Daniel Martinez

Biology Enthusiast, Army Veteran

Daniel is a dedicated professional with a Bachelor's degree in Science, specializing in Biology with a concentration in Molecular Biology. Combining a solid academic background with extensive practical experience, Daniel Martinez has excelled as a Researcher and Laboratory Manager, bringing leadership and expertise to scientific endeavors.

Having served in the military, Daniel brings a disciplined and strategic approach to all endeavors. With a passion for tackling complex challenges, Daniel has consulted for, conducted, managed and supervised research in various fields. Notably, he has contributed to studies on malaria in Southeast Asia and delved into the intricate world of the gut microbiome. Additionally, he has explored the complexities of Multiple Sclerosis and is currently delving in the field of Transplant Research, demonstrating a commitment to advancing knowledge in critical medical areas.

Beyond his scientific contributions, Daniel is deeply passionate about public health issues. He believes in leveraging his diverse range of experiences to address unique problems in research and beyond. His unwavering dedication to finding innovative solutions underscores his commitment to improving global health outcomes.

Daniel is committed to furthering his expertise and impact by pursuing a Master's in Public Health. By combining his background in biology with a focus on public health, he aims to make even greater strides in addressing pressing health challenges and advocating for improved health policies and practices.

In his pursuit of excellence, Daniel continues to blend academic rigor with real-world application, striving to make meaningful contributions to the scientific community and beyond.

Maria Shay, Sr. Research Administrative Coordinator

Maria began her career in Gynecology and Obstetrics as a Research Program Assistant for 7 years in the Center for Cervical Dysplasia here at Johns Hopkins. She wanted to shift her career to a primarily administrative role, but still have a part in research. She was able to find this in 2023 with the VCA lab as the Senior Research Administrative Coordinator with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Outside of work, Maria enjoys finding the latest movies or shows to watch, spending time outdoors and spending time with her family.

Joshua Bennett, Research Technologist

BS in Microbiology from BYU

Joshua worked in an immunology lab in undergrad for 3 years where he primarily studied novel cancer therapies, autoimmune therapies, and the effects of CD5. He is very interested in T cell related treatments and plans to go to grad school to study them.

Projects: CAR A2 and Type 1 Diabetes Projects.

Brendan Foley, M.S., Research Specialist

While getting his M.S. in Bioinformatics at Johns Hopkins, Brendan worked under the guidance of Dr. Raimondi, focusing on modifying thymic processes to improve VCA outcomes. After completing his Masters in 2023, Brendan continued his research on thymic modification as staff. Prior to school at Johns Hopkins, he earned dual bachelor's degrees in Information Systems Engineering as well as Applied Mathematics and Statistics at Stony Brook University. Outside of the lab, Brendan enjoys competing in volleyball, learning languages, and making music.

Eleni Drivas

Dr. Drivas is a general surgery resident interested in plastic surgery. She graduated with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Dartmouth College and an M.D. from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. As a post-doctoral research fellow in the VCA lab, she works with ex-vivo machine perfusion and subzero storage of VCAs.

Liang Zhou

Liang is a postdoctoral research fellow in the VCA lab. He graduated from Jianghan University in Wuhan, China with a M.D. degree, then he received his master degree in Organ Transplantation at Tongji Medical School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China. Liang is a microsurgeon and focus on T cell immunity. Outside the lab, Liang enjoys cooking, reading and working out.

Siavash Khaki

Siavash is a general surgeon from Iran who graduated from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, where he also had obtained his medical degree. His experience as a general surgeon spans four years, and he has been involved in several research projects related to his specialty. Siavash joined us as a postdoctoral fellow and is eager to expand his knowledge and skills in his current role. He is currently involved in projects focused on developing localized and inflammation-responsive drug delivery systems and optimizing regulatory T cells activity. Additionally, he is contributing to studies on subzero organ preservation, novel perfusion solutions in transplantation, by performing advanced microsurgical models. Siavash is enthusiastic about learning and contributing to these innovative research areas.

Heyyoung Kim, PhD

Post Doctoral Fellow
Immunogenicity in subzero stored VCA

Lotte van den Goor

Lotte is a postdoctoral fellow in the transplant immunology group of the VCA lab where she is working on the Hybrid Thymus Project. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry from Loyola University Chicago and her Ph.D in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan (Advisor: Ann Miller). During her PhD she was awarded the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. In her free time, Lotte enjoys baking, playing video games, and spending time with her cat, Dexter.

Yi-nan Guo

Yinan Guo is a MD graduate from Xiangya School of Medicine in Chang Sha, China. He currently works as a postdoc fellow in the VCA Lab. Yinan specializes in mouse transplant operations and flow cytometry and is one of the lab’s microsurgery experts. Yinan came in second in all of China in the national physics competition. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, going to the gym, and watching Rick and Morty (he identifies more with Rick).

Amanda Loftin

Ph.D. Candidate in Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Amanda “Mandy” Loftin is a veterinarian and translational scientist with 12+ years of research experience. Her Ph.D. thesis research focuses on one key question: How can we increase the availability of organs for transplant? To answer this question, Mandy uses nature-inspired methods and machine perfusion to develop new technologies for organ preservation, one of which was granted breakthrough device status by the FDA. Mandy is interested in developing animal models for human disease and draws from her extensive experience in various fields, including orthopedic surgery, cellular regeneration, immunopathology, and viral diseases. Her research has been recognized by several grants and awards from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK/NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI/NIH), and the American Society of Transplantation (AST). She is passionate about communicating science to diverse audiences and is a 2023 Empower Your Pitch competition winner.

Primary Project Title:
Extending Preservation of Kidneys for Transplant at Subzero Temperatures using Bioinspired Cryoprotectants

Alec Chen

Alec Chen is a master's student at Johns Hopkins University studying Molecular Biology. He received his bachelor's in molecular biology from Johns Hopkins University in 2024. His master's thesis is focused on the mechanisms of kidney preservation at sub-zero temperatures using a peptoid-based solution, specifically through kidney primary cell cultures. In his free time, Alec enjoys going to the gym, fishing, playing golf, snowboarding, and watching sports.

Aaron Lewkowicz

PhD candidate

Accreditations: B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science from Northern Michigan University

Aaron grew up amidst the HIV epidemic in South Africa which shaped their interest in developing affordable healthcare strategies, finding solutions to immune-mediated disease, and gaining a better understanding of resolution and the long-term consequences of inflammation. He has experience in urban and rural clinical labs in the USA, as well as overseas in India. While obtaining a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science, he trained is molecular assay development at Northern Michigan University. Additionally, he completed a fellowship in nephrology at the Mayo Clinic before becoming an ORISE fellow with the FDA in 2018. There he characterized the pathology of emerging diseases, including Zika and Ebola virus, to compare with intervention using antibody-based therapeutics. Presently, he is in Giorgio Raimondi’s laboratory exploring immune tolerance inducing therapies and novel inflammation sensitive drug delivery strategies with tissue and cell specificity.

Project: LiRiv – exploring T-cell modulating therapies to be incorporated with drug delivery strategies that enhance VCA engraftment.

Jessica Garvin

Jessica Garvin is from Sandusky, OH and is currently beginning her second year of her M.S. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology here at Hopkins. She earned her B.S. in Medical Sciences from University of Dayton. Throughout her undergraduate studies she was involved in a variety of research projects, some of which were with the Cleveland Clinic, American Center for Reproductive Medicine, and St. George’s University of London. In collaboration with the lab of Dr. Georgio Raimondi, she has been involved with the Hybrid Thymus Project. Her thesis work specifically focuses on investigating the age and sex-dependent variations in cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (cTEC and mTEC) in mice. Outside her academic life, Jessica is a competitive equestrian, enjoys traveling, and reading. In 2018 Jessica and her horse “Corndog” were named Reserve World Champions in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Yichuan Zhang

Yichuan Zhang, originally from Beijing, China, finished her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the Pennsylvania State University. She is now a master student studying Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. Her research interests are in translational medicine, and she is currently working on a project developing antigen-specific immunotherapy using nanoparticle delivery systems for Type 1 diabetes under the mentorship of Dr. Raimondi in the VCA lab.

Yichuan loves travel and photography, and she also enjoys playing the piano in her spare time.