Lab News and Updates
October 2025
Welcoming our UW MAB student team for 2025-2026!
We’re thrilled to have Alaa, Kathryn, and Sumaya—three talented students from the University of Washington’s Master of Applied Bioengineering program—joining the lab for their capstone project this academic year.
They will be working closely with Dr. Elnaz Shaabani Sichani on developing innovative drug encapsulation strategies.
Alaa Abdou graduated from Penn State in Biomedical Engineering and brings experience in drug delivery, pharmaceutical research, and tech transfer.
Kathryn Floerchinger earned her Bioengineering degree from UW and has extensive research experience in neurological surgery and therapeutic ultrasound.
Sumaya Hassan graduated from Seattle Pacific University in Physiology and brings strong molecular biology skills with interests in translational and clinical research.
Welcome to the team, Alaa, Kat, and Sumaya — we’re so glad to have you with us!
September 2025
Welcome, Aarun Hendrickson
Aarun Hendrickson, a Molecular Medicine and Mechanisms of Disease PhD student, has been joined to Staehle lab for his autumn rotation!
Aarun recently graduated from the University of Washington, where he studied how brain extracellular matrix glycans change in diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. This fall, he’ll explore the adrenergic–mesenchymal transition in pediatric neuroblastoma and how different cell types uptake nanoparticles to improve drug delivery.
Outside the lab, he enjoys beach volleyball and discovering new ice cream shops.
Welcome, Aarun!
Run of Hope
September is ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth, and the Straehla Lab was excited to participate in the Run of Hope to raise money for the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research. What an amazing show of support from over 90 teams!
August 2025
Welcome, Dr. Karthik Gottimukkala!
We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Karthik Gottimukkala to the Straehla Lab as an Invent Scholar Postdoctoral Researcher!
Karthik is a gene therapy researcher and bioengineer passionate about making genetic medicines more accessible. As an Invent Scholar at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, he works with Dr. Joelle Straehla and Dr. Bruce Torbett to develop cost-effective, non-viral nanoparticle systems for delivering gene-editing tools.
In the Straehla Lab, Karthik focuses on designing and optimizing exosome-like lipid nanoparticles to deliver genome-editing tools—advancing scalable, affordable therapies that every child can access.
Welcome to the team, Dr. Gottimukkala — we’re so excited to have you here!
Congrats Nichole
Nichole Loomis, a research technician in the Straehla lab, will be starting the Operations Rotational Development Program at Genentech in South San Francisco this Fall. She will be rotating in various departments such as manufacturing, data science and cell and cell therapy process development for over the course of two years. Nichole is very excited to expand her career in biological engineering and help advance medical solutions for patients! Congratulations Nichole, we will miss you!
July 2025
Welcome, Nina Buzzotta!
Nina Buzzotta, an honors undergraduate student at the University of Washington, has joined the Straehla Lab this summer! She is pursuing a B.S. in Physiology with a minor in Spanish and is on the pre-medical track, exploring human pathology, health, and disease mechanisms while gaining hands-on experience as an EMT.
In the Straehla Lab, Nina is investigating how protein regulators influence lipid nanoparticle uptake and their potential applications in drug delivery.
Outside the lab, she serves as a Director and National Student Panelist for the Kesem nonprofit and enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with her golden retriever.
Welcome to the team, Nina! We’re so excited to have you with us!
April 2025
Congrats Clara
Clara Yampanis, a research scientist I in the Straehla Lab, is planning pursue her PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine this fall! While there, she aims to focus her studies on improving design, targeting, and/or delivery of cancer therapeutics. We are so proud of you Clara, and so excited to see what you accomplish!
January 2025
Welcome, Dr. Elnaz Shaabani Sichani
Elnaz Shaabani Sichani has just joined the Straehla Lab as a postdoctoral researcher!
Originally from Iran, with a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Shaabani Sichani has over 10 years of experience in nanomedicine, focusing on advancing drug delivery systems to overcome challenges in therapeutic delivery. During her PhD, she developed advanced nanocarriers using the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self-assembly technique for delivering therapeutic nucleic acids (siRNA, mRNA, pDNA).
In the Straehla Lab, she will applying this expertise to design precision nanoscale delivery systems for pediatric brain tumors. Outside of work, she is passionate about science communication and enjoys traveling, cooking Persian cuisine and hiking.
Welcome, Dr. Shaabani Sichani – we are so excited to work with you! Let the unpacking begin!
December 2024
Holiday celebrations at Ben Towne
We are fortunate to be part of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research, where the holiday spirit is palpable!
Dr. Straehla speaks at AACR Special Conference in Toronto
Fitting with the lab’s mission to bring more effective, less toxic drugs to children with cancer, Joelle was honored to give a plenary talk at the American Association for Cancer Research Special Conference in Cancer Research: Optimizing Therapeutic Efficacy and Tolerability through Cancer Chemistry.
October 2024
New lab member Emmeline Cheng
The Straehla Lab is excited to welcome Dr. Emmeline Cheng as a research scientist. She will be investigating biologic regulators of lipid nanoparticle delivery. Welcome, Dr. Cheng!
The Straehla Lab officially opens
Let the unpacking begin! Clara and Nichole are two bold research technicians who moved cross-country to be part of the lab. We are all excited to join a group of like-minded investigators at the Ben Towne Center, all seeking to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer!