The Caraballo Galva Lab

Leidy Diana Caraballo Galva, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Niraja Soman

Niraja Soman, M.S., is a Research Specialist II in the Caraballo Galva Laboratory. Her research interests span translational immunology, cancer biology, molecular pharmacology, and the development of engineered immune cell therapies. She brings experience across the full research continuum, from basic and translational science to clinical research operations. 

Niraja earned her Master of Science in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics from the University of Minnesota and her Bachelor of Pharmacy from Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University in India. During her graduate training, she investigated molecular mechanisms involved in genomic stability and DNA damage responses, gaining extensive expertise in molecular biology, cell engineering, assay development, and quantitative data analysis. 

Following her graduate studies, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Minnesota, supporting clinical trials through regulatory compliance, participant management, data quality assurance, and study operations. She later joined Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, where she contributed to translational immunology research involving primary human immune cells, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, immune cell engineering, and flow cytometry-based immune profiling. 

At MUSC, Niraja is involved in developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies for pediatric and adult solid tumors through synthetic biology and gene regulation approaches aimed at improving the function and persistence of therapeutic T-cells. Her multidisciplinary training in laboratory research, clinical trials, and cellular immunotherapy positions her to contribute to the translation of innovative cancer therapies from bench to bedside.

Our research benefits from close integration with MUSC’s Integrated Center for Cellular Therapy, which provides access to state-of-the-art expertise, infrastructure, and cell therapy resources. 

This collaborative environment enables us to rapidly design, engineer, manufacture, and evaluate next-generation cellular immunotherapies, helping accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into innovative treatments for patients with cancer.

Our laboratory is developing next-generation cellular engineering technologies designed to overcome two major challenges facing CAR-T cell therapy: limited effectiveness against solid tumors and treatment-related toxicities. We are creating innovative genetic control systems that help engineered immune cells function more effectively, adapt to changing conditions within tumors, and maintain their cancer-fighting activity over time. These technologies are being evaluated in several aggressive solid tumors, including liver cancers, hepatoblastoma, and rhabdoid tumors, with the goal of expanding their application to many other childhood and adult cancers.

The effectiveness of a CAR-T cell therapy depends not only on the target it recognizes but also on how the cells are designed and manufactured. Our research investigates factors that influence CAR-T cell performance, persistence, and durability, allowing us to identify strategies that improve antitumor activity while reducing dysfunction. In parallel, we are developing innovative manufacturing approaches inspired by chemical and biochemical engineering principles to produce high-quality, clinically relevant CAR-T cell products that can be more efficiently translated to patients.

A major focus of our laboratory is the creation of new synthetic biology and molecular engineering tools that speed the design, testing, and optimization of therapeutic DNA, RNA, and cell-based technologies. We develop versatile research platforms that enable rapid generation and evaluation of new genetic constructs, helping accelerate discoveries from the laboratory to clinical applications. By making the engineering process faster and more efficient, these tools have the potential to support the development of a wide range of next-generation therapies for cancer and other diseases.