Sahak Makaryan

Sahak completed his B.A. in Neuroscience from the University of Southern California (USC). Afterward, he spent two years as a laboratory technician for Quest Diagnostics' Clinical Trials Department. There, he developed and validated immunoassays for biomarker detection for pharmaceuticals in phase I/II clinical trials. He learned a tremendous amount about the biomedical industry from his time at Quest Diagnostics, but soon realized he wanted to do more. Sahak subsequently applied to graduate programs in the biomedical sciences including biomedical engineering and received an offer from the Biomedical Engineering department of the University of Southern California to pursue his doctoral studies. During his training, he developed a series of mathematical models that delineate how natural killer cells recognize and eliminate cancer cells upon contact. Moreover, Sahak applied a variety of mathematical techniques ranging from statistics, optimization, and control theory to inform strategies that maximize the efficacy of natural killer cell-based therapies. Ultimately, his thesis provides actionable insight on how to modify natural killer cells for the purposes of immunotherapy.