RESEARCH FOCUS
The role of myeloid cells in tissues affected by autoimmunity
- Our laboratory focuses on studying the immune response and the role of macrophages and related cell types in injury and repair within tissues affected by autoimmune diseases. We are particularly interested in kidney and synovial tissue.
- We have spent considerable effort profiling kidneys affected by lupus (aka lupus nephritis). We are now focused on understanding the role of disease-associated macrophages (DAMs), a macrophage subset associated with severe tissue damage. Recent findings indicate that DAMs are linked to progressive kidney injury in both patients and mouse models of lupus nephritis. We are currently investigating the impact of these DAMs on disease progression, identifying factors that enhance their cellular functions and differentiation, and learning how they shape injury and repair.
- In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, we are also interested in the contribution of macrophages to tissue injury and repair. In collaboration with the Gravellese and Jacome-Galarza labs at BWH, we are exploring how certain macrophage subsets influence the development and resolution of joint inflammation.
Our approach
- We use methodologies such as single-cell and spatial technologies, genomic perturbations, and cellular immunologic approaches to study autoimmune diseases, including lupus nephritis and rheumatoid arthritis. We start by profiling and study tissue and immune cells from patient samples to reveal cellular and molecular targets linked to immune and tissue dysregulation. We then utilize both human samples, primary cultures, and mouse models to dissect the role of these potential therapeutic targets.
OUR TEAM
Paul Hoover, MD PhD Principal Investigator
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Dr. Hoover is a rheumatologist and translational scientist specializing in autoimmune diseases. As Director of Translational Research in Lupus Nephritis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he studies immune responses and macrophage roles in tissue damage and repair. He earned his MD and PhD in molecular and cellular physiology from Stanford and completed his rheumatology training at Brigham and Women’s, conducting postdoctoral research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Wonhee Han is a postdoctoral researcher studying macrophage-stromal interactions that drive repair and injury in lupus nephritis. His work includes developing LN-associated macrophage and 3D kidney models for personalized lupus nephritis research. He utilizes CRISPR-Cas9 genetic screening to identify key regulators involved in macrophage differentiation and activation.
Haniya Kamal, MS Bioinformatician
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Haniya Kamal, MS Bioinformatician
Haniya's is a bioinformatician who studies the immune response in kidney tissue and is focused and identifying patterns of injury and repair. Her work uses single cell approaches and clinical data.
Raghav Sharma, MS Bioinformatician
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Haniya Kamal, MS Bioinformatician
Raghav is a Bioinformatician in the Hoover and Gravallese Labs, where his research focuses on autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus nephritis and rheumatoid arthritis. By utilizing both human data and mouse models, he aims to uncover shared disease mechanisms related to lupus nephritis. His work integrates bulk and single-cell multiomics with spatial transcriptomics to identify disease drivers, map altered molecular pathways, and enhance our understanding of immune changes, particularly the role of macrophages in inflammation and tissue repair. Additionally, he highlights potential therapeutic targets for treating these conditions.
Nori Cabello, MPH Clinical Research Coordinator
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Nori is a Clinical Research Coordinator involved in various clinical trials, particularly focusing on lupus nephritis and arthritis. In Dr. Hoover's Lab, Nori plays a vital role in ongoing research that explores the function of macrophages in lupus nephritis. For each project, Nori helps identify patients who meet the diagnostic criteria and creates databases using the lupus registry and chart reviews. This data is crucial for pinpointing biosamples that contribute to discovering potential therapeutic targets for our studies.
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Megan is an Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and an ANRF Gale “Morrie” Granger Fellow. She is a translational rheumatology researcher specializing in myeloid functions in Rheumatoid Arthritis, with interests in immunometabolism and early disease biomarkers. Megan earned her BSc in Biomedical, Health, and Life Sciences from University College Dublin and completed her PhD at Trinity College Dublin as an Irish Research Council Scholar. In 2022, she joined Harvard’s Gravallese lab as a visiting research fellow and now as a postdoctoral fellow, studying SPP1+ macrophages and the joint microenvironment's impact on trained immunity. She aims to further explore the interactions between metabolism, bone, and the immune system in RA. She is a research associate with in the Hoover Lab, providing important insights into macrophage.