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Sattar Khoshkhoo, MD
Sattar Khoshkhoo, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Sattar Khoshkhoo is an epileptologist-scientist and the founding director of the epilepsy genetics program at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
Sattar obtained his Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Biomedical Research from UCLA where his journey in system's neuroscience started in the labs of Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau and Dr. Alcino Silva. In Medical School at UCSF, he initially worked with Dr. Edward Chang to study the mechanisms of language perception in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy undergoing electrocorticography. Later on he joined the laboratory of Dr. Vikaas Sohal to examine the role of inhibitory neurons in seizure initiation, propagation, and termination using optogenetics and in vivo calcium imaging in a new model for on-demand seizure induction that he developed.
In residency, Sattar continued his work on animal models of epilepsy in the lab of Dr. Robert Hunt at UCI. Later on he joined the laboratory of Dr. Chris Walsh at Boston Children's Hospital as a postdoc to investigate the contribution of brain somatic variation to non-lesional focal epilepsies using human surgical tissue. During his postdoc Sattar made the important discovery that hippocampal somatic variants in Ras-MAPK genes are a causal agent for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, which is basis for his independent research program.
Outside of the lab, Sattar enjoys spending time with his family, camping, hiking, and grilling. Sattar is deeply interested in children's education and jointly with his wife they organize music groups for small children and participate in junior youth empowerment activities.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Yingping Hou, PhD
Yingping Hou, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Yingping obtained her Ph.D. in Integrated Life Sciences from Peking University. Her research interests lie in understanding the role of genetic variations in epilepsy and other neurological diseases through sequencing-based single cell multiomics technologies and imaging-based spatial multiomics strategies.
Yingxi Yang, PhD
Yingxi Yang, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Yingxi obtained her Ph.D. in computational biology from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research interests involve developing and tailoring computational methods to study the role of somatic mutations in neurologic diseases and translate the discoveries into new therapies. Yingxi has a joint appointment in the laboratory of Dr. August Huang at Boston Children's Hospital.
Staff
Ashton Tillett
Ashton Tillett
Lab Manager
Ashton graduated with a BS in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. His research interests involve using iPSC-derived models of genetic neurologic diseases to evaluate their molecular mechanisms. Outside of the lab, he enjoys hospice volunteering, trying out new restaurants with friends, and hiking.
Emily Lapinskas
Emily Lapinskas
Research Assistant
Emily graduated with a BS in Biochemistry & Molecular biology and Psychology from UMass Amherst. Emily focuses on clinical/ translational research and she is interested in understanding the mechanisms of neurological diseases, particularly focal epilepsy. Emily is a plant enthusiast and in her free time she grows house and garden plants.
Rosita Ramirez
Rosita Ramirez
Research Assistant
Rosita graduated with a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She first joined the lab as part of the Harvard/MIT Equitable Access to Research Training (HEART) program and decided to pursue a senior thesis on genetic mechanisms of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, which she continues to study after graduation.
Students
Ignacio Mesina, MD
Ignacio Mesina, MD
Graduate Researcher
Ignacio is a physician from Mexico who is currently pursuing a master's degree in Clinical Investigation at Harvard. In the lab he contributes to clinical research efforts that interface with epilepsy surgery. In his spare time he delves into the role of artificial intelligence in brain research, actively exploring how novel technologies can enhance the delivery of clinical care.
Sofia Zoullas
Sofia Zoullas
Graduate Researcher
Sofia graduated with an AB in Neurobiology from Harvard College and is currently pursuing a combined Master of Science in Genomic Medicine and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at the University of Miami. Her research interests focus on exploring the genetic underpinnings of neurological diseases, she is particularly interested in the genetics of adult-onset epilepsy.
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