RESEARCH FOCUS
The role of myeloid cells in tissues affected by autoimmunity
- Our lab investigates immune responses that drive tissue injury and repair in autoimmune diseases, with a primary focus on kidney and synovial tissues. We concentrate on macrophages and related myeloid populations to define how distinct cellular states promote damage or support regeneration.
- Lupus nephritis. We have deeply profiled human and mouse kidneys affected by lupus and identified a disease-associated macrophage subset that correlates with progressive tissue injury. Current work aims to define the signals that drive cellular differentiation and function, determine their role in disease progression, and reveal how they modulate local injury and repair programs with the goal of translating these insights into targetable interventions.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. We study macrophage heterogeneity in inflamed synovium to understand which subsets perpetuate inflammation versus those that promote resolution and repair. In collaboration with the Gravallese and Jacome‑Galarza labs at BWH, we are mapping macrophage phenotypes and mechanisms that control joint damage and repair, seeking pathways amenable to therapeutic modulation.
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 studying 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
Dr. Han is a post-doctoral 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.
Antara Roy, PhD Post-doctoral schoar
Wonhee Han, PhD Post-doctoral scholar
Antara Roy, PhD Post-doctoral schoar
Dr. Roy is a postdoctoral researcher investigating injury‑associated monocytes and macrophages in autoimmune disease. Using mouse models of lupus nephritis, she employs genetic, pharmacologic, and antibody‑mediated approaches to perturb these cells and define their impact on immune responses and disease progression.
Haniya Kamal, MS Bioinformatician
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
Antara Roy, PhD Post-doctoral schoar
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
Megan Hanlon, PhD Associate researcher
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.
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.