Who We Are
Educating and Researching to Make a Difference
![Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD.](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/schlegel_black_and_white4.jpg)
Director for The Center for Cell Reprogramming
Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD.
“It’s a dream of a scientist to be able to discover something in a laboratory that might not only be interesting to other scientists but have an impact on healthcare in the country, or in this case, the entire world…so it’s an exciting time!”
– Dr. Richard Schlegel, Chair of Department of Pathology and Director of Center for Cell Reprogramming, GUMC
Faculty
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/seema-2.jpg)
Seema Agarwal, PhD
Associate Professor
• In Vitro Cell Line Models
• Signaling Pathways
• Cell Model Systems
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/faculty_and_staff_0-1.jpg)
Jeffrey K. Huang, PhD
Deputy Director of CCR
Associate Professor
• Department of Biology & Pathology
• Oligodendrocyte Regeneration
• Molecular Signals in Injury Microenvironments
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/hang-1.jpg)
Hang Yuan, PhD
Associate Professor
• Director of HPV Biology Program
• Canine Papillomavirus
• Vaccine Development
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2022/12/Ewa-e1670341266540.jpg)
Ewa Krawczyk, PhD
Assistant Professor
• CRC Lab Manager
• E5 Protein
• CRC Cultures
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2023/02/Aibing-e1675981013729.jpg)
Aibing Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor
• HPV Biology Program
• Vaccine Development
• Canine Papillomavirus
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/xuefeng_bio_page_pic_2-1.jpg)
Xuefeng Liu, MD
Adjunct Professor
• Scientific Director of Conditional Reprogramming Laboratory (CRL)
• Papillomavirus Oncoproteins
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/chris_albanese_3_1-1.jpg)
Christopher Albanese, PhD
Associate Professor
• Department of Oncology
• Growth Regulation of Cancer
• Development of High-Energy Imaging Technologies
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/anton_wellstein_2-1.jpg)
Anton Wellstein, MD
Assistant Professor
• Oncology & Pharmacology
• Growth Factor Pleiotrophin and its Signaling through the ALK Kinase Receptor
• Discovery of Mechanisms of Cancer Metastasis and Genes
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/michael_johnson_5-1.jpg)
Michael Johnson, PhD
Assistant Professor
• Department of Oncology
• Proteases, Invasion and Metastasis and the Progression of Breast Cancer.
• The Pharmacogenetics of Drugs used in Cancer Therapy
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/elena_casey_0-1.jpg)
Elena Silva, PhD
Professor
• Department of Biology
• Professor and Vice Dean
• Nervous System Development
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/1383775758-1.jpg)
Steve Singer, PhD
Professor
• Department of Biology
• Pathogenesis in Giardia and Giardia-host-microbiota interactions
• Innate immunity in Giardia Infection, Vaccine Development, Giardia co-infections
Research Team
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/dan-1.jpg)
Dan Zhou, MS
Research Specialist/Lab Manager
• Working with Dr. Hang Yuan
• Managing papillomavirus vaccine development and production
• 3D Air-liquid interface culture to analyze HPV-related cancers in vitro
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/lab5-1-e1655409541302.jpg)
Shravanthy Suguru, MS
Research Assistant
• Working with Dr. Seema Agarwal
• Research to leverage cell reprogramming to understand cancer metastases and circulating tumor cells
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/faculty_and_staff4_0-1.jpg)
Jie Lu, MS
Research Assistant II
• Working with Dr. Ewa Krawczyk
• Processing tissues and using conditional reprogramming method to establish new cell lines
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/jerry.jpg)
Jerry Xiao
MD-PhD Candidate
• Working with Dr. Seema Agarwal
• Exploring Circulating Tumor Cells and their role in tumor metastasis
Administrative Team
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/faculty_and_staff8-1.jpg)
Vera Simic, BS
Director of Business Operations
• Financial and Administrative Leadership
• Business outreach initiatives, commercial and research projects
• Marketing for CRC technology
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2021/07/lab2-e1655410359734.jpg)
Ewa Krawczyk, PhD
CRC Lab Manager
• Optimize cell culture conditions
• Provide instructive support and technical expertise to researchers and staff
• Coordinate collection of clinical biospecimens and authentication of generated cell lines
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2020/08/rachel_c-profile-e1699985875911.jpeg)
Rachel Choi, CPA, MS
Office Manager
• Manage overall office operations
• CCR website development & Seminar Series • Manage lab purchases and finances
![](https://cellmedicine.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/286/2019/11/dan-1.jpg)
Dan Zhou, MS
Schlegel Lab Manager
• Lab Management
• Papillomavirus vaccine development & production
• Maintain conditionally reprogramming tissue culture cells