TEAM | Puleston Lab

Dr. Daniel Puleston

Dr. Puleston is Assistant Professor of Immunology and Oncological Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where his lab are proud members of the Precision Immunology Institute and Tisch Cancer Institute. He received his Ph.D from the University of Oxford in the field of immunology, researching mechanisms that underly long-lasting immunity to infection and vaccination. He subsequently trained in the lab of Erika Pearce at the Max Planck Institute for Immunology in Freiburg, Germany, and the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University. Supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Award from The Wellcome Trust, his work there centered on deciphering how specific metabolic pathways instruct T cell immunity and macrophage function. Dan established the Puleston Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City in the summer of 2022. Supported by the NIH, the Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation, and kind philanthropic backing, the lab's mission is to apply pioneering new approaches to decrypt the inner working of cancer and the immune system through a metabolic lens.

Meet the Team

Learn more about our talented scientists

LUIZA Carvalho, Ph.D

Senior researcher & lab manager

A Brazilian native, Luiza obtained her master's degree and PhD in Cell Biology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil where she focused on the therapeutic potential of stem cells in tissue engineering. Afterwards, she undertook post-doctoral positions at the Biophysics Institute of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, during which time she explored stem cells in Alzheimer's disease and sepsis. Her expertise encompasses diverse domains such as Cell Biology, Cell Therapy, Stem Cells, Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, Organoids, and the study of mitochondria, exosomes, and extracellular vesicles. Luiza joined the lab in late 2022 where she continues to explore her interests in the metabolism of stem cells, neurons, and aging.

andres cano galiano, Ph.D

post-doc

Originally from Santander on the north coast of Spain, Andy pursued a BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Leon. For his master's thesis, he relocated to the Barts Cancer Institute in London, delving into the study of metabolic footprints of cancer stem cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. For his Ph.D, he specialized in brain tumor metabolism at the Luxembourg Institute of Health. Here, he focused on investigating metabolic vulnerabilities of IDH mutant gliomas. In The Puleston Lab his research interest lie in expanding current knowledge in immunometabolism, particularly to how metabolism governs tissue resident macrophages biology across health and disease.

Jing, Ph.D

post-doc

Jing received her PhD in 2022 from ETH Zurich in Switzerland where she conducted research under the guidance of Professor Katrien De Bock. Her work focused on the angiocrine interactions between endothelial cells and macrophages regulating skeletal muscle regeneration and metabolic homeostasis under pathophysiological conditions. Jing joined the lab in mid 2024 and is interested in understanding the metabolic regulation of myeloid cells in aging, lung cancer development and anti-tumor immunity. She will combine cutting-edge approaches to profile the in situ metabolic status of myeloid cells, aiming to identify novel targets or adjuvants to improve the efficiency of immunotherapy.

Giang pham

phd student

Giang was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She majored in Biochemistry at Augustana College. She followed this with two years in Dr. David Halfler's lab at Yale studying immune checkpoint blockade in Glioblastoma. A budding immunologist, Giang entered the Immunology PhD program at Mount Sinai and joined the Puleston lab in 2024. Her work focuses on identifying metabolic vulnerabilities of hepatocellular carcinoma and the cross talk between the tumor microenvironment and key immunotherapies

neil yang

phd student

A native new yorker, Neil majored in biology at Case Western Reserve University followed by two years at the NIH as a postbac in the Shevach lab studying regulatory T cell biology. Neil joined the Puleston lab at the beginning of 2024 where he studies the metabolic control of stem cell maintenance and function. He has a particular focus on how metabolic factors direct stem cell governance of tissue homeostasis and repair in response to inflammation and damage.

Kiki jiang

associate researcher

Kiki graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During her undergraduate studies, she worked in a neurology lab, focusing on characterizing the interactions between the RNA-binding protein Tia1 and tau in an Alzheimer disease mouse model. Kiki joined the Puleston Lab in 2024 and her research will focus on deciphering new roles for tryptophan metabolism in immunity and cancer

Manan krishnamurphy

md/phd student

Manan is an MD/PhD student in the Puleston lab, interested in how metabolic factors shape immune function in cancer. He completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at Tufts University. His one true love is Arsenal FC, he likes to study at bars, and his favorite way to relax is by watching a terrible indie movie.

Elijah chianuri

lab intern

Eli Chianuri is a senior at Park East High School and a valued member of The Puleston Lab. Eli assists across all areas of the lab's research into cancer and immunity and his responsibilities include helping researchers with gel electrophoresis, PCRs, DNA extraction protocols, and more. Eli is passionate about chemistry, physics, and biology, and hopes to pursue scientific research in the future. Outside of his classes and interning at the lab, he is currently on the FIRST® Robotics team 1880, Warriors of East Harlem, and helps to run a tutoring center at his school.