Current Members
Principal Investigator
James Lee
Post Docs
Han Zang
Han graduated from Tianjin University with B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She received her PhD from Boston University in 2023. Her research during PhD focused on the development of biomimetic nanoparticles as drug delivery system and immune-modulator. Joining Lee lab at UCSF, Han is dedicated to establishing liver metastasis (LM) preclinical model and investigating the underlying mechanism of LM related immune tolerance. She aims to overcome the LM immune tolerance and enhance the immune response against tumor cells by exploring cytokine based immuotherapy and the combination of radiotherapy and check point inhibitors. Outside of the lab, Han finds joy in baking, cat sitting and traveling.
Shao Tao
Shao completed his PhD in Experimental Medicine at McGill University Health Center, focusing on regulatory B cells and follicular T cells. Prior to joining Dr. James Lee at UCSF, he did business internships in strategic planning and digital medicine at Becton Dickinson, Merck, and embecta. Following the internships, he did his 1st postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University Biodesign and Urology, focusing on finding medical/surgical needs and subsequently bringing them to prototyping. During his 1st postdoc, he completed Stanford Graduate School of Business Ignite Executive program in which he pitched our venture for a medical need to VCs for a potential startup. Shao was also a business consultant for Cancerandwork.ca, an organization helping cancer patients return back to work. The goal was to transform this organization to a for-profile company.
Shao dedicate his work as a postdoctoral fellow to Dr. Lee's pre-clinical research in finding new therapeutic solutions for patients diagnosed with melanoma and liver metastasis. Specifically, we are looking into the gene GILZ and how this gene may immune-modulate host immune system in the tumor microenvironment. From this research, one of his major goals is to unveil how B cells can be targeted for tumor suppression.
Junior Specialist
Asha Bunyan
Asha graduated from Rensselaer Polytecnic Institute with a B.S. in Computational Biology and a M.S. in Biochemistry Biophysics. Asha utilizes computational techniques to analyze single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data. Asha also works along side Han in establishing a liver metastasis (LM) preclinical model and investigating the underlying mechanism of LM related immune tolerance. Her hobbies include traveling, painting and baking.
Interns
Dhruvi Mistry
Dhruvi received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology. She previously worked in the Evo Lab at UC Berkeley conducting research on the impact of global change on microbiomes and also in the Ron lab at UCSF. Her research focuses on exploring how metabolic pathways are impacted in cancer microenvironment. She is currently examining the role of xCT, a cystine-glutamate antiporter, in liver mets. Outside of the lab, Dhruvi enjoys badminton, cooking, and exploring new restaurants.
Karan Bhatt
Karan graduated from UCLA with a degree in Psychobiology in 2023. In college, he was part of the Geschwind lab, where he focused on autism spectrum disorders and helped analyze animal behavior videos, assisted in the creation of RNA libraries for sequencing after gene knockout experiments, and conducted genotyping procedures. In the Jonas lab, he prepared and maintained cancer cell cultures for DNA delivery experiments into stem and immune cells. In the Lee lab, Karan assists in RT experiments by maintaining MC38 cell lines, helping to monitor tumor growth or regression, and occasionally conducting surgeries on mice for cell injections. Karan plans to attend medical school starting Fall 2024. His hobbies include playing tennis, going bowling, cooking, reading, and photography.
Ishika Dhingra
Ishika Dhingra has been involved in the James Lee Lab since January 2023. She graduated UC Berkeley in May 2023 with a dual degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Business Administration through the Robinson Life Science Business and Entrepreneurship Program. Her work with underserved populations in India and her interest for innovation in medicine has motivated her to become a physician. Ishika hopes to become a pediatrician one day while continuing to work in global health and pushing for innovation to meet patient unmet need. In her free time, Ishika enjoys exploring new areas of San Francisco and trying new restaurants!
Alumni
Luke Kim
Luke Kim started working in the Lee Lab in 2021, where he trained in mouse handling and surgical skills. He completed a 4th year medical student Deep Explore project generating data on the effects of radiotherapy at inducing an abscopal effect in a mouse model of liver-metastatic melanoma, helping to establish a workflow for using the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform for future experiments requiring radiotherapy. Luke attended California State University, Bakersfield for undergraduate before traveling north to UCSF for medical school. Luke will be starting a residency in Psychiatry at Olive-View-UCLA Medical Center. In his free time he enjoys looking up new recipes to try on YouTube and learning jazzy Christmas music on the piano. He is grateful for the experiences participating in cutting-edge translational immuno-oncology research at the Lee Lab and for the quality time spent with his amazing lab members!