Chintan Parekh Lab

Led by Chintan Parekh, M.D., our lab investigates the mechanisms underlying human T cell development and lymphoid leukemogenesis, applying these insights to advance novel anti-cancer immunotherapies, enhance T cell recovery following bone marrow transplantation and anti-leukemia targeted treatments. We examine cellular and molecular processes through a combination of computational biology and functional in vitro and vivo studies using human normal blood progenitor cells, immune cells and leukemia cells. Our lab analyzes complex layers of biological regulation by integrating data from a wide range of studies, including transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, T cell receptor rearrangement sequencing, high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry, in vitro organoids and in vivo xenotransplantation assays.

Chintan Parekh Lab Research Areas

Our team uses leading-edge research strategies to support the lab’s unique focus areas, which include: 

• Human T cell development: Investigating how T cells develop to better understand T cell leukemogenesis (the process of cells developing into cancer) and designing more effective T-cell immunotherapies.
• T cell immunotherapies: Immune cells that have been engineered to fight cancer
• Leukemia: blood cancers seen in children and adults; these arise when the processes governing normal blood cell development go awry.
   

Some of our projects include:

• Defining the earliest stages of human T cell development
• The role of BCL11B in human T cell development
• Improving the efficacy of immunotherapies

• Vi Luan Ha, Ph.D.
  Principal Scientist, Kite Pharma, Santa Monica, California

Vi Luan worked in Dr. Parekh’s lab at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from 2012 to 2018 as a research specialist and lab manager. He found it to be a great environment for growth, where he gained firsthand experience in running a lab and managing research projects. During his time there, Luan established several key technologies, including ChIP-Seq, organoid cultures and in vivo models, that became foundational to the lab’s investigation of human T cell development. He also mentored junior staff and summer students, contributing to the lab’s collaborative and educational culture.

While some days were challenging, working with Dr. Parekh and the team helped him grow as a researcher and prepared him for a successful transition into the pharmaceutical industry. He fondly remembers the team lunches, which fostered genuine friendships beyond the lab, and he remains close with many of his former colleagues to this day.

Vi Luan now leads the flow cytometry program for phenotypic characterization of T cell immunotherapy products at Kite Pharma.

• Constanza Jackson, M.Sc.
  Research Portfolio Lead, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand

Constanza worked in Dr. Parekh’s lab at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from 2016 to 2017 as a research associate. Her research focused on the role of long non-coding RNAs in leukemogenesis. Building on her experience studying cells from patient samples, she transitioned into a master’s program in clinical epidemiology.

• Justin Le, B.S.
  Medical Student, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Gwinnett County, Georgia

Justin Le was a research specialist in Dr. Parekh’s lab at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from 2018 to 2023. During his tenure, he managed lab operations and contributed to multiple collaborative projects focused on human T cell development and leukemia. He established protocols for single-cell RNA sequencing of rare human thymic progenitor populations, and his work resulted in several first-author and co-author publications.

This foundational experience in basic science research served as a springboard for his transition into medicine. Justin is now a fourth-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Georgia.

• Julie Ma, M.D.
  Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation & Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Julie was a pediatric hematology-oncology postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Parekh’s lab from 2022 to 2024. Her research focused on investigating T cell responses to CAR T cell and blinatumomab therapies in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This work, which she presented at multiple national meetings, aimed to understand and overcome T cell dysfunction to optimize patient treatments.

During her fellowship, she came to value the combination of persistence and collaboration, recognizing that navigating complex troubleshooting and learning from every experimental outcome are essential for driving scientific progress. Building on this experience, Julie transitioned to an immunotherapy fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. She is now a faculty member of the cancer cell therapy and leukemia programs at Stanford, where she will be conducting translational research to advance novel cell therapies from the lab into the clinic.

• Cassandra Wang, M.D.
  Attending Physician; Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics; Fellow, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

Cassandra worked in Dr. Parekh’s lab at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles from 2022 to 2024 as a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research investigated insulin-induced signaling pathways in leukemia cells as a potential mechanism for chemotherapy resistance. She presented her work at the Children’s Oncology Group Young Investigator Forum.

Cassandra is now a junior faculty member in the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Division at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Her fellowship experience in Dr. Parekh’s lab strengthened her critical thinking and understanding of scientific methods, enhanced her ability to analyze research and improved her capacity to translate findings into clinical decision-making for patients. It also taught her that progress in both science and medicine requires persistence, attention to detail and a willingness to push through challenges.

• Rebecca Parker, D.O.
  Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and University of Southern California

Rebecca was a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Parekh’s lab from 2020 to 2022. Her research focused on characterizing immune responses to COVID-19 infection and vaccination in pediatric cancer patients. Following her fellowship, she assumed a faculty position in the Solid Tumors Program within the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Division at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Career Opportunities