Lab Personnel

Touraj obtained his virology Ph.D. from Ankara University of Turkey and joined the lab in December 2020. He is now working on the Usher syndrome project and is responsible for recombinant AAV production. He enjoys watching movies.

Marco obtained his Ph.D. from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) in Mexico City. He joined the Khanna Lab in January 2021 and works on the mechanism to understand the role of IFT (intraflagellar transport) in photoreceptors. He enjoys watching movies and exercising. 

Evan is a medical student at UMass Chan working in the Khanna Lab. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Penn State University. Evan's project focuses on using CRISPR/Cas9 to develop new therapies for ocular angiogenesis defects. He enjoys reading, chess, and playing piano and guitar.

Isha is an undergraduate intern at the Khanna Lab, and she started her internship in June 2019. She was at Shrewsbury High School and is passionate about healthcare/bio-medical field. Isha wants to join the research community to solve complex issues and help patients fight against deadly disease. Isha assists with a variety of projects in the lab, and is primarily responsible for running a PCR and Western Blots. She enjoys public speaking, reading, painting, and mentoring kids.

Mohona is a Ph.D. candidate at the Khanna lab. She joined Khanna lab in June, 2019. Mohona's project focuses on delineating the molecular mechanisms of inherited retinal degenerative disorders, primarily X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa. She is a trained Indian classical dancer, enjoys public speaking, and traveling.

Payam is from northwestern Iran and he studied biomaterial and biomedical engineering in Tehran Polytechnic and Louisiana Tech University, respectively. He is a research associate 2 in Khanna lab. He joined the lab on August 2020. Previously, Payam worked on quantification of signaling networks outputs in cancer, synthesis of peptide and protein vaccines for infectious diseases and formulation of drug delivery nanoparticles for cancer targeting. He performs basic lab duties and helps with the ongoing projects in the lab. Payam enjoys cooking, watching sport and hiking/camping.

Obtained her PhD degree from Nice – Côte d’Azur University in France. She joined the Khanna Lab in September 2018. Dr. Moreno Leon’s project focuses on RPGR isoforms in retinal degeneration, associated mutations, and development of new therapeutic approaches in mice. Laura’s hobbies are piano, diving and lecture.

Bhubanananda Sahu obtained his PhD degree from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, India. He joined the Khanna lab in January 2019. He is now investigating the cause of different retinal diseases such as  Retinitis Pigmentosa. Bhuban enjoys watching movies, reading, and writing.