The P.I.
Dr. Bethany Powell Gray is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and an Assistant Professor of Oncology. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Abilene Christian University, where she worked with Dr. Perry Reeves studying the use of phosphonium ionic liquids as solvents for the nitration of arenes. After a gap year, she went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, working to develop peptide-targeted nanoparticle drugs in Dr. Kathlynn Brown’s lab. She then moved to Dr. Bruce Sullenger’s lab at Duke University School of Medicine, where she worked as a postdoc and Senior Research Associate in the lab, developing a number of different aptamer-related technologies, including tunable tumor-specific aptamer-drug conjugates, aptamer probes for rapid detection of thrombi and an aptamer-based platform to isolate cells in their native states.
Hometown: Abilene, Texas
Research Interests: aptamers, RNA therapeutics, imaging and mentoring
Email: bethany.gray@jhmi.edu
Twitter: @PowellGrayLab
You’re most likely to find me . . . chasing my toddler and/or dog, figuring out new ways to organize everything in my house (or in the lab) or traveling/dreaming about traveling.
Graduate Students
Freddy Guzman
Program: Pharmacology
Hometown: Downey, California (near LA)
Research Interests: RNA therapeutic development, pharmacokinetics, aptamer bioinformatics
Email: fguzman3@jhu.edu
You’re most likely to find me . . . running outdoors, gaming at home or trying to find new food places.
Hannah Boyd
Program: Chemistry-Biology Interface Program (CBI)
Hometown: Monroe Township, New Jersey
Research Interests: Development of therapeutic aptamers and RNA imaging agents
Email: hboyd2@jhu.edu
You’re most likely to find me . . . biking/hiking in pretty places, cooking a new meal and watching horror movies.
Josean Alicea-Salas
Program: Pharmacology
Hometown: San Sebastián, Puerto Rico
Research Interests: Drug Delivery, Aptamers, RNA Therapeutics
Email: jalicea3@jhmi.edu
Twitter: @y_josean
You’re most likely to find me . . . playing soccer pick-up games, watching history documentaries, or enjoying piraguas in Old San Juan.
Reema Sharma
Program: Pharmacology
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Research Interests: RNA therapeutics
Email: rsharm26@jhmi.edu
You’re most likely to find me . . . baking or cooking delicious treats, relaxing with my cat at home, or exploring new places.
Undergraduate STudents
Damian Brown
Program: Molecular and Cell Biology
Hometown: Natick, Massachusetts
Research Interests:
Email: dbrow267@jhu.edu
You’re most likely to find me . . . on the baseball field, reading or doing something competitive.
Kaiyuan Du
Program: Molecular and Cell Biology
Hometown: Beijing, China
Research Interests:
Email:
You’re most likely to find me . . .
LAB alumni
Darlene Ferrer – Medical Student (University of Michigan Medical School), Doctoral Diversity Program Scholar, 2022 – 2024
Salma Saenz – Pharmacology Graduate Student (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Amgen Scholar, 2023
Lab moments
The Powell Gray Lab 