Dr. Tomoko Kaneko-Tarui is a gynecologist from Japan and a Laboratory Director of the Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center.
After Tomoko earned her MD and PhD degrees in Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan, she worked as a physician scientist specialized in infertility. She moved to the US in 2002 to pursue her research. She started her postdoctoral research at the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. At MGH, as a postdoctoral fellow then as an Instructor, Tomoko contributed to pioneering discoveries, including identifying rare female germline (oogonial) stem cells in adult mouse ovaries, creating transgenic mouse models to study leiomyoma and gynecological cancers, and developing techniques to isolate myometrial stem cells from human and mouse uterine tissues.
Tomoko joined the MIRI in 2017, and she is dedicated to supporting all aspects of research in MIRI offering expertise in molecular biology, cell culture, histology, and genomics for both animal and human clinical studies. She currently studies the effects of parental obesity on offspring health, focusing particularly on glucose signaling pathways, using umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
In her leisure time, Tomoko loves cooking, swimming, walking with her dog Coco, and growing veggies in her own garden.
Taysir Mahmoud is the Supervisor of Clinical & Translational Research at the Mother Infant Research Institute. Her background includes a degree in psychology and biology from Wellesley College. Before coming to Tufts she worked on rheumatoid arthritis research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for 7 years. When away from Tufts, she travels nationally and internationally for her work as a U.S. fencing referee.
In her spare time, she enjoys watching LOTS of TV and even more traveling in her never-ending quest to see new places, eat delicious foods, and collect frequent flier miles.
Deepak Venkataraman is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab. He received his Master’s in biotechnology and PhD in cancer biology at Kalasalingam University, India. For his PhD, Deepak worked on determining the effect of bioactive compounds from probiotic bacteria and on the expression of angiogenic markers in colon cancer cell lines. He developed an interest in the placenta during his doctoral studies, when he worked as a visiting scholar at the Trophoblast Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, UK. In his first Postdoc at Emory University in Atlanta, Deepak studied the mechanism of expression of sFLT1, an anti-angiogenic molecule upregulated during preeclampsia in primary stromal cells and villous explants. In the O’Tierney-Ginn lab at MIRI, Deepak is researching the effect of placental miRNA on maternal insulin sensitivity.
A calm but sociable person, Deepak has several hobbies, including travelling, impromptu road trips, listening to music and reading (fiction and history).
Imad Soukar is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab. He received his PhD in molecular biology from Wayne State University in 2023. During his PhD, Imad investigated the role of the SIN3 complex in metabolic sensing in Drosophila melanogaster. Imad joined the Department of Dermatology at Boston University for a short postdoctoral fellowship, where he investigated the impact of epigenetic inhibition on malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. In 2024, Imad joined the MIRI where he is using his experience in metabolism and molecular biology to characterizing the endocrine function of placental-derived miRNAs.
Imad is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and an avid Detroit Lions fan.
Francesca Carasi-Schwartz is a Research Assistant in the MIRI and assists in the O’Tierney-Ginn lab. She grew up in Montclair, NJ and attended the University of Vermont, receiving her masters in biology and bachelors with concentrations in Biology and Chinese. She speaks Italian fluently and Chinese conversationally, and has studied abroad in both countries.
She loves all animals, but pandas are her favorite. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, reading, kayaking, skiing, and hiking.
Marissa Chow is a clinical research coordinator at MIRI and works as a part of the O’Tierney-Ginn lab and the Yen Lab. She grew up in Connecticut and went to Tufts University where she completed her bachelor’s in Biopsychology and was a captain of the swim team. She spent her last two college summers working with Dr. Yen and focusing on how THC exposure during pregnancy affects newborns’ reward systems.
In Marissa’s free time, she loves to cook and bake, and she has been trying to pick up running, which sometimes is a struggle due to her two extra foot bones! She enjoys traveling to see friends and family, and her favorite place is anywhere warm with a (swimmable) body of water.
Emma Noyes is completing her fourth year of clinical rotations at Tufts Medical School, after taking a research year in the O’Tierney-Ginn lab. Emma worked on Dr. O’Tierney-Ginn’s Produce Prescription project while completing a certificate program in translational research through Tufts CTSI. Emma is very excited to combine her interests of maternal health and nutrition and has aspirations to ultimately work in both clinical medicine and health policy research. She is applying to residency in OBGYN.