Dharma Thapa, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
Profiles: Linkedin
Dharma received his Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate and postdoctoral work in the lab of Dr. Otoniel Martinez-Maza focused on understanding the mechanistic and biomarker role for microRNAs in HIV/AIDS-related B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Biogen leveraging next-generation sequencing of T-cell receptors and genome-wide functional screening to identify cellular and mechanistic features underlying the pathogenesis of autoimmune systemic lupus erythematosus. After Biogen, he joined Cue Biopharma, where he worked on developing precision immunotherapeutics for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Selected Publications:
- Seidel RD, Merazga Z, Thapa DR, Soriano J, Spaulding E, Vakkasoglu AS, Ruthardt P, Bautista W, Quayle SN, Kiener PA, Low S, Ross JF, Cemerski S, Suri A, Almo SC, Chaparro RJ. Peptide-HLA-based immunotherapeutics platforms for direct modulation of antigen-specific T cells. Sci Rep. 2021 Sep 28;11(1):19220
- Thapa DR, Tonikian R, Sun C, Liu M, Dearth A, Petri M, Pepin F, Emerson RO, Ranger A. Longitudinal analysis of peripheral blood T cell receptor diversity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus by next-generation sequencing. Arthritis Res Ther. 2015 May 23;17(1):132.
- Thapa DR, Hussain SK, Tran WC, Dʼsouza G, Bream JH, Achenback CJ, Ayyavoo V, Detels R, Martínez-Maza O. Serum microRNAs in HIV-infected individuals as pre-diagnosis biomarkers for AIDS-NHL. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2014 Jun 1;66(2):229-37.