Translational Hematology & Stem Cell Immunology PhD

ALYSSA BIONDO, PhD

Biomedical Scientist Translational Hematology, Stem Cell Biology & Immunology

516-***-**** ***************@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/alyssa-biondo-375383234/ I’m a biomedical scientist and postdoctoral researcher with a diverse background spanning hematology, oncology, immunology, stem cell biology, and molecular and cellular biology. My goal is to keep learning across disciplines and use that knowledge to ask better questions, solve meaningful problems, and ultimately improve human health.

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health- Biomedical Research

12/2025 - Present Manhasset, NY

Defining Distinct Molecular Pathways in RPS19 and RPL5 Models of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia

• Investigate shared and distinct mechanisms of Diamond-Blackfan anemia using fetal and adult RPS19- and RPL5-deficient mouse models to define how ribosomal protein loss disrupts hematopoietic stem/progenitor function and erythroid maturation.

• Characterize mitochondrial function and metabolism, mitophagy, autophagic-lysosomal pathways, ER stress responses, and intracellular calcium signaling to identify genotype-specific molecular pathways underlying ineffective erythropoiesis.

• Integrate flow cytometry, confocal imaging, metabolic assays, and biochemical analyses with peripheral- blood, bone-marrow, and fetal-liver phenotyping to link cellular stress and organelle homeostasis to hematopoietic outcomes.

• Compare developmental stage and genotype-dependent changes in stress erythropoiesis, proliferation, cell-cycle status, and cell death to distinguish common disease mechanisms from model-specific responses.

Erythroid Niche Biology: Erythroblastic and Erythromyeloblastic Islands

• Establish workflows to isolate and phenotype erythroblastic islands (EBIs) and erythromyeloblastic islands

(EMBIs) from murine hematopoietic tissues.

• Investigate how macrophage-centered niches regulate erythroid and myeloid maturation, stress erythropoiesis, and anemia-associated changes in the marrow microenvironment.

• Support experiments examining iron handling, erythroid maturation, and niche-associated cellular phenotypes to define mechanisms contributing to ineffective erythropoiesis. GVHD: Early Immune Signatures of Disease Severity and Therapeutic Response

• Profile peripheral-blood and tissue immune populations early in graft-versus-host disease to identify cellular patterns associated with disease severity and treatment response.

• Evaluate immunoregulatory populations including regulatory T cells (Tregs), invariant natural killer T

(iNKT) cells, NK cells, and effector T-cell subsets that may modulate alloreactive inflammation.

• Integrate immune-cell profiles with inflammatory cytokines, histopathology, longitudinal clinical GVHD scores, and survival outcomes to support biomarker-oriented interpretation. Postdoctoral Research Fellow New York Blood Center - Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research 02/2023 - Present New York, NY

MFN2 Signaling and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Potency

• Investigate how Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) regulates human HSC homeostasis and whether MFN2 agonists preserve long-term functional potency during ex vivo culture.

• Define links among MFN2, mTOR signaling, autophagy/lysosomal activity, protein translation, and mitochondrial dynamics as mechanisms governing stem-cell fitness.

• Evaluate functional relevance through cord-blood HSC expansion and preclinical transplantation/engraftment studies, integrating cellular, imaging, and molecular readouts. BCL2-Dependent Calcium Signaling in HSC Maintenance

• Define how BCL2-dependent ER-mitochondrial calcium signaling contributes to HSC maintenance, stress adaptation, and long-term regenerative function.

• Use hematopoietic BCL2-deficient models and transplantation studies to assess effects on stem/progenitor function and multilineage reconstitution.

• Investigate BCL2-IP3R signaling, ER Ca2+ homeostasis, cellular-stress pathways, and associated transcriptional programs to identify mechanisms underlying HSC dysfunction. Graduate Researcher Fordham University - HPV Infection & Host Cytoskeletal Signaling 09/2016 - 01/2022 Bronx, NY

HPV Entry, Intracellular Trafficking, and Host Cytoskeletal Signaling

• Investigated non-canonical mechanisms of human papillomavirus uptake and intracellular trafficking to define host pathways that support early infection.

• Characterized cytoskeletal signaling and virus-induced filopodia to understand how host-cell remodeling facilitates viral entry and movement.

Technical Skills

Flow Cytometry & Hematology: Advanced multiparameter flow cytometry; FACS/cell sorting; HSC/progenitor, erythroid, myeloid, lymphoid, Treg, iNKT and NK-cell profiling; calcium-flux assays; Amnis ImageStream imaging flow cytometry; FlowJo; FCS Express. Metabolic & Functional Assays: Seahorse XF extracellular flux analysis; ribosome/ribosomal profiling and translational assays; autophagy/lysosomal assays; mitochondrial functional assays; cellular-stress, proliferation, viability and cell-death readouts.

Microscopy & Imaging: Confocal microscopy; fluorescence and light microscopy; ImageJ quantitative analysis; Imaris 3D visualization and image analysis. Molecular & Biochemical: Western blotting; PCR; qPCR; ELISA; Bio-Plex multiplex assays; immunoprecipitation.

Cell Culture & Primary Samples: Mammalian and primary hematopoietic cell culture; Ficoll PBMC separation; cord-blood unit handling and processing; fetal-liver and bone-marrow processing. Microbiology: Microbial culture; aseptic technique; Gram staining; bacterial media preparation; viral culture/infection workflows.

Preclinical Models & Mouse Techniques: Extensive mouse handling and colony management; breeding; genotyping; ear tagging; retro-orbital eye bleeding; retro-orbital transplantation, tail-vein injections, intraperitoneal (IP) and subcutaneous injections; hematopoietic transplantation experience. Omics, Software & Data Analysis: RNA-seq/transcriptomic analysis; bioinformatics and pathway analysis; GraphPad Prism; Pluto Bio data analysis.

Leadership & Mentorship

Research Mentorship - Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research 2025- Present

• Mentor high school and college research interns in experimental planning, laboratory technique, data interpretation, troubleshooting, and scientific communication. Research Mentorship - New York Blood Center 2023 - 2025

• Mentored summer undergraduate and junior researchers in hematology projects, experimental execution, data analysis, and preparation of oral/poster presentations. Founder & President - NYBC Research Fellow Association 01/2023 - 08/2025

• Founded and led professional-development programming for postdoctoral fellows, including seminars, symposia, workshops, networking initiatives, funding coordination, and scientific communication. Laboratory Safety Officer - New York Blood Center 01/2025 - 07/2025

• Led laboratory inspections, hazard identification, risk mitigation, injury-prevention efforts, SOP-focused safety practices, and communication between research staff and safety leadership. Teaching & Mentorship - Fordham University

• Developed and taught introductory and upper-level biology lecture/laboratory content and mentored students in research techniques, troubleshooting, data interpretation, and scientific presentation. Education

Ph.D., Biological Sciences - Cell & Molecular Biology, Fordham University 08/2016 - 12/2022 - Sigma Xi Research Society

B.S., Biochemistry, Cell & Molecular Biology & Religious Studies, University of Scranton 08/2012 - 05/2016 - Magna Cum Laude; Academic Excellence Award; Phi Lambda Upsilon Certifications & Credentials

Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS), ASCP Certification in progress; examination planned for December 2026

CITI Program - Research Ethics Training 2026

CITI Program - Conflicts of Interest 2023 - 2026 Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP), SOCRA 2025 Publications and Manuscripts

Accepted for publication

• Biondo A, Candelaria G, Jin D, Lin E, McLaughlin D, Liang Z, Leong K, Hillyer CD, Snoeck H-W, Luchsinger LL. Mitofusin agonists enhances long-term engraftment and potency of HSC cultures in vivo. iScience. Accepted for publication.

Published

• Saha G, Anchi P, Wang R, Biondo A, Meyer S, Kondragunta V, Luchsinger LL, Syed I, Sharif H, Wu H, Magupalli VG. Inflammasome adaptor protein ASC is a mechanistic checkpoint in IL-1β maturation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2026;123(19):e2537563123. doi:10.1073/pnas.253-***-****.

• Biondo A, Meneses PI. The Process of Filopodia Induction during HPV Infection. Viruses. 2022;14(6):1150. doi:10.3390/v14061150.

Manuscripts in preparation

• IRF5: A regulator of erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis in the erythromyeloblastic niche through the regulation of iron homeostasis. Manuscript in preparation.

• The Role of NRF2 and ATF4 in BCL2-Dependent Stress Adaptation in Hematopoietic Stem Cells. New York Blood Center. Manuscript in preparation (working title).

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