Current Hasan Lab Members – THE HASAN LABORATORY

Administrative Personnel

Laura Maddox

Administrative Coordinator

Laura earned her BA in International Relations and Latin American Area Studies with a focus on Cross-Cultural Communications from American University in Washington DC. She has worked in a variety of operations and managerial positions in medical devices, higher education, and public transportation.

At the Hasan Lab since 2021, Laura is the Administrative Coordinator for Dr. Tayyaba Hasan. Her work involves reviewing and editing manuscripts, preparing documents, making travel arrangements, lab purchases and reimbursements, website management, and managing Dr Hasan’s busy calendar.

Current Fulltime Lab Members

Yanfang Feng, PhD

Instructor

Yanfang earned her BSc and MSc at Sichuan University and the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention in China. She earned her PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University Of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She has been with The Hasan lab in The Wellman Center for Photomedicine since 2017. Yanfang is a microbiologist with specialized training in molecular evolution and the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens.

Her research focuses on the development of point-of-care diagnosis for antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the use of photodynamic therapy for antibiotic-resistant infections.

Mohammad Ahsan Saad, PhD

Instructor

Saad obtained his PhD in Nanomedicine from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), India. With brief postdoctoral stints at CCMB and Cleveland Clinic, Saad joined the Hasan lab at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine in 2018. He is a biochemist with extensive experience in molecular biology, biophysics, and biomedical imaging.

His major research focus is the development of targeted constructs for imaging and treatment of oral and pancreatic tumors.

José Quilez-Alburquerque, PhD

Research Fellow

José earned his BS at the Complutense University of Madrid, his Master of Drug Discovery at the University of Alcala, and his PhD in Organic Chemistry at the Complutense University of Madrid. He is a chemist with extensive experience in photochemistry, optical sensing, and organic synthesis. José first interned at the Hasan Lab in the midst of the initial COVOD lockdowns of 2020-21 but was undeterred and joined the lab fulltime in 2022.

José’s research focuses on the development of light activable liposomal-like nanostructures to co-deliver photodynamic priming and chemotherapeutics or antibiotics in pancreatic cancer or antibiotic-resistant infections respectively.

Fernanda Viana Cabral, DVM, PhD

Research Fellow

Fernanda earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She earned the prestigious and very competitive Thomas F Deutsch Fellowship in Biomedical Optics (jointly awarded by the Optica Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital Wellman Center for Photomedicine), joining the Hasan Lab in June of 2023.

Her research focuses on utilizing light-based technologies as therapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases. She is currently investigating the efficacy of superhydrophobic bandages for singlet oxygen delivery in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Additionally, her work centers on evaluating the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and Photodynamic Priming (PDP) in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapy for treating pancreatic cancer. She uses 3D tumor organoids and mouse models to target cancer cells and investigate how the immune system responds. In addition to evaluating the immune response triggered by PDT/PDP, her focus is minimizing adverse effects while maximizing therapeutic outcomes.

Nayab Tahir, PhD

Research Fellow

Nayab earned his Pharm-D from the University of Sargodha, and his Master and PhD in Pharmaceutics from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. His project was “Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery System Formulation Design and Evaluation”.

He worked as a lecturer in the Pharmacy Faculty at the University of Sargodha Pakistan prior to winning the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to study in the US for a year in our lab, joining in February 2024.

Nayab’s research focuses on the design and development of lipid and polymer-based nanoconstructs for the delivery of chemotherapeutics to cancer cells, thereby improving efficacy and the safety profile of these drugs. He is currently working on these nanoconstructs to integrate photodynamic therapy to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Natalie Eidenschink

Research Technician

Natalie earned her BS in Biochemistry from The College of Saint Scholastica in MN and joined the Hasan Lab in June 2023.

She is working two 2 gap years in her education with the Hasan lab and will apply for MD-PhD programs in the future. Her research is focused on microbiologic approaches using PDT. Also a certified CNA, her interests are in OB/GYN and Oncology.

Derek Allen

Research Technician

Derek earned his B.Eng in Biomolecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Derek’s research background focuses on using optical techniques to design systems for probing and modifying cellular morphology and behavior.

Derek joined the Hasan Lab in June of 2023 and is working on PDT experiments involving in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.

Shivendran Vytheswaran

Research Technician

Shivi earned his BS in Physiology and Neurobiology with a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. Shivi interned with the Hasan Lab in 2023 prior to joining the Hasan Lab fulltime in his current role in June of 2024 and is interested in oncology.

His work focuses on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and photodynamic therapy.

Visiting Scientists

Jonathan (Jon) Celli, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Jonathan Celli is an Associate Professor of Physics, at the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston as well as a Graduate Program Director there. Affiliated with Harvard Medical School as an Instructor in Dermatology since 2010, Jon is a longtime collaborator with the Wellman Center for Photomedicine.

Holding a dual appointment, his research is focused on problems at the intersection of physics and cancer biology, integrating a variety of custom imaging-based methodologies for quantitative analysis of tumor-microenvironment interactions, the role of extracellular matrix mechanics, and evaluation of photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment response

Celli Lab website

Bryan Q. Spring, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Bryan Q. Spring is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Physics and an Affiliated Faculty of Bioengineering (Northeastern University, Boston), and a Visiting Scientist at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School).

As an undergraduate NSF fellow, he contributed to characterizing one of the intricate photophysical parameters of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) under the guidance of Robert S. Knox (Department of Physics, University of Rochester, NY). His doctoral work with Robert M. Clegg (Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) focused on developing fluorescence lifetime and quantitative FRET imaging. He developed patent pending technology for molecular imaging and selective treatment of cancer micrometastases during his postdoctoral fellowship in Tayyaba Hasan’s laboratory (Wellman Center for Photomedicine).

Since joining the faculty at Northeastern University in 2015, Prof. Spring received The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22) as well as an award from the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research. In 2021, he was selected as a Scialog Fellow for Advancing Bioimaging.

Bryan’s research in the Hasan group focuses on fluorescence microendoscopy for minimally- invasive monitoring of treatment responses in mouse models of ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

Outside the laboratory, Prof. Spring practices meditation, calisthenics, and running, and he loves to travel in his spare time.

Spring Lab

Edward Maytin, MD PhD

Visiting Scientist

Edward Maytin, MD, is Section Head of Molecular Dermatology in the Department of Dermatology, as well as a Staff Member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also an Assistant professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Cleveland State University and Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

A frequent collaborator with the Hasan Lab, Dr. Maytin’s research focuses on two thematic areas: (1) wound healing, and (2) skin cancer. For wound healing, we are interested in the role of the extracellular matrix in wound repair. A large carbohydrate molecule called hyaluronan is an abundant component of the matrix and also of the pericellular coats of fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and blood vessels; the addition of certain proteins to hyaluronan after injury appears to be critical for regulating inflammation and fibrosis in healing wounds. Understanding this regulation may provide new ideas for therapy of poorly healing wounds in diabetes.

For skin cancer, we are working to improve a skin cancer treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT has two components: a porphyrin precursor that is selectively taken up into malignant cells and converted to porphyrin, and a strong light source that activates the porphyrin inside the cancer cells, producing oxygen free radicals and causing cell death. Under the proper conditions, PDT can also stimulate anti-tumor immunity. We have found that pretreatment with certain drugs and hormones (including methotrexate and Vitamin D) can lead to more porphyrin accumulation, more efficient cell killing upon exposure to light, and improved stimulation of anti-tumor immune mechanisms.

Ed Maytin Lab

Shakir Khan, PhD

Visiting Fellow

Shakir Khan earned his PhD in Biotechnology from Aligarh Muslim University. Shakir is based out of Jon Celli’s lab at UMass Boston.

Currently, his post-doctorate work is investigating engineering design changes to make oral cancer Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) devices more user-friendly, cost-effective, and conducive to commercial development for point-of-care oral cancer PDT treatment. In addition to that, he is constructing and working on various in-vitro tissue models for the analysis of light dosimetry, methods of photosensitizers localization and fluorescence imaging. He also works on Curcumin nanoparticles for the application on clinical oral cancer (superficial lesions PDT).

Brian Pogue, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Brian Pogue is Professor of Medical Physics and Department Chair as well as Director of Graduate Programs for the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

His research focuses on Optics in medicine, biomedical imaging to guide cancer therapy; molecular guided surgery; dose imaging in radiation therapy; Cherenkov light imaging; image guided spectroscopy of cancer; photodynamic therapy; and modeling of tumor pathophysiology and contrast.

MOXI Lab

Srivalleesha (Valli) Mallidi, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Srivaleesha Mallidi is an Assistant professor at Tuft University. Prior to Tufts, Dr. Mallidi was Assistant Professor at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School and maintains an affiliate position with MGH and Wellman to continue her research collaborations within the center.

Valli’s research in the Hasan group focuses on photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma, molecular imaging, monitoring therapy and on developing low cost PDT strategies. She now directs the integrated Biofunctional imaging and therapeutics lab (iBIT Lab) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University .

Mallidi Research Group

Huang-Chiao (Joe) Huang, PhD

Visiting Scientist

Joe Huang is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Fischell Department of Bioengineering. His research focuses on integrating nanoscience and photobiology to help fight disease and improve human health.

Huang Lab website

All Led By:

Dr. Tayyaba Hasan PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr Hasan brief biography

	Administrative Personnel
	Laura Maddox Administrative Coordinator Laura earned her BA in International Relations and Latin American Area Studies with a focus on Cross-Cultural Communications from American University in Washington DC. She has worked in a variety of operations and managerial positions in medical devices, higher education, and public transportation. At the Hasan Lab since 2021, Laura is the Administrative Coordinator for Dr. Tayyaba Hasan. Her work involves reviewing and editing manuscripts, preparing documents, making travel arrangements, lab purchases and reimbursements, website management, and managing Dr Hasan’s busy calendar.

	Current Fulltime Lab Members
	Yanfang Feng, PhD Instructor Yanfang earned her BSc and MSc at Sichuan University and the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention in China. She earned her PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University Of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She has been with The Hasan lab in The Wellman Center for Photomedicine since 2017. Yanfang is a microbiologist with specialized training in molecular evolution and the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens. Her research focuses on the development of point-of-care diagnosis for antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the use of photodynamic therapy for antibiotic-resistant infections.
	Mohammad Ahsan Saad, PhD Instructor Saad obtained his PhD in Nanomedicine from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), India. With brief postdoctoral stints at CCMB and Cleveland Clinic, Saad joined the Hasan lab at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine in 2018. He is a biochemist with extensive experience in molecular biology, biophysics, and biomedical imaging. His major research focus is the development of targeted constructs for imaging and treatment of oral and pancreatic tumors.
	José Quilez-Alburquerque, PhD Research Fellow José earned his BS at the Complutense University of Madrid, his Master of Drug Discovery at the University of Alcala, and his PhD in Organic Chemistry at the Complutense University of Madrid. He is a chemist with extensive experience in photochemistry, optical sensing, and organic synthesis. José first interned at the Hasan Lab in the midst of the initial COVOD lockdowns of 2020-21 but was undeterred and joined the lab fulltime in 2022. José’s research focuses on the development of light activable liposomal-like nanostructures to co-deliver photodynamic priming and chemotherapeutics or antibiotics in pancreatic cancer or antibiotic-resistant infections respectively.
	Fernanda Viana Cabral, DVM, PhD Research Fellow Fernanda earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She earned the prestigious and very competitive Thomas F Deutsch Fellowship in Biomedical Optics (jointly awarded by the Optica Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital Wellman Center for Photomedicine), joining the Hasan Lab in June of 2023. Her research focuses on utilizing light-based technologies as therapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases. She is currently investigating the efficacy of superhydrophobic bandages for singlet oxygen delivery in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Additionally, her work centers on evaluating the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and Photodynamic Priming (PDP) in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapy for treating pancreatic cancer. She uses 3D tumor organoids and mouse models to target cancer cells and investigate how the immune system responds. In addition to evaluating the immune response triggered by PDT/PDP, her focus is minimizing adverse effects while maximizing therapeutic outcomes.
	Nayab Tahir, PhD Research Fellow Nayab earned his Pharm-D from the University of Sargodha, and his Master and PhD in Pharmaceutics from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. His project was “Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery System Formulation Design and Evaluation”. He worked as a lecturer in the Pharmacy Faculty at the University of Sargodha Pakistan prior to winning the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to study in the US for a year in our lab, joining in February 2024. Nayab’s research focuses on the design and development of lipid and polymer-based nanoconstructs for the delivery of chemotherapeutics to cancer cells, thereby improving efficacy and the safety profile of these drugs. He is currently working on these nanoconstructs to integrate photodynamic therapy to improve therapeutic outcomes.
	Natalie Eidenschink Research Technician Natalie earned her BS in Biochemistry from The College of Saint Scholastica in MN and joined the Hasan Lab in June 2023. She is working two 2 gap years in her education with the Hasan lab and will apply for MD-PhD programs in the future. Her research is focused on microbiologic approaches using PDT. Also a certified CNA, her interests are in OB/GYN and Oncology.
	Derek Allen Research Technician Derek earned his B.Eng in Biomolecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Derek’s research background focuses on using optical techniques to design systems for probing and modifying cellular morphology and behavior. Derek joined the Hasan Lab in June of 2023 and is working on PDT experiments involving in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering.
	Shivendran Vytheswaran Research Technician Shivi earned his BS in Physiology and Neurobiology with a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut. Shivi interned with the Hasan Lab in 2023 prior to joining the Hasan Lab fulltime in his current role in June of 2024 and is interested in oncology. His work focuses on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and photodynamic therapy.
	Visiting Scientists
	Jonathan (Jon) Celli, PhD Visiting Scientist Jonathan Celli is an Associate Professor of Physics, at the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of Massachusetts Boston as well as a Graduate Program Director there. Affiliated with Harvard Medical School as an Instructor in Dermatology since 2010, Jon is a longtime collaborator with the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. Holding a dual appointment, his research is focused on problems at the intersection of physics and cancer biology, integrating a variety of custom imaging-based methodologies for quantitative analysis of tumor-microenvironment interactions, the role of extracellular matrix mechanics, and evaluation of photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment response Celli Lab website
	Bryan Q. Spring, PhD Visiting Scientist Bryan Q. Spring is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Physics and an Affiliated Faculty of Bioengineering (Northeastern University, Boston), and a Visiting Scientist at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School). As an undergraduate NSF fellow, he contributed to characterizing one of the intricate photophysical parameters of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) under the guidance of Robert S. Knox (Department of Physics, University of Rochester, NY). His doctoral work with Robert M. Clegg (Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) focused on developing fluorescence lifetime and quantitative FRET imaging. He developed patent pending technology for molecular imaging and selective treatment of cancer micrometastases during his postdoctoral fellowship in Tayyaba Hasan’s laboratory (Wellman Center for Photomedicine). Since joining the faculty at Northeastern University in 2015, Prof. Spring received The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22) as well as an award from the Smith Family Awards Program for Excellence in Biomedical Research. In 2021, he was selected as a Scialog Fellow for Advancing Bioimaging. Bryan’s research in the Hasan group focuses on fluorescence microendoscopy for minimally- invasive monitoring of treatment responses in mouse models of ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Outside the laboratory, Prof. Spring practices meditation, calisthenics, and running, and he loves to travel in his spare time. Spring Lab
	Edward Maytin, MD PhD Visiting Scientist Edward Maytin, MD, is Section Head of Molecular Dermatology in the Department of Dermatology, as well as a Staff Member in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also an Assistant professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Cleveland State University and Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. A frequent collaborator with the Hasan Lab, Dr. Maytin’s research focuses on two thematic areas: (1) wound healing, and (2) skin cancer. For wound healing, we are interested in the role of the extracellular matrix in wound repair. A large carbohydrate molecule called hyaluronan is an abundant component of the matrix and also of the pericellular coats of fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and blood vessels; the addition of certain proteins to hyaluronan after injury appears to be critical for regulating inflammation and fibrosis in healing wounds. Understanding this regulation may provide new ideas for therapy of poorly healing wounds in diabetes. For skin cancer, we are working to improve a skin cancer treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT has two components: a porphyrin precursor that is selectively taken up into malignant cells and converted to porphyrin, and a strong light source that activates the porphyrin inside the cancer cells, producing oxygen free radicals and causing cell death. Under the proper conditions, PDT can also stimulate anti-tumor immunity. We have found that pretreatment with certain drugs and hormones (including methotrexate and Vitamin D) can lead to more porphyrin accumulation, more efficient cell killing upon exposure to light, and improved stimulation of anti-tumor immune mechanisms. Ed Maytin Lab
	Shakir Khan, PhD Visiting Fellow Shakir Khan earned his PhD in Biotechnology from Aligarh Muslim University. Shakir is based out of Jon Celli’s lab at UMass Boston. Currently, his post-doctorate work is investigating engineering design changes to make oral cancer Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) devices more user-friendly, cost-effective, and conducive to commercial development for point-of-care oral cancer PDT treatment. In addition to that, he is constructing and working on various in-vitro tissue models for the analysis of light dosimetry, methods of photosensitizers localization and fluorescence imaging. He also works on Curcumin nanoparticles for the application on clinical oral cancer (superficial lesions PDT).
	Brian Pogue, PhD Visiting Scientist Brian Pogue is Professor of Medical Physics and Department Chair as well as Director of Graduate Programs for the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His research focuses on Optics in medicine, biomedical imaging to guide cancer therapy; molecular guided surgery; dose imaging in radiation therapy; Cherenkov light imaging; image guided spectroscopy of cancer; photodynamic therapy; and modeling of tumor pathophysiology and contrast. MOXI Lab
	Srivalleesha (Valli) Mallidi, PhD Visiting Scientist Srivaleesha Mallidi is an Assistant professor at Tuft University. Prior to Tufts, Dr. Mallidi was Assistant Professor at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School and maintains an affiliate position with MGH and Wellman to continue her research collaborations within the center. Valli’s research in the Hasan group focuses on photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma, molecular imaging, monitoring therapy and on developing low cost PDT strategies. She now directs the integrated Biofunctional imaging and therapeutics lab (iBIT Lab) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University . Mallidi Research Group
	Huang-Chiao (Joe) Huang, PhD Visiting Scientist Joe Huang is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, Fischell Department of Bioengineering. His research focuses on integrating nanoscience and photobiology to help fight disease and improve human health. Huang Lab website
	All Led By:
	Dr. Tayyaba Hasan PhD Principal Investigator Dr Hasan brief biography