Education:
Yale University, B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, 2010
Current Position:
8th Year MSTP
4th Year Medical Student
Advisor:
Yupo Ma, M.D., Ph.D., Pathology, Stony Brook University
Graduate Program:
Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Research Interests:
Gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicine, stem cells
Project Title:
Engineering stem cells for regenerative medicine
Description:
The receptor tyrosine kinase KDR (VEGF receptor 2) is the earliest differentiation marker for definitive hematopoiesis and vasculogenesis. Because KDR+ cells are endothelial cells in the early differentiation stage, there is longstanding clinical interest in using KDR+ cells for vascular regenerative medicine. However, sourcing a KDR+ population for human therapy remains a challenge. Indeed, due to the transience of KDR expression in early development, it is currently difficult to isolate, culture, and scale up human KDR+ cells for “off-the-shelf” allogeneic lines. My dissertation describes the generation of expandable KDR+ stem cells (KDR-SCs) directly from CD34+ human umbilical cord blood (huCB) using small molecule and non-integrative strategies.
Professional Service and Recent Awards
2018 Gold Humanism Honor Society
2016-2018 Co-Chair, Trainee Committee, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
2016- Associate Member, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy
2016 Outstanding Young Investigator Award, Department of Pathology, Stony Brook Medicine
2015 Best Poster Award, MSTP Annual Retreat, Stony Brook University
2015 Best Poster Award, Pharmacology Annual Fall Symposium, Stony Brook University
2014-2015 MSTP Admissions Committee member
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
(pre-MSTP publications indicated with an †)
Pinz KG, Yakaboski E, Jares A, Liu H, Firor AE, Chen KH, Wada M, Salman H, Tse W, Hagag N, Lan F, Leung EL, Jiang X, Ma Y. Targeting T-cell malignancies using anti-CD4 CAR NK-92 cells. Oncotarget. 2017 Nov 22;8(68):112783-112796. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.22626. PMID: 29348865
Chen KH, Wada M, Pinz KG, Liu H, Lin KW, Jares A, Firor AE, Shuai X, Salman H, Golightly M, Lan F, Senzel L, Leung EL, Jiang X, Ma Y. Preclinical targeting of aggressive T-cell malignancies using anti-CD5 chimeric antigen receptor. Leukemia. 2017 Oct;31(10):2151-2160. doi: 10.1038/leu.2017.8. Epub 2017 Jan 12. PubMed PMID: 28074066.
Chen KH, Wada M, Firor AE, Pinz KG, Jares A, Liu H, Salman H, Golightly M, Lan F, Jiang X, Ma Y Novel anti-CD3 chimeric antigen receptor targeting of aggressive T cell malignancies. Oncotarget. 2016 Aug 2. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.11019. PMID: 27494836.
Pinz KG, Liu H, Golightly M, Jares A, Lan F, Zieve G, Hagag N, Schuster M, Firor AE, Jiang X, Ma Y Preclinical targeting of human T-cell malignancies using CD4-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells. Leukemia. Nov 3, 2015. doi:10.1038/leu.2015.311 PMID: 26526988.
Liao W, Huang N, Yu J, Jares A, Yang J, Zieve G, Avila C, Jiang X, Zhang X, Ma Y Direct Conversion of Cord Blood CD34+ Cells Into Neural Stem Cells by OCT4. Stem Cells –Translational Medicine 2015 Jul;4(7):755-63. PMID: 25972144.
Firor A, Jares A, Ma Y From humble beginnings to success in the clinic: Chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cells and implications for immunotherapy. Experimental Biology and Medicine (Maywood). 2015 May 7; PMID: 25956686.
†Wu C, Hong SG, Winkler T, Spencer D, Jares A, Ichwan B, Nicolae A, Guo V, Larochelle A, Dunbar CE. Development of an inducible caspase-9 safety switch for pluripotent stem cell-based therapies. Molecular Therapy – Methods and Clinical Development. 2014 Nov 12. PMID: 26052521.
Firor AE, Jares A. Nuclear localization of SALL4: a stemness transcription factor. Cell Cycle. 2014 May 15;13(10):1522-3. PMID: 24755779.
†Wu C, Li B, Lu R, Koelle SJ, Yang Y, Jares A, Krouse AE, Metzger M, Liang F, Loré K, Wu CO, Donahue RE, Chen IS, Weissman I, Dunbar CE. Clonal tracking of rhesus macaque hematopoiesis highlights a distinct lineage origin for natural killer cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Apr 3;14(4):486-99. PMID: 24702997.
Yakaboski E*, Jares A*, Ma Y. Stem cell gene SALL4 in aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma: a cancer stem cell-specific target? Hepatology. 2014 Jul;60(1):419-21. *equal contribution PMID: 24327209.
†Wu C*, Jares A*, Winkler T, Xie J, Metais JY, Dunbar CE. High efficiency restriction enzyme-free linear amplification-mediated polymerase chain reaction approach for tracking lentiviral integration sites does not abrogate retrieval bias. Hum Gene Ther. 2013 Jan;24(1):38-47. *equal contribution PMID: 22992116.
Policy Publications:
Jares, A. (2018, Jul). Gene therapy: A societal perspective. Angle Journal. Retrieved from http://anglejournal.com/article/2018-06-gene-therapy-a-societal-perspective/
Editorial: “Why the House Tax Plan on Tuition Waivers is Bad for Science and for America” with the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Trainee Committee. ASGCT news. December 01, 2017.
Opinion: “In need of new ideas”. Yale Daily News. Jan 22, 2010.
In the News:
“Investments in the NIH, early investigator grants, and programs that train physician-scientists like the Medical Scientist Training Program, are crucial investments in future life-saving therapies,” Alexander Jares, ASGCT Trainee Committee Co-Chair and MD/PhD candidate at Stony Brook University School of Medicine, says.
From “The Congressional Tax Plan is a Half-Measure Improvement for Medical Researchers” by ASGCT Staff – December 21, 2017.
Professional Links:
My NCBI Bibliography & Complete List of Published Works:
ORCID Author Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8387-2362
