| The Briscoe Laboratory Staff and Fellows |
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David M.
Briscoe M.D. Dr. David M. Briscoe graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1982. He performed his initial residency training in General Medicine and Pediatrics in Ireland and at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver Colorado. He trained in Vascular Biology in Dr. Jordan Pober’s Laboratory at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and completed his renal fellowship at the Children’s Hospital Boston in 1991. Subsequently, he extended his post-doctoral research training in Vascular Biology under the mentorship of Dr. Ramzi Cotran. In 1993, Dr. Briscoe joined the Faculty at the Children’s Hospital, Boston and established his own research effort with the support and mentorship of Dr. Andrew Lichtman, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Briscoe has authored over 60 original publications and review articles. He serves on several advisory committee’s pertaining to transplantation and he is a member and past Councilor of the American Society of Transplantation (AST). In addition, he is a member of the National Physician-Scientist Honors Society, the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Dr. Briscoe has received several awards for his research activities including the Basic Science Award of the AST. He served as Executive Program Chair for the American Transplant Congress (ATC) annual meeting 2002-2003, and as the Committee Chair for the American Society of Nephrology 2003 annual meeting (representing immunology and transplantation). He continues to participate in several national organizations and committees in an effort to promote research in transplantation medicine. Dr. Briscoe’s research effort focus's on an understanding of mechanisms by which lymphocytes and monocytes interact with the vascular endothelium in cell-mediated immune inflammatory reactions and allograft rejection. The vascular endothelium represents a unique interface between the recipient blood and the donor graft; ongoing studies test the possibility that the endothelial cell has the capacity to promote or/and inhibit inflammation and the rejection process. Most important contributions made by the Briscoe laboratory include: 1) The original descriptions of the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules and chemokines in human allografts, and publications on their mechanistic (and diagnostic) roles in acute and chronic rejection. 2) Studies defining a mechanism whereby the graft endothelium may alter the phenotype of T cells for responsiveness to intragraft cytokines; and a regulatory function of graft endothelial cells in the direct and the indirect pathways of allorecognition. 3) Studies demonstrating that alloimmune inflammation is associated with angiogenesis, and that CD40L-CD40 signaling mediates the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) ; and 4) that VEGF has potent proinflammatory properties and mediates lymphocyte trafficking in vitro and in vivo into sites of inflammation. Many of Dr. Briscoe’s trainees have received National Awards for their work including NRSA’s and K awards from the National Institutes of Health, as well as Faculty Career Development Awards from several societies including the AST, the American Heart Association and the National Kidney Foundation. |
| Laboratory
Assistants |
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Katiana
Calzadilla, BS |
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Evelyn
Flynn, BS, MA Evelyn received a M.A. degree in biology from Boston University in 1990. She has worked in the several research areas at Children’s Hospital Boston over the past 15 years and has a special interest in vascular biology and orthopedic research. She specializes in immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy and is a co-author on more than fifty publications. Evelyn is an experienced technologist in the laboratory, and enjoys working with fellows in teaching general laboratory techniques as well as histology/immunohistochemistry. |
| Research Associates |
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Papia Banerjee, Ph.D. Papia received her Ph.D. from Calcutta University in BioPhysics and Molecular Biology, and subsequently received extensive training in signal transduction, molecular immunology and virology. As a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Joe Avruch’s laboratory in MGH/Harvard, Papia cloned the family of N-terminus c-Jun Kinases (JNKs), also called as Stress Activated Protein Kinase (SAPKs), and showed that JNK pathway is distinct from the MAPK Erk1/2 pathway. She also cloned rat p70S6K and showed that p70S6K is structurally and functionally discrete from p90rsk. She spent a number of years in industry prior to returning to academia and is currently a visiting scientist in Dr. Briscoe's laboratory. Her in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise in cutting-edge molecular and cell biology, signal transduction, and receptor biology make her a valuable team member. |
| Research Fellows |
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Sarah Bruneau, Ph.D. Sarah received her PhD from University of Nantes in France. During her predoctoral training, she studied an immunological mechanism underlying Focal and Segmental Glomerulosclerosis and its recurrence following kidney transplantation. She recently joined Dr. Briscoe's laboratory, where she plans to develop her interest in vascular immunology and skills in the analysis of cell signaling pathways and in molecular biology analyses. Her project will define regulators of mTOR-mediated signaling pathways and proinflammatory responses in endothelial cells. |
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Kevin Daly, M.D Kevin completed his undergraduate training at Harvard College, where he worked for several years in a nationally recognized research laboratory studying the RAG-1 and RAG-2 proteins. He subsequently graduated in Medicine from Columbia University and completed his Pediatric Residency in New York prior to joining the Department of Cardiology at Children's Hospital Boston. He is currently a Chief Fellow in Cardiology and is pursuing further training in Pediatric Heart Failure and Transplantation. His long term career goal is in translation research. He recently joined Dr. Briscoe's laboratory where he is developing and validating biomarker profiles and imaging tools that have potential to aid in the diagnosis of chronic rejection in heart transplant recipients. |
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Dipak
Datta, Ph.D. Dipak received his Ph.D. from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, India. During his predoctoral training, he studied immunoregulatory chemokines in cancer development. His current studies under the joint mentorship of Dr. Pal and Dr. Briscoe focus on understanding the role of Ras in modulating the expression and function of chemokines and their receptors, and the role of ischemia and reoxygenation on the regulation of chemokines in endothelial cells. He is also interested in cell signaling pathway in vascular endothelial cells pertaining to angiogenesis |
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Maria Stack, M.D. Maria graduated in Medicine from the University College Cork, Ireland and trained in general pediatrics within the higher Specialist Training Program in Dublin, Ireland. As a part of this training, Maria was admitted as a member of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. She has is training in Pediatric Nephrology at Children’s Hospital and works in Dr. Briscoe’s laboratory on molecular mechanisms of transplantation rejection. In one project she performs cellular and molecular assays to evaluate biomarkers of chronic rejection in humans following transplantation. In another project she is working with a transgenic mouse to identify the function of a novel T cell specific adaptor molecule in immune function and chronic rejection process. |
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Tatsuichiro Seto, M.D. Tatsu graduated from Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata in Japan in 1995. Prior to joining Dr. Briscoe’s laboratory he trained as a cardiovascular surgeon in Shinshu University Hospital, Matsumoto, Japan. He has significant expertise in the development and use of animal models of rejection. Previously, he studied the role of an apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain (ASC) in cardiac allograft rejection. His current studies relate to the analysis of distinct roles for the allograft vasculature in the development of chronic rejection. |
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Gearoid McMahon, M.D. Gearoid received his medical degree from the University College Cork in Ireland. While a medical student he worked in the laboratory and returned to Ireland to complete his initial training in medicine. He has joined the laboratory as a research fellow and plans to develop his skills in both in vitro cell molecular analyses, and he plans to use in vivo models for some of his studies. His research project involves an understanding of how the mTOR kinase functions in the kidney, and how inhibition of mTOR regulates protein excretion. |
| Mentored Junior Faculty |
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| Soumitro Pal Ph.D 2001-2009 Assistant Professor in Pediatrics Harvard Medical School Children's Hospital Boston |
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| Dr. Pal completed his Ph.D. at the University of Calcutta in India and joined the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a research fellow until July 2001, when he was recruited to Children’s Hospital Boston by Dr. Briscoe. He developed his laboratory establishing mechanisms by which the transplantation process facilitates a milieu that facilitates tumor development in transplant recipients. He was funded by a K01 and career development grants prior to receiving R01 funding. He currently directs an independent research effort within the Transplantation Research Center Laboratories at Children's Hospital Boston. | |
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| 2010 | 2008 |
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| 2006 | 2003 |
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| 2001 |
| Past Research Fellows |
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Michelle
Baum, M.D. 1994-1995 Michael
Melter, M.D. 1998-2000 |
Masayuki Sho, M.D., Ph.D. 1999- 2002 Ingrid Vos, Ph.D. 2000-2002 Stefan
Kiessling, M.D. 2002-2004 Jesse Flaxenburg, M.D. 2002-2005 Atsushi Izawa, M.D., Ph.D. 2002-2005 |
Zdenka Haskova, M.D., Ph.D. 2003-2005 Gwen Boulday, Ph.D. 2002-2006 Olivier Dormond, M.D., Ph.D. 2003-2007 Monika Edelbauer, M.D. 2006-2008 Alan Contreras, M.D. 2003-2008 Andre Hoerning, M.D. 2006-2008 Xiao Wu, M.D, Ph.D 2006-2010 Aninda Basu, Ph.D. 2005-2009 |
| Past Laboratory Assistants |
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| Christopher Geehan J.D. 1996-2007 Chris served as the Briscoe Laboratory Manager and as the Manager of the newly formed Pediatric Transplantation Research Laboratories from 1996-2007. During this time, Chris attended Law School and passed the Massachussetts Bar in 2006. He currently works in the Intellectual Property Office of Children’s Hospital Boston as a member of their Legal team. |
Kerrith Koss BS 2001-2003 Kerrith served as a technician in the laboratory from 2001-2003. She left the laboratory to re-enter University as a graduate student in 2004. |
| Past Students
Thesis Students |
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| Marlies Reinders Mentored Ph.D. Thesis, University of Leiden, Holland |
Esther Meijer 2006-2007 Mentored M.D. Thesis University of Groningen, Holland |
| Summer Students |
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Gearoid McMahon 1998 Jeanette Reiners 2000 |
William Wong 1999-2004 Matthew Sheehan 2009 |