MEET OUR TEAM
Principal Investigator
Svetlana Lutsenko
Svetlana received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the Moscow State University in Russia. She then pursued a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Shemyakin Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Moscow, Russia, investigating the structure and function of Na,K-ATPase. After completing her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Svetlana started her independent research career as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where she focused on biochemistry and cell biology of human copper transporters. In 2009, she became Professor of Physiology at Johns Hopkins University, where she continues her studies of human copper homeostasis and its various roles in normal cells and in disease. In her free time, she enjoys arts, especially photography, hiking, and reading.
Contact: lutsenko@jhmi.edu
Research Associate
Yu Wang
Yu Wang received her Ph.D. in Graduate School of Medicine from Kyoto University (Japan) in 2017, where she studied islet biology. Currently, she is investigating the role of copper homeostasis in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolic pathways in gut. Outside of the lab , she likes reading and movie watching.
Invited oral presentation:
The Central Florida Triangle Metabolism Meeting - Metabolism and Physiology, 03/07/2025, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Contact: ywang391@jh.edu
Lorena Novoa Aponte
Contact: lnovoaa1@jh.edu
Post-doctoral fellows
Shubhrajit Roy
Shubhrajit has obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Zoology from the University of Calcutta, India. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the S. N. Pradhan Centre for Neurosciences, University of Calcutta, elucidating the molecular basis of Wilson disease, a copper-metabolism disorder. Shubhrajit was selected for the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research program (USIEF) in 2018. Currently, Shubhrajit is trying to understand the molecular mechanism associated with the regulation of copper metabolism in the brain. He is also interested in identifying the potential involvement of copper in regulating the cytoskeleton and ciliary structures in choroid plexus epithelial cells. During his free time, Shubhrajit enjoys painting, reading books, cooking, listening to music, and traveling.
Contact: sroy30@jh.edu
Mugagga Kalyesubula
Mugagga earned his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he researched the mechanisms of fatty liver pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies to combat this condition. His current work investigates the regulation of copper homeostasis and lipid metabolic pathways. Mugagga enjoys reading books in his leisure time, stays active through running, and cherishes moments with friends.
Contact: mkalyes1@jh.edu
Robert M. Hughes, MD PhD
Rob obtained his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland as a Banneker-Key Scholar. He then obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine through the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). His Ph.D. was through the Cellular and Molecular Medicine (CMM) graduate program under the mentorship of Dr. Paula Hurley where he studied the role of a secreted protein, Asporin, in cancer metastases and immune evasion. Currently, Rob is studying the role of copper dysregulation on hepatic immune effector function. He is also interested in studying how loss of ATP7B alters the hepatocyte secretome and may perpetuate immune activation in Wilson's Disease. Outside of lab, Rob enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with his family.
Awards & Scholarships:
Physician Scientist Scholars Program, Inducted Fall 2024
J. Mario Molina Physician Scientist Scholarship, 2024-2026
Presentations:
Hughes RM, Ma Y, Dong Y, Muchenditsi A, Wang Y, Yu D, Ma J, Mao H, Lutsenko S, Hamilton JPA (2026). Defining the Hepatic “Secretome” in Wilson’s Disease Using a Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) Gene Delivery System for Proximity Biotinylation of Secreted Proteins. Poster Presentation at the JH Dept. of Medicine & Whiting School of Engineering Research Retreat, Baltimore, MD.
Hughes RM, Muchenditsi A, Kelly B, Ma Y, Dong Y, Wang Y, Pearce EJ, Pearce EL, Lutsenko S, Hamilton JPA (2025). Immune cell effector function and metabolic dysregulation in Wilson Disease: implications for immune-metabolic crosstalk in copper toxicity. Poster Presentation at the 2025 AASLD TLM, Washington, DC.
Hughes RM, Ma Y, Muchenditsi A, Dong Y, Wang Y, Ma J, Yu D, Mao H, Lutsenko S, Hamilton JPA (2024). Elucidating the Hepatic “Secretome” of Wilson’s Disease. Oral Presentation at the JHH Medical Grand Rounds J. Mario Molina Scholarship Update, Baltimore, MD.
Contact: robert.hughes@jhmi.edu
Ekaterina Kabin
Ekaterina Kabin received her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees from Tallinn University of Technology. Her early research focused on metal–protein interactions and led to the discovery of copper-binding properties of α-lipoic acid. During her PhD, she spent three years as an exchange student in the lab of Svetlana Lutsenko at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, where she investigated the protective role of α-lipoic acid under conditions of copper overload.
Ekaterina is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, where her work focuses on copper homeostasis, with an emphasis on understanding how cells safely store copper. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling, photography, and playing music.
Contact: ekabin1@jh.edu
Graduate students
Yingze Martin Ma
Martin received his Bachelor of Science with Honors in Physiology from the University of Alberta, Canada. During his undergraduate, he worked on several projects on arsenic cellular protection by multidrug resistance proteins, members of the ABC transporter superfamily, under the supervision of Dr. Elaine M. Leslie. From there, he developed an interest in cellular transporters, so he decided to pursue his Ph.D. study in the Lutsenko lab. His project mainly concerns the regulation of the cellular function of copper transporter 1 (CTR1) and its role in organ development. During his free time, he enjoys cooking and hanging out with friends.
Contact: yma87@jhmi.edu
Katherine Sullivan
Katie received her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2019. During her undergraduate work she worked in the lab of Dr. Rutilio Fratti where she led several projects exploring the role of phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate in regulating membrane fusion in yeast. Her current work focuses on investigating how copper regulates lipid metabolism and nutrient secretion in intestinal enterocytes. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, drawing, and reading.
Contact: ksulli71@jhmi.edu
Sepehr Mani
Contact: smani10@jh.edu
Senior Research Specialist
Abigael Muchenditsi
Contact: amuchen1@jhmi.edu