Lab Members
Lab Members
Lab Members
Po-An Hu
Po-An obtained his doctoral degree in physiology from National Taiwan University, where he was studying the protective effects of natural extract compounds on obesity and fatty liver. Po-An joined the lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral fellow and started exploring the role of HAF in hepatic lipid metabolism and its connection to the progression of MASLD-HCC. Outside the lab, he enjoys movies, streaming series, and video games.
Karen Acuna Pilarte
I am originally from Costa Rica, where I pursued my undergraduate studies. I joined the Koh Lab in 2020 after earning my master’s degree in Molecular Medicine from the University of Sheffield in England. As a master's student, I became interested in understanding how dysregulation of molecular pathways contributes to cancer initiation and progression. I joined Dr. Koh’s lab through the Bioscience program at the University of Utah, where my PhD research focused on elucidating the role of hypoxia‑associated factor (HAF) in MASH‑driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation. After completing my PhD, I remained in the lab as a postdoc, where I am currently investigating stress‑induced pathways in MASH‑HCC, with a particular emphasis on the growth factor FGF21. In my free time, I enjoy traveling the world, playing the piano, and bird‑watching with my husband.
Nainpriya Babbar
Originally from Delhi, India, Nainpriya earned her Master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of California, Irvine before joining the Koh lab as a lab specialist. At UC Irvine, her research focused on cancer metabolism and the tumor microenvironment, where she investigated the effects of 5-fluorouracil on hepatic lipid metabolism, and examined the role of pyruvate secretion in enhancing tumorigenicity in cancer models. In Mei’s lab, her work is focused on elucidating the role of ISCA2 in kidney cancer progression. Outside the lab, she enjoys being in nature, listening to music, traveling, and learning about the cosmos.
