Research Team

David Christiani, MD, MPH, MS, is the Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He earned his MD in 1976 from Tufts University and an MS and MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. He did his post-graduate medical training at Boston City Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Professor Christiani’s major research interest lies in the interaction between human genes and the environment. In the emerging field of molecular epidemiology, he studies the impact of humans’ exposure to pollutants on health, as well as how genetic and acquired susceptibility to these diseases, along with environmental exposures, can lead to acute and chronic pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. He is also developing new methods for assessing health effects after exposure to pollutants and is very active in environmental and occupational health studies internationally.

Leo Cheng earned his PhD from Brandeis University with Professor Judith Herzfeld and Professor Robert G. Griffin at MIT on solid-state proton NMR. He discovered intact tissue high-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR in 1996, and since then and over the past years, he has devoted his efforts to the development of NMR-based metabolomics.

He has been working with the Christiani group for the past 20 years aimed at the discovery of metabolomics markers for human lung cancer early detection through screening, by using multimodality approaches of varying technologies both on tissues and blood sera. 

Dr. Mi-Sun Lee is a Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She earned her PhD and MPH from Seoul National University in South Korea and completed her postdoctoral training in Dr. Christiani’s Lab at the Harvard Chan School. Her research focuses on environmental and molecular epidemiology, specifically the health effects of environmental pollutant exposures, biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility, and gene-environment (GXE) interactions.

Dr. Lee has contributed to epidemiologic studies involving diverse populations across North America, Bangladesh, China, and South Korea. Her research encompasses biomarkers of PAHs exposure; the effect of metal mixtures and biomass fuels on birth outcomes; respiratory and cardiac autonomic effects associated with biomass fuel, PM_2.5, and e-cigarettes; genetic and GXE interactions in lung DNA adducts; and the effect of environmental factors such as particle radioactivity, PM_2.5, black carbon, and indoor radon and survivals in the BLCS cohort.

Dr. Lee has led several projects as a Principal Investigator, expanding the scope of research to assess the impact of climate change and uncover molecular biomarkers and gene-climate interactions. Dr. Lee has a longstanding collaboration with Dr. Christiani and other colleagues on the BLCS project with a focus on survivorship and quality of life. 

My research leverages multi-omics data to understand molecular heterogeneity in lung cancer and its interactions with environmental risk factors, aiming to elucidate disease etiology and optimize personalized prevention and treatment strategies in diverse populations. I built my academic foundation at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, earning a master’s in Computational Biology and Quantitative Genetics and a PhD in Population Health Sciences.

My work has been recognized at leading conferences, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), and World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), earning Early-Career Researcher and Young Investigator Awards. I am committed to integrating multidisciplinary approaches in cancer research to develop innovative data science analytics and precise strategies for enhancing prevention and individualized treatments

Yuchen Zhao is a PhD candidate in the Population Health Sciences program at Harvard University. Prior to joining the Christiani lab, he completed his master’s degree in cancer epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and his Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Physiology at the University of Waterloo.

Yuchen’s research focuses on using integrative trans-omics approaches to understand lung carcinogenesis, including bulk- and single-cell RNA-sequencing and immune profiling. He also applies machine learning methods to predict cancer treatment response and survival. Yuchen is particularly interested in translating these findings into clinical applications for the early detection and personalized treatment of lung cancer.

Isabella Gándara is a senior at MIT studying Biological Engineering and Science, Technology, & Society. Since joining the Christiani Lab in November 2023, she has focused on relating epigenetic data to biological and environmental factors to understand their effects on human health, focusing on survival in early-stage lung cancer. Outside of the lab, she enjoys walking around Boston, cooking, and watching films.

Albert Ko earned his MD degree in Taiwan with a strong interest in cancer research. Currently, he is pursuing an MPH-45 degree in the Quantitative Methods track at the Harvard Chan School. Albert is passionate about using statistical and quantitative approaches to address pressing issues in public health, with a particular focus on oncology.

Outside of his academic pursuits, Albert loves exploring new cuisines, enjoys cooking, and is an avid baseball fan. He also enjoys involving himself in volunteer activities and serving the community and people in need. His enthusiasm for food, sports, and community service provides a well-rounded balance to his dedication to cancer research and public health.

I have been part of Dr. David Christiani’s cancer research team for the past 32 years. I have performed various duties including recruitment of patients and control subjects from the MGH surgical and infusion units along with various other departments within the hospital. I administered questionnaires, drew blood from patients, gathered biological samples, and visited patients’ homes to collect missing samples. I’ve followed up with participants to collect vital missing information. I’ve done quality control, calculated environmental exposures, data entry, and maintained records for various studies. 

Jui Kothari earned an MS in Cancer Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is the data manager for the Boston Lung Cancer Study (BLCS). Her major research interest is in investigating the impact of lifestyle factors and biomarkers on lung cancer outcomes, especially in women. 

From 2018 to 2021, I undertook postdoctoral training at Dr. Christiani’s lab, where I specialized in the comprehensive management and analysis of multi-omics databases derived from diverse patient cohorts, including the Boston Lung Cancer Cohort, the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Cohort, and the Boilermaker Cohort. My research encompassed an in-depth exploration of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics data, each offering distinct yet complementary insights into the complex biology underlying disease processes. A pivotal aspect of my work was the seamless integration of these multi-omics data, leveraging advanced computational tools and statistical methodologies to dissect a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic factors in lung cancer. This integrative approach facilitated the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Currently, I am continuing my studies at Nanjing Medical University, where I harness resources from multiple national cohorts and integrate them with cutting-edge cell and mouse models to further elucidate the functional significance and predictive potential of these biomarkers. My ongoing collaboration with Dr. Christiani remains a cornerstone of my research, focusing on the deep integration of multi-omics data to advance our understanding of lung cancer biology and ultimately improve patient outcomes.