Loren Gragert, PhD, S(ACHI) – Principal Investigator, Division of Biomedical Informatics and Genomics, Deming Dept of Medicine
Dr. Gragert’s primary focus is to apply the HLA informatics technologies and registry datasets developed at NMDP towards innovating in HLA genetic association studies in solid organ transplantation and cancer. The high impact translational environment that nurtured his success at NMDP is further enhanced at Tulane with his new proximity to experienced academic researchers and clinicians. His tight-knit relationship with NMDP continues through sponsored projects, and his collaborations with leaders in the field of immunogenetics continues to expand. Dr. Gragert is the Associate Director of the Tulane Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory, passing the ACHI board exam in September 2022.
Dr. Gragert’s career path in immunogenetics began at the US bone marrow donor registry National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) in the Bioinformatics Research department led by Martin Maiers. His research projects at NMDP translated directly into operational implementations of informatics systems that enabled rapid identification of HLA-matched registry donors. An important early mentor and collaborator was Dr. Bill Klitz from the Department of Genetics at University of California-Berkeley, who gave him comprehensive training in statistical population genetics. He pursued his PhD coursework at University of Minnesota (UMN) while holding a full-time position at NMDP, enabling him to take new computer science and statistical methods straight from the classroom into my projects. He was the second PhD grantee for UMN’s BICB program, which is a unique private-partnership with Mayo Clinic, IBM, and later NMDP aimed at providing advanced training for informatics professionals in industry.
Dr. Gragert’s CV
Dr Gragert’s Faculty Page
Current Members
Alyssa Paynter, PhD Student, Biomedical Informatics and Genomics Program
Alyssa Paynter is a 3rd year PhD student focusing on her T32 CCTS award. The project’s title is “Modeling Antigen Processing to Inform the Prediction of HLA-derived CD4+ T-cell Epitopes to Improve Risk Stratification for HLA Mismatching in Kidney Transplant Outcomes.” Alyssa previously received a B.S. in Biomathematics from Florida State University, working on a project involving mapping out the brain using mathematical models. Her research interests focus on translational research, population genetics, and modeling HLA immunogenetics and kidney allograft outcomes.
Md. Shakhaowat Hossain, PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences Program
Md. Shakhaowat Hossain is a 5th-year PhD student in Biomedical Sciences Program. His research focuses on developing personalized HLA molecular mismatch metrics using high-resolution HLA genotypes to enhance organ allocation priority and fairness. At the Gragert lab, Shakhaowat has developed the Personalized Immunologic Compatibility Likelihood (PICL) measure, a tool to integrate individual molecular HLA profiles into kidney allocation policies, aiming to reduce racial disparities and improve kidney allocation for recipients. He is also working on imputing high-resolution unambiguous HLA genotypes from intermediate-resolution ambiguous deceased donor typing and modelling to apply this on allocation filter. Prior to joining Dr. Loren’s lab, he conducted research in Dr. Jay Kolls’ lab on developing immunotherapies for bacterial lung infections in transgenic mice models. Shakhaowat holds a BS and MS in Microbiology from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and his research interests include Immunogenetics, AI, machine learning, big data analysis, and translational transplantation research to improve patient outcomes.
Jenna Ko, PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences Program
Jenna is a 4th year BMS PhD candidate and she is working on a project focusing on HLA eplet mismatches of kidney transplant pairs for machine learning-based models of risk stratification with graft failure outcomes. She is interested in using bioinformatics approaches to enhance donor-recipient matching assessments in solid organ transplantation. Before joining the BMS program at Tulane, Jenna received her B.S. in Physiological Science at University of California, Los Angeles.
Vanessa Menard, PhD Student, Biomedical Sciences Program
Vanessa is a Medical Laboratory Scientist – Generalist (ASCP)cm, currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences to become a credentialed HLA Laboratory Director. At the Gragert Lab, she applies her transfusion medicine background in establishing HLA expertise. Her research on platelet HLA focuses on developing computational tools to advance donor-recipient matching and compatibility practices. This work addresses platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR), a condition affecting 20% of chronic thrombocytopenia patients, as well as ethnic inequities that exist with current methods. Through her studies and research, Vanessa is acquiring the advanced skills and knowledge needed for leadership roles in immunogenetics and histocompatibility.
Gragert Lab Alumni:
D. Giovanni Biagini, PhD, Biomedical Sciences Program
Gio defended his dissertation on research project involving computational serology, using artificial intelligence coupled with immunogenetics to shed some light on the critical relationship between immunity and organ transplantation. His goal is to develop software tools to better equip physicians, get better outcomes for patients, and improve access and equity in donor-recipient matching. Gio is now a Clinical Research Scientist in Organ Health at Natera.
Grace Williams, PhD, Biomedical Sciences Program
Grace Williams defended her dissertation on the role of HLA mismatching in solid organ transplant recipients in December 2023. Grace previously received BS in Biology from Southeastern Louisiana University where she studied the Systematic Morphometric Geometrics of Imopoema batatas subspecies. Grace enjoys bioinformatics research based in genetics, infectious disease, microbiology, and neurology. Grace is now a Health Informatician at Ochsner Health.
Marian Little, PhD, Biomedical Sciences Program
Navchetan Kaur, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow
Navchetan acquired bioinformatics skills after joining Gragert Lab in September 2016 as postdoctoral fellow. She has contributed to projects on “Improving Matching Algorithms for Transplantation with HLA Genetics”. She has a PhD in Immunology from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, a tertiary referral center. This has led her to have a prior experience with Immunopathology diagnostics and HLA testing in a histocompatibility lab. In 2019 Dr. Kaur joined the Atul Butte lab at UCSF as a postdoctoral fellow and is now manages a team of clinical research scientists in organ health at Natera.
Richard Davis – MD/MPH in Biostatistics
Richard explored the opportunity to learn data science and medical informatics when he joined Gragert Lab in August 2016 as MD/MPH student at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He contributed to the immune genes association project, while enhancing his own skillset. An aspiring pathologist, he aims to utilize his data skills for Pathology Informatics. Before joining Tulane, Richard did his B.S from Georgia Institute of Technology. Richard joined the M.D Pathology program at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Richard is now a Pathologist and Informaticist at Ochsner Health System.