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BATTINELLI LAB
embattinelli at bwh.harvard.edu
Principal Investigator

Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Associate Chief of Hematology Division Research
Clinical Director MGB Integrated Special Coagulation Laboratory Service
Director of the Basic and Translational Research Program for Disorders of Platelets and Coagulation
Director of the Platelet Disorder Clinic

ELISABETH M. BATTINELLI, MD, PHD

Since joining the Division of Hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, I have focused on both research and clinical care with an expertise in platelet disorders. My clinical responsibilities are centered in Hemostasis and Thrombosis Clinic, which enables me to care for patients with clotting disorders and platelet abnormalities. My research focuses on how platelets differentially release angiogenesis regulatory proteins in the setting of malignancy. This work has immense implications for cancer as platelets play a central role in tumor growth and development of metastasis. By understanding the interaction of platelets and tumor cells, we can ultimately target the secretory mechanisms of the platelet to develop targeted cancer therapy. In addition, we aim to understand how anti-platelet agents can disrupt the interaction of tumor cells and platelets ultimately for therapeutic benefit. Recently, I also expanded this research to investigate how factors released from platelets not only influence tumor growth but also “fuel the fire” by driving platelet production and regulate platelet protein content. This work demonstrates that in inflammatory states such as malignancy, factors released from platelets directly increase the production of platelets thereby amplifying their response within the tumor milieu.

Current Members
Instructor

HARVEY ROWETH, PHD
Instructor

Harvey received his BS degree in Biomedicine at the University of Reading, UK, and his PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK, where his thesis focused on the inhibitory effects of anti-depressants on platelet function. After completing his post-doctoral training in the Battinelli lab, Harvey was promoted to a faculty position within Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, where he leads several research projects on platelets and tumor cell metastasis. His work is predominantly funded by a K99/R00 awarded by the National Cancer Institute to explore how platelets support the earliest stages of tumor cell metastasis, including the generation of the pre-metastatic niche.

Contact: hroweth@bwh.harvard.edu
Harvard Catalyst Profile

Post Doctoral Fellow

DEEPA GAUTAM, PHD
Post Doctoral Fellow

Deepa completed her masters’ and PhD in Biochemistry at Banaras Hindu University, India, under the guidance of Dr. Dash, where she focused her research on how neuromodulatory molecules affect platelet signaling. Following her PhD, she joined Dr. Naik’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, USA, where her work revolved around understanding the role of alpha-IIb-subunit and its interaction with calcium- and integrin-binding protein 1 (CIB1) in activating integrin alpha-IIb beta-3. Currently, she is engaged in postdoctoral research in the Battinelli lab, delving into the functions of reticulated platelets and their significance in cancer metastasis.

Contact: fdeepa@bwh.harvard.edu

Post Doctoral Fellow

MAGGIE SMITH-OLIVER, PHD
Post Doctoral Fellow

Maggie earned her BS in Biology from Appalachian State University, followed by two years as a Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow at the NIH. She then pursued a PhD in Molecular Medicine and Translational Science, focusing on Cancer Biology, at Wake Forest University under the mentorship of Dr. Fei Xing.During her doctoral research, she utilized clinicogenomics to predict immunotherapy responses in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). She discovered that mutations in the neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 1 (NTRK1) gene could enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Additionally, she developed a method to replicate the effects of this mutation in wild-type tumors, aiding in overcoming immune resistance in NSCLC patients receiving first-line immunotherapy. Currently, Maggie is a postdoctoral researcher in the Battinelli lab, where she investigates the role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and how platelets assist CTCs in evading the immune system.

Research Technician

EMILY CLARKE
Research Technician

Emily earned her BA degree with honors in Molecular Biology at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. For her senior thesis, Emily investigated the role of KLF4 in cell cycle regulation alongside Dr. Engda Hagos. In the Battinelli lab, Emily performs in vivo and in vitro studies focusing on the role of platelets in metastasis.
Contact: emclarke@bwh.harvard.edu

Undergraduate Student

KATHERINNE FOX
Undergraduate Student at Harvard University 

Katherinne is a senior at Harvard University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Biology. For her senior thesis, Katherinne is researching the role of glycosylation in platelet-tumor cell interactions, with the aim of understanding how these molecular processes may influence cancer metastasis and tumor progression.

Affiliated Members
Kathryn Hall

Kathryn Hall, PhD

Rebecca Zon

Becky Zon, MD

Alumni

Sophie Munn – Summer Intern (2023)

Chinua Achebe – Summer Student (2023 and 2024)

Priya Kumar – Harvard Medical Student (2022-2023)

Michael Malloy – Technician (2018-2022)

Qiuchen Guo, PhD – Research Fellow (2020-2022)

Hailey Yetman – Technician (2020-2022)

Andrea Mines – Undergraduate Student (2020-2021)

Julia Ceglowski – Technician (2016-2018)

Kelly Johnson, PhD – Research Fellow (2014-2017)

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