Lab Members

Kenneth L. Brayman, MD, PhD, FACS, is the director of UVA Health’s kidney, pancreas and islet transplant programs and the director of the Center for Cellular Therapy and Biologic Therapeutics. He’s also the Nabi Professor of Transplantation.

Dr. Brayman received his medical and doctorate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in general surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and fellowships in transplantation surgery and surgical endoscopy at the University of Minnesota Hospital.

He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He serves on numerous committees and is a member of professional and scientific societies including American Association of Kidney Patients, American Pancreatic Association and American Society of Transplant Physicians. Dr. Brayman is also a founding member of the International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association. He is widely published in scientific and professional journals on topics related to his research and clinical experience.

Dr. Brayman has over twenty years of experience as a principal investigator in basic and translational research and clinical trials. His research interests include transplant immunosuppression, chronic allograft nephropathy, solid organ transplantation in patients with HIV, islet cell transplantation, transplantation tolerance, gene therapy and xenotransplantation. He was responsible for developing and establishing the Islet Isolation GMP Facility at UVA, and he has overseen the allo- and auto-transplantation of islets in more than 20 recipients. The Islet Transplant Program, headed by Dr. Brayman, uses an FDA-approved Human Islet Isolation class 10,000 GMP Facility at UVA for the isolation of clinical-grade pancreatic islets for transplants and currently participates with the NIH-sponsored Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR).

Dr. Preeti Chhabra, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Transplant Division at the University of Virginia, where she has conducted innovative biomedical research for over 25 years. Her work lies at the intersection of immunology, regenerative medicine, and precision therapeutics, advancing transformative solutions for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), islet transplantation, transplantation immunology, COVID-19 treatments, and biomarker discovery through cutting-edge proteomics, microbiome, and microRNA studies. At UVA, Dr. Chhabra spearheads multiple high-impact research programs, leading every stage from conceptualization and experimental design to data analysis, publication, and clinical translation. Her work actively bridges bench-to-bedside innovation, ensuring that laboratory discoveries advance toward real-world therapeutic use.

Dr. Chhabra has played a key role in developing novel immunotherapies and translational approaches that bridge basic science and clinical application, with expertise in islet transplantation and cell-based therapies. Her current research portfolio focuses on Immunoglobulin M (IgM) Immunotherapy for preventing and reversing autoimmune diabetes, interleukin-13 (IL-13)–based therapies to improve islet graft survival and function, proteomic and molecular biomarker discovery to enable precision medicine approaches, microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffolds and bioengineered matrices for islet transplantation, and adenosine A2A receptor agonist therapies for mitigating cytokine storms in COVID-19, amongst others. Dr. Chhabra maintains strong collaborative partnerships across the University of Virginia, engaging with interdisciplinary teams in surgery, immunology, endocrinology, biomedical engineering, and bioinformatics. Her collaborations also extend beyond UVA, encompassing academic, clinical, and industry partners—fostering translational breakthroughs and expanding the impact of her research. Dr. Chhabra has also participated in obtaining an Investigational New Drug (IND) approval for human islet isolation, paving the way for translational research and future clinical applications in diabetes and transplantation therapy.

She also plays a central role in writing grants and securing competitive funding from prestigious agencies—including the NIH, Department of Defense, American Diabetes Association, and Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). Her groundbreaking research has resulted in several issued and pending patents, as well as numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Chhabra trains undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, emphasizing scientific rigor, collaboration, and creativity. She is also an active guest editor for several journals, and her work has been featured at premier global conferences, including the World Transplant Congress (WTC), International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association (IPITA), Cell Transplant and Regenerative Medicine Society (CTRMS), International Xenotransplantation Association (IXA), American Diabetes Association (ADA), American Transplant Congress (ATC), American Surgical Association (ASA) and Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) meetings, where her research has received wide recognition and won awards. Dr. Chhabra earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore, India, graduating with First Rank and receiving multiple Gold Medals for academic excellence. Her lifelong mission is to transform foundational research into clinically impactful innovations—transforming discovery into healing, advancing the future of translational medicine, and driving progress toward a cure for T1D.

Mingyang Ma received his Ph.D. from the Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) program at the University of Virginia and is currently a Research Scientist in Dr. Kenneth Brayman’s lab in the Department of Surgery at UVA. He contributes to multiple research programs focused on β-cell regeneration and immune modulation in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Dr. Ma also has extensive experience with cGMP-related workflows, including coordinating human islet isolations within UVA’s GMP-regulated islet core, overseeing documentation and regulatory compliance, and ensuring quality-controlled human tissue handling.

He collaborates closely with postdoctoral fellows, medical and graduate trainees, and laboratory technicians, and plays an active role in grant preparation, manuscript writing, and the scientific and operational activities supporting several interdisciplinary research initiatives and collaborations.

Jack Cook attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison for his undergraduate education, obtaining a B.S. in Entomology. After graduation, he spent a summer field season working under Dr. John Shea at Creighton University on the role of trematodes as indicators of biodiversity. His master’s work is on alternative pharmaceutical treatments for acute infections of tick-borne Rickettsia, which he attained in the lab of Dr. Sean Riley at the Veterinary Medicine Program of the University of Maryland at College Park.

His role in the Brayman Lab is focused on performing experiments for Dr. Preeti Chhabra’s Type 1 Diabetes autoimmune projects. He is responsible for mouse data collection and monitoring; flow cytometry panel design and execution; and protein digestion, separation, and analysis; among other things. He is also a part of the pancreatic islet auto-transplant team, separating through digestion functional insulin-producing islets from inflamed or diseased pancreatic tissue for re-introduction back to the patient.