Principal Investigator

Dr. Taabazuing earned his B.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he investigated the chemistry of the enzymes that sense and regulate the adaptive response to hypoxia. After completing a postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Taabazuing is excited to explore his passion for all things cell death alongside his desire to improve diversity and equity in STEM.

Lab Director

Dr. Discher obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Oregon Health Sciences University studying the properties of pulmonary lung surfactant with the goal to develop alternative treatment for premature babies. She earned the title “The Mother of Polymersomes” during her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, where she assembled and characterized the first water-soluble membranes from diblock copolymers. As a member of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Penn for over two decades, she is excited to be part of the Taabazuing lab, extending her expertise into immunology and cancertherapy. In her free time, Bohdana enjoys riding her bike on the Schuylkillriver trail, taking Orange Theory Fitness classes, and going on skiing and hiking trips with her family.

PhD Candidate; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

Pat earned his B.A. in Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration at the College of the Holy Cross., where he studied the mechanistic enzymology and fitness cost of inteins in Dr. Kenneth Mills’ lab. After graduating, he took two years off to work as a research technician at Harvard Medical School in Dr. Keith Joung’s Lab. There, he worked on developing CRISPR-based tools and platforms for therapeutic purposes. As a graduate student in Dr. Cornelius Taabazuing’s Lab, he continues his interest in developing technology for therapeutic applications while exploring his new interest in innate immunity. Pat advocates for inclusivity in his personal, religious, and scientific spaces. He is passionate about using his second chance at life, his privileges, and his gifts to impact not only the advancement of medicine but also to be a leader in his community and inspire those around him.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Christopher Bourne grew up in South Brunswick, NJ and attended Swarthmore college for undergrad, double majoring in Biology and Spanish. He obtained his PhD from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis program. Under the guidance of Dr. David Scheinberg, he examined novel combination treatment strategies of immunotherapies and small-molecules. Chris joins the Taabazuing lab in July 2023 as a Penn Provost and Burroughs Wellcome PDEP fellow, and will leverage pyroptosis to treat cancer.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Madhura Kulkarni received her undergraduate degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst and majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She received her doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology program. Madhura joins the Taabazuing lab at UPenn interested in studying host cell death responses to intracellular infection.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Ashutosh Mahale completed his undergraduate degree at SNJB's-SSDJ College of Pharmacy in India. Driven by his passion for pharmacology, he pursued a master’s degree at UDPS-RTMNU University, India. Ashutosh earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, India, where he focused on investigating the functional role of Histone Deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Now a member of the Taabazuing Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, his research focuses on elucidating mechanisms underlying pyroptosis-based cancer immunotherapies.

Undergraduate Student

William is a current sophomore undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania planning to major in Health and Societies. He is from New Jersey and has an interest in immunology, biochemistry, and cell biology and their application to inflammatory diseases. In his free time, William likes to play the cello and soccer.

Undergraduate Student

Ariana is a sophomore undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Physics with a concentration in Business and Technology. Her interests lie in genetic engineering, immunotherapy, and the development of novel medical devices. On campus, Ariana is a member of the Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society’s consulting team and The Daily Pennsylvanian’s multimedia team.  

Rotation Student

Cecelia earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she studied the function and evolutionary history of poly-ADP ribose polymerases in the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Her experience in a research group dedicated to characterizing host-pathogen interactions sparked her interest in the pathways driving human hosts’ immune responses, how they are regulated, and how they could be used as therapeutic targets. Cecelia joins the Taabazuing Lab as a rotation student from the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Chemical Biology Graduate Group.