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Sîrbulescu Lab

Mission Statement:

To develop innovative therapeutic solutions for tissue repair and regeneration.

Research Focus:

The Sîrbulescu Laboratory is interested in developing novel cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of traumatic nervous system injuries, neurodegenerative diseases, and chronic wounds, and in understanding the mechanisms that allow certain cells to exert their pro-healing functions. Our work falls within the larger scope of regenerative medicine.

VIC Projects List

Highlighted Publications

Intruders or protectors - the multifaceted role of B cells in CNS disorders.

Front Cell Neurosci. 2024 Jan 10;17:1329823. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1329823. PMID: 38269112
Aspden JW, Murphy MA, Kashlan RD, Xiong Y, Poznansky MC, Sîrbulescu RF.

Allogeneic B cell immunomodulatory therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

FASEB J. 2024 Jul 15;38(13):e23796. doi: 10.1096/fj.202302659R. PMID: 38967302
Sîrbulescu RF, Nicholson K, Kawai K, Hilton OM, Sobell D, Jin G, Verrill DE, Dwyer LJ, Xiong Y, Bachanová P, Kim SE, Gallup S, Gelevski D, Daley H, Hernandez Rodriguez DE, Negre H, Sturtevant O, Nikiforow S, Ritz J, Chen YB, Reeves PM, Sluder AE, Berry JD, Sadri-Vakili G, Cudkowicz M, Poznansky MC.

Protective and Immunomodulatory Functions of Exogenous B Cells in Experimental Hyperoxic Lung Injury.

Anesth Analg. 2026 Feb 1;142(2):403-415. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007545. PMID: 40549576 Hanidziar D, Dwyer LJ, Ranjeva SL, Csizmadia E, Maheshwari S, Valencia JD, Aspden JW, Farhat N, Otterbein LE, Robson SC, Sîrbulescu RF, Poznansky MC.

Intraparenchymal B cell therapy protects neurological function and modulates local neuroinflammation in experimental hemorrhagic stroke.

Neurotherapeutics. 2026 Jan;23(1):e00829. doi: 10.1016/j.neurot.2025.e00829. PMID: 41513542 Maheshwari S, Dwyer LJ, Xiong Y, Aspden JW, Poznansky MC, Whalen MJ, Sîrbulescu RF.

B cell treatment promotes a neuroprotective microenvironment after traumatic brain injury through reciprocal immunomodulation with infiltrating peripheral myeloid cells.

J Neuroinflammation. 2023 May 31;20(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s12974-023-02812-y.PMID: 37259118. Dwyer LJ, Maheshwari S, Levy E, Poznansky MC, Whalen MJ, Sîrbulescu RF.
Neurobiol Dis. 2023 May;180:106077. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106077. Epub 2023 Mar 11. PMID: 36914074. Maheshwari S, Dwyer LJ, Sîrbulescu RF.
FASEB J. 2021 Dec;35(12):e22019. doi: 10.1096/fj.202101095RR. PMID: 34792819; PMCID: PMC8756564. Sîrbulescu RF, Mamidi A, Chan SC, Jin G, Boukhali M, Sobell D, Ilieş I, Chung JY, Haas W, Whalen MJ, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC.
J Neurotrauma. 2019 Sep 1;36(17):2579-2589. doi: 10.1089/neu.2018.6368. Epub 2019 May 23. PMID: 30997843. Sîrbulescu RF, Chung JY, Edmiston WJ , III, Poznansky SA, Poznansky MC, Whalen MJ.
FASEB J. 2022 Aug;36(8):e22459. doi: 10.1096/fj.202201027. PMID: 35857314; PMCID: PMC9337863. Dwyer LJ, Stowe AM, Doyle K, Popovich P, Engler-Chiurazzi E, LeGuern C, Buckwalter MS, Poznansky MC, Sîrbulescu RF.
Nat Commun. 2022 Jan 10;13(1):181. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27801-8. PMID: 35013299; PMCID: PMC8748704. Theocharidis G, Thomas BE, Sarkar D, Mumme HL, Pilcher WJR, Dwivedi B, Sandoval-Schaefer T, Sîrbulescu RF, Kafanas A, Mezghani I, Wang P, Lobao A, Vlachos IS, Dash B, Hsia HC, Horsley V, Bhasin SS, Veves A, Bhasin M.
Am J Transplant. 2019 Jul;19(7):1930-1940. doi: 10.1111/ajt.15308. Epub 2019 Mar 25. PMID: 30748094. Alagpulinsa DA, Cao JJL, Driscoll RK, Sîrbulescu RF, Penson MFE, Sremac M, Engquist EN, Brauns TA, Markmann JF, Melton DA, Poznansky MC.
Wound Repair Regen. 2017 Sep;25(5):774-791. doi: 10.1111/wrr.12584. Epub 2017 Oct 17. PMID: 28922523; PMCID: PMC5760362. Sîrbulescu RF, Boehm CK, Soon E, Wilks MQ, Ilieş I, Yuan H, Maxner B, Chronos N, Kaittanis C, Normandin MD, El Fakhri G, Orgill DP, Sluder AE, Poznansky MC.

Research Team

James Aspden, MSc, MBChB

Research Fellow

Lorencia Chigweshe, PhD

Research Fellow

Ryan Hobson, PhD

Research Fellow

Cai McCann, BS

Data Analyst

Jun Yan Loi, Nanyang Technological University Singapore,

Undergraduate Research Intern

Michael Mirtchev, Boston University

Research Intern

Melody Tai, Boston University

Research Intern

Jhaleh (Red) Rahgozar, Boston University,

Research Intern

2015-2018 – Chloe K. Boehm, BS. Research Associate at The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
2016 – Erin P.Y. Soon, BS. Graduate Student at Stanford University
2016-2017 – Benjamin Maxner, BS. MD Candidate, University of Massachusetts Medical School
2017 – Akshay Mamidi, BS. Process Engineer at Abbott Laboratories, Singapore
2017-2018 – Gabriela Funez-dePagnier, BS. Research Assistant at Weill Cornell Medical College
2017 – Anders Erickson, BSc. MD Candidate, Toronto University Medical School, Canada
2017 – Claire S.Y. Chan, B.Sc. Undergraduate Student, Imperial College London, UK
2017 – William Porter Undergraduate Student
2018 – Dominique Kiki Carey, BS. Teaching Assistant at University of Massachusetts Amherst
2018 – Petra Paisz, BS. MD/PhD Candidate, Imperial College London, UK
2019 – Orla Mostyn Williams, MSc. MD Candidate, Imperial College London, UK
2020 – Emily Hill, BA – Undergraduate Student, summer intern
2019-2020 – Gina Jin, B. Sc. – Research Technician I
2019-2020 – Michael H. Chapin, B. Sc. – Lab Manager & Research Associate
2018-2021 – Joshua M. Hess, B. Sc. – Research Associate
2020 – 2021 – Kento Kawai, PhD – Research Fellow
2021 – Shannon Gallup,BS – Undergraduate Student Intern
2021 – Kyle Mickelson – Undergraduate Student Intern
2021 – Jinghao Wang – Undergraduate Student Intern
2022 – Sarah Huang – Undergraduate Student Intern
2022 – Rigneyla Akhotsang – Undergraduate Student Intern
Liam Dwyer, BS – Research Technician
Rommi Kashlan, BS – Research Technician
Yueyue Xiong, BS – Research Technician
David Verrill, MSc – PhD Candidate
Saumya Maheshwari, MSc – MD Candidate
Matthew Murphy, BSc – Imperial College London, Summer Research Intern

ALUMNI

Help us to advance now the medicines of the future.