Hasan Al Reza, MS
Student
hasanal.reza@cchmc.org

Hasan hails from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He completed his BS and MS degrees in genetic engineering and biotechnology at the University of Dhaka in 2015 and 2016, respectively. While there, he worked on the association of MDM2 SNPs with lung cancer. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the Molecular and Developmental Biology PhD program at Cincinnati Children's. His work in the lab focuses on understanding fibrotic liver disease and its association with other organs, with a broader interest in regeneration.

Tahlil Elzobair, BSc
Research Assistant III
tahlil.elzobair@cchmc.org

Tahlil earned a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory sciences. She joined the Takebe Lab as a research assistant III.

Kentaro Iwasawa, MD
Research Fellow
kentaro.iwasawa@cchmc.org

Masaki Kimura, PhD
Research Associate
masaki.kimura@cchmc.org

Masaki earned his PhD in medical science from Chiba University, Japan. His graduate work was focused on epigenetic aberration of small cell lung cancer. From April 2010, he worked on generating vascularized and functional human organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in Yokohama-City University. In August 2016, Masaki joined Dr. Takebe’s lab as a research associate at Cincinnati Children’s. He mainly works on the establishment of the in vitro organoid model from iPSC. His area of expertise includes cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry.

Yuka Milton
Graduate Student
yuka.milton@cchmc.org

Yuka attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she earned her BA. Her research interests include stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and the cellular and molecular basis of human organ development.

Sho Osonoi
Research Fellow
sho.osonoi@cchmc.org

Research Assistant III
constance.santangelo@cchmc.org
Connie Santangelo attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH, where she earned a BS in biology in 2014 and then an MS in 2017.

Zishaan Farooqui
Research Fellow
zishaan.farooqui@cchmc.org

Inkyu Lee, MD
Research Fellow
inkyu.lee@cchmc.org

My research is focused on organ transplantation and stem cell organoid-based regenerative medicine. In the Takebe lab, we use an organoid-based approach to study the development of the liver and the pathophysiology of liver diseases. Ultimately, we aim to discover ways to use organoids for therapeutic purposes.

I was initially interested in using patient-specific induced-pluripotent stem cells for various purposes, including disease modeling and the development of therapeutics. In medical school, I became interested in pursuing a career in transplant surgery. I’m working to combine both interests, using stem cell and organoid-based approaches in the field of organ transplantation.

I began my work at Cincinnati Children's in 2021.