Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Wolfram Goessling, M.D., Ph.D.
Wolfram Goessling, MD, PhD, is an oncologist and gastroenterologist who treats patients with chronic liver disease and liver cancer. Wolfram did his graduate work in liver physiology and metabolism and trained as a postdoctoral fellow in zebrafish genetics and developmental biology. His work is inspired by the lack of treatment opportunities for his patients and the hope to have the research in the lab change the way we diagnose and treat liver disease. Wolfram still gets excited about looking at fluorescent zebrafish under the microscope and reviewing new experimental data with the members of his lab. He teaches medical students in the “Introduction to Clinical Medicine” course and graduate students in the Developmental and Regenerative Biology bootcamp. Wolfram is the Robert H. Ebert Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Jules L. Dienstag, MD and Betty and Newell Hale Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology. He is Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the HMS Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
wgoessling [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Postdoctoral Fellows
Kristen Alexa, Ph.D.
Kristen attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Medical School where she studied endoderm patterning in zebrafish under the tutelage of Charles Sagertrom Ph.D. She graduated with her Ph.D. in December 2009 and joined the Goessling Lab in January 2010 as a postdoc research fellow. Kristen worked on various projects during her postdoc in the lab and took another role, laboratory manager, in September 2014. Balancing both roles, Kristen continued research and managing the lab until July 2017 when she reduced her hours to part time status and continues managing the lab.
kalexa [at] bwh.harvard.edu
Marc Sherman, M.D., Ph.D.
Marc obtained his bachelor degree in Mathematics at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and studied at Washington University in St. Louis for his MD and PhD. His thesis work in the lab of Dr. Barak Cohen primarily focused on stochastic physics models of gene expression fluctuations in single yeast cells, and how noise signatures might impart mechanistic information about the process of transcription. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and remains a gastroenterology fellow there while he applies his expertise in quantitative single cell biology to understanding autoimmune hepatitis.
MSSHERMAN [at] PARTNERS.ORG
Manjari Trivedi, Ph.D.
Manjari studied Biotechnology at VIT University, Vellore in India before doing a research-based Master's in Biomedical Sciences at University of Glasgow in 2016. Her Master’s focused on atherosclerosis and spinal cord injury, projects that inspired her to do a PhD. Supported by a President's PhD scholarship from Imperial College London, she joined Dr Wei Cui's lab to study molecular mechanisms that regulate TGF-β signaling in human embryonic stem cells. Her work showed an important role of Smad2 linker region phosphorylation in modulating the intensity and duration of TGF-β signaling, which has important implication for early embryonic development. Manjari joined the Goessling lab in May 2022 and is interested in exploring the role of leukocytes in liver regeneration and fibrosis. Outside the lab, she enjoys cycling, hiking, yoga, and learning about world geopolitics.
MTRIVEDI2 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Patrice Delaney, Ph.D.
Patrice hails from City Island, New York. She earned her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and Ph.D. from New York University under the supervision of Dr. Kirsten Sadler. Patrice joined the Goessling Lab in September 2023 as a postdoctoral research fellow to expand her interest in studying how environmental toxicants increase the risk of liver disease. Environmental toxicants can cause adverse health outcomes and can predispose individuals to health issues long after exposure has terminated. The Goessling lab uses zebrafish as a tool to study the factors that cause liver disease. Patrice is specifically focused on how aberrant exposure to anthropogenic contaminants, such as bisphenol A, interfere with hormone-regulated events in liver development and function. Beyond the bench, Patrice enjoys being outside and sharing a laugh.
pdelaney3 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Francisca Leal, Ph.D
Francisca is originally from Colombia. As an undergrad she started doing research on the histomorphology and physiology of the placenta in viviparous South American lizards. Then she moved to the US to study the developmental genetic mechanisms behind limb loss in snakes for her PhD at University of Florida in Martin Cohn’s lab. She is a postdoctoral fellow in the Goessling and Tabin labs at Harvard Medical School, where she is using the Mexican cavefish as a model to understand the genetic basis of the extreme metabolic specialization that evolved in the adaptation to the harsh cave environment. Francisca is interested in the role of non-coding DNA regulatory elements and the complex relationships between cellular and systemic metabolism, behind the origin of metabolic adaptations. Francisca is a culinary explorer always on the hunt for tasty bites. She loves having stimulating conversations with family and friends.
fleal [at] hms.harvard.edu
Prasanna Ramachandran, Ph.D
Prasanna (Pras) was born and raised in Chennai, India, and moved to the USA for college. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a master’s degree in Genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. He then moved to Houston, where he studied at Baylor College of Medicine for his MD and PhD degrees. His thesis work in the lab of Dr. Meng Wang focused on genetic and molecular mechanisms of inter-organelle and inter-organ communication using the nematode C. elegans as a model. He then completed residency in pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, and is now a pediatric gastroenterology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital. He studies the role of primary cilia in early hepatobiliary development and disease.
pramachandran [at] bwh.harvard.edu
Mingkai Zhu, Ph.D
Mingkai studied at University College Dublin for an M.Sc. in Biotechnology after earning his undergraduate degree from Shandong First Medical University in China. His M.Sc. project about iPSC-derived organoids inspired his interest in organ regeneration. From 2019 to 2024, Mingkai pursued his Ph.D. at National University of Singapore (NUS) under the supervision of Dr. Zhiyuan Gong from NUS and Dr. Dong Liu from Southern University of Science and Technology. His research focus during that period was the sex disparity of liver regeneration and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma following partial hepatectomy in zebrafish. After being conferred with his Ph.D., Mingkai joined the Goessling Lab in July 2024. His research interest here is surrounding the mutual conversion between parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells during liver regeneration.
mzhu12 [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Graduate Students
Enrica Wedig
Enrica is a fifth-year medical student at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. During her clinical elective at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Vienna, Austria, Enrica discovered her passion for hepatology research and finding novel treatment approaches for chronic liver disease. Enrica joined the Goessling Lab in March 2023 to write her medical dissertation on the role of macrophages in hepatobiliary development. After completing her medical degree, she wants to specialize in gastroenterology and hepatology. In her free time, Enrica enjoys reading, hiking, judo, and exploring new cities.
ewedig [at] mgh.harvard.edu
Teodora Urosevic
Teodora is obtaining her master's degree in Biochemistry at the Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg, Germany. Her passion for high-resolution live imaging took her to Zurich, Switzerland, where she investigated the phagocytic capabilities of the zebrafish periderm (coined as the "Hungry Skin” project) in the group of Prof. Francesca Peri. After delving into mechanobiological territory in the lab of Prof. Matthias Peter at ETH Zurich, where she looked at a novel pathway regulating morphological changes of cells under pressure, she decided to go back to the trusty zebrafish. She joined the Goessling Lab in July 2024 to take a closer look at how neutrophils modulate the environment necessary for liver regeneration. Outside of the lab, you will probably find her searching for the hike with the best views, petting her favorite neighborhood cat, or enjoying a good coffee in good company.
turosevic [at] bwh.harvard.edu
Technicians and Undergraduates
Angelica Mustafa
Angelina is an undergraduate from Harvard University studying Human Development Regenerative Biology with a secondary in Latino Studies (class of 2025). In the Goessling lab, she assists Marc in the study of the ER stress response and the role of the UPR in the development of Fatty Liver Disease. In the past, she has also worked with Scott Freeburg, a past alumni of the lab, on the impact of vitamin D receptor activity on lipid metabolism in liver cancer cells. Angelina has a great interest in cancer research, having interned at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 2 years working on the development of an ELISA for early detection of MPNST through a soluble biomarker in the blood. Outside of the lab, you can find her playing softball and spending time with her dog. She is planning to apply to medical school and aims to become an oncologist in the future.
amustafa [at] college.harvard.edu
Hannah Hirsch
Hannah earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College before joining the Goessling Lab in July 2024. While at Wellesley, she studied how temperature impacts growth through endocrine signaling in the tobacco hornworm. In the Goessling Lab, she works with Patrice on her project about the effects of estrogen and its mimics on the zebrafish liver. She also does reporter line upkeep and organization in the fish room for the lab.
hehirsch [at] mgh.harvard.edu
