Sandra Pinho, PhD

Principal Investigator - Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine

Sandra earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Porto, Portugal. In 2010 she completed her PhD training on Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology with Dr. Véronique Azuara at the Imperial College of London in the UK. Sandra then joined Dr. Paul Frenette’s laboratory at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York where she contributed to elucidate the identity and the role of cells and factors that constitute the hematopoietic stem cell niche in the bone marrow. In September 2019, Sandra was recruited at the University of Illinois at Chicago as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine.

spinho@uic.edu

Chandani Patel, B.S, M.Sc

Graduate Student

Chandani graduated with her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida and a M.S. in Human Nutrition from Columbia University. She joined the Pinho Lab as a GEMS rotation student in October 2022 and as a PhD student in 2023. When Chandani isn’t in the lab, she spends her time reading, doing yoga, and eating her way through the vegan food scene in Chicago.

cpatel46@uic.edu

Sen Zhang, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Sen got her PhD from the Institute of Hematology & Hospital of Blood Diseases Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College in Stem cell and Regenerative Medicine. She joined the Pinho lab in October 2022. Her project is focused on mechanisms of rejuvenation of aged hematopoietic stem cells and the regulation of leukemia stem cells by the bone marrow niche. Outside of the lab she is either exploring Chicago or cooking various food.

senzhang@uic.edu

Maura Lima Pereira Bueno, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Maura obtained her Ph.D. in Structural, Molecular, and Cellular Biology from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil, where her research focused on translating basic discoveries in hematological malignancies into improved therapeutic strategies. She first joined the Pinho Lab as a visiting Ph.D. student in 2023 and returned in 2025 as a postdoctoral researcher. Her current work investigates how the bone marrow microenvironment is regulated in the setting of leukemia. Outside the lab, Maura enjoys reading and exploring Chicago.

mlimap2@uic.edu

Nitya Dixit

Nitya is a student in the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She joined the Pinho Lab as a member of the SIR program in September 2024 and spends her Wednesdays learning about hematopoietic stem cells and the methodologies to study them. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling, reading, and watching movies!