, attending St. Louis Blues hockey games, paint nights, baking baked goods for the lab, and her French Bulldog, Ollie.

Now, Carissa is a scientist at Fate Therapeutics!

Philip Creamer is a current graduate student in the lab, working on his current project and thesis on understanding the role of mesodermal CDX4 expression in definitive hematopoietic differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. He is currently using a variety of technical methods to explore this goal, including CRISPR/Cas9 editing of embryonic stem cells, zinc finger mediated editing of the AAVS1 safe harbor locus for transgene introduction, as well as high-throughput sequencing and data analysis. He obtained his undergraduate degrees in Biology and Russian Studies from West Virginia University and, as true West Virginian, never misses a chance to loudly sing along to Country Roads. He also enjoys in his spare time tinkering with computers, the outdoors, and metal working.

Analisa Dacunto

Analisa Dacunto is our new research assistant here in New York. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology at Wagner College, where much of her research was dedicated to the different effects of proto-oncogenic proteins on breast cancer. In her spare time Analisa can be found watching Harry Potter or The Nightmare Before Christmas over and over again.

COLE WASSERMAN

Cole Wasserman was our summer research volunteer. He is a high school sophomore at JFK High School in Long Island. Cole is a student in the Advanced Science Research program and is excited to research blood cell development in the early embryo in the lab this summer. Since he was a child, Cole has been fascinated by the world around him and how everything works. In his free time, he likes to play tennis and tinker with electronics.