LAB HEAD

Gabi received her MD and PhD from the Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD/PhD program. For her PhD in the lab of Alan Houghton, she investigated the role of T cell precursor frequency in the immune response to tumor antigens. Gabi then completed residency in Pathology at UCSF and obtained subspecialty training in placental and fetal pathology. During residency, she worked in Anna Bakardjiev’s lab at UCSF to investigate how local immunoregulation in the pregnant uterus impairs anti-pathogen defense. Her post-doctoral work in the lab of Adrian Erlebacher, also at UCSF, focused on elucidating why antigens sourced from the placenta fail to prime productive maternal T and B cell responses. Making headway on the topic of maternal tolerance and immunity and maintaining a welcoming, collaborative and creative lab community training scientists from all backgrounds are the overarching goals of her career. Outside of her jobs as the PI, Gabi absolutely loves benchwork and will never stop experimenting.

RESEARCH SCHOLAR

Sachin is a postdoctoral fellow who joined the Rizzuto lab in January 2025. He earned his doctoral degree studying the development of murine antibody responses elicited by glycoconjugate immunization from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India, in 2024. His primary research interest lies in understanding the basis of immune response development to develop immunotherapeutic interventions. Here in the Rizzuto lab, he aims to decipher the key features of anti-fetal antibodies that emerge during pregnancy which render some pathogenic whereas others non-pathogenic. Beyond the lab, he enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as learning new things about people and his surroundings.

GRADUATE STUDENT

Mergim is a native New Yorker. He studied biochemistry, biomedical engineering and visual arts at Stony Brook University and graduated in 2015. He previously worked with Eric Pamer and Tobias Hohl investigating the role of the microbiome in post allogeneic stem cell transplantation recovery. He then got accepted into the IMP Program at Weill Cornell and joined Gabi’s lab to study the establishment of fetomaternal tolerance in pregnancy. He decided to study pregnancy because of its implications in transplant immunology and just because pregnancy is SUPER cool. Outside of the lab, Mergim is running around Brooklyn, attending musical gigs, and spending time with his partner while taking care of their two orange tabbies; Squash and Clementine.

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

Natalia joined the Rizzuto Lab in November 2023 after graduating from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology in 2022. She took a gap year to intern with a comparative zoology museum and at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. Natalia chose to study pregnancy immunology because reproduction is the basis of evolution, and she is interested in understanding the immunological landscape that exists during pregnancy and how it acts to facilitate reproduction and survival of the fetus. In addition to help manage the lab, Natalia is building our mouse model of choriocarcinoma (placental tumors). In the future, she would love to care for people’s reproductive health as a medical provider. Natalia looks forward to the discoveries we will make as a lab that can serve to reveal solutions for patient needs.

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

Charli joined the Rizzuto lab in 2024. She graduated in 2019 from Barnard College and majored in Neuroscience. Charli previously worked in the lab of Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff where she managed the institutional brain tumor repository and developed radiolabeled T-cell minibodies, aimed to assess immune responses for brain tumor patients on immunotherapies. She chose to study pregnancy immunology because she is fascinated by the ways in which the conceptus evades immune rejection and how understanding these mechanisms could potentially reveal new avenues for cancer treatment. Most importantly, she believes that advancing research in women’s health is critical to achieving greater equity in science and medicine. In the lab, Charli studies germinal center dynamics in pregnancy and choriocarcinoma, a rare gestational neoplasm that derives from fetal trophoblasts. When Charli is not at the bench, she is usually reading, making crafts for her friends and family, or camping with her husband Sam.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Chione is a native New Yorker, from Brooklyn, and attended Utica College where she studied Accounting. She joined MSK in August of 2024 as an administrative assistant providing support to several labs in the HOPP department, including the Rizzuto Lab. Prior to this, Chione worked in the retail industry and uptown at Mt. Sinai. She enjoys exploring artistic pursuits, and loves the great diversity present in our city.

HIGH SCHOOL (soon to be undergrad) STUDENT

Sophia is a high school senior at Special Music School where she studies classical violin. She became interested in exploring natural sciences when attending the Columbia Youth in STEM program. She was lucky to be accepted to our department’s summer program where she could further explore research methodology in Dr. Rizzuto’s lab. She is fascinated by the paradox of society’s perception of pregnancy as a nurturing process and the battle between the mother and fetus during development. In college, she plans to study the effect of music on human biology. Outside of lab, Sophia likes to play Bach partitas and go thrifting.