Lankai Guo of Winchester, MA passed away on June 29, 2025. She was the beloved wife for 36 years of Zhihai Si. Born in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China, Lankai was the daughter of Fan Yuying and Guo Risheng.
She was raised in Hebei and attended Lanzhou University in 1980, where she received her degree in Botany. Afterward, she came to the United States in 1989 to pursue her research at the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota as an exchange scholar before attending the University of Iowa, where she received her Master of Science in Biology in 1993.
Throughout her life, she worked at various academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies, researching the frontiers of biology and medicine. She started at Dana Farber Cancer Institute before working at Tufts University and then Massachusetts General Hospital, where she dedicated a decade of her work toward advancements in treatments for gynecologic oncology. Afterward, she worked in Cambridge at BioAxone BioScience, researching neural regeneration and further building the foundation for her future work. From BioAxone, Lankai moved to Wave Life Sciences where she advanced genetic research in cancer before working on a way to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2020, her work in neurodegenerative diseases continued at Eisai as a Senior Principal Researcher to target immune dementia. She always worked hard to provide for her family and used her skills and knowledge to advance the frontiers of biomedical research. She was meticulous and careful in all of her research, contributing crucial data and findings in the advancements of critical diseases.
At the lab, at home, and everywhere she went, Lankai was kind. She never hesitated to help anyone and was always supportive of those around her. She had a soft soul that lit up her beautiful smile. She had an easy-going nature that made everyone around her comfortable, but she was also deeply resilient and incredibly strong. Whatever life threw at her, she remained determined. She may have sounded soft, but when she set her mind to something, she would accomplish it without fail.
In her spare time, Lankai enjoyed spending time with her family, going on walks and taking pictures of the local wildlife, from turtles to ducks, and sharing them with her family. When her daughters were young, she crocheted and knitted the coziest blankets, hats, and sweaters. She was also an avid reader and puzzle-solver. She loved doing jigsaw puzzles and playing the puzzle game Royal Match. Lankai was also an incredible gardener, cultivating a beautiful variety of plants at home despite little direct sunlight. Under her care, the plants bloomed, symbolic of how she treated the people around her.
In addition to her husband Zhihai, Lankai is lovingly survived by her two daughters: Sharon and Elizabeth, her sister Fengkai Guo, and her brother Fenggang Guo.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather for a Visitation at Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St. Winchester, MA on Thursday, July 3 from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester.
Donations in her memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute. https://www.dana-farber.org
She was raised in Hebei and attended Lanzhou University in 1980, where she received her degree in Botany. Afterward, she came to the United States in 1989 to pursue her research at the United States Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota as an exchange scholar before attending the University of Iowa, where she received her Master of Science in Biology in 1993.
Throughout her life, she worked at various academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies, researching the frontiers of biology and medicine. She started at Dana Farber Cancer Institute before working at Tufts University and then Massachusetts General Hospital, where she dedicated a decade of her work toward advancements in treatments for gynecologic oncology. Afterward, she worked in Cambridge at BioAxone BioScience, researching neural regeneration and further building the foundation for her future work. From BioAxone, Lankai moved to Wave Life Sciences where she advanced genetic research in cancer before working on a way to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2020, her work in neurodegenerative diseases continued at Eisai as a Senior Principal Researcher to target immune dementia. She always worked hard to provide for her family and used her skills and knowledge to advance the frontiers of biomedical research. She was meticulous and careful in all of her research, contributing crucial data and findings in the advancements of critical diseases.
At the lab, at home, and everywhere she went, Lankai was kind. She never hesitated to help anyone and was always supportive of those around her. She had a soft soul that lit up her beautiful smile. She had an easy-going nature that made everyone around her comfortable, but she was also deeply resilient and incredibly strong. Whatever life threw at her, she remained determined. She may have sounded soft, but when she set her mind to something, she would accomplish it without fail.
In her spare time, Lankai enjoyed spending time with her family, going on walks and taking pictures of the local wildlife, from turtles to ducks, and sharing them with her family. When her daughters were young, she crocheted and knitted the coziest blankets, hats, and sweaters. She was also an avid reader and puzzle-solver. She loved doing jigsaw puzzles and playing the puzzle game Royal Match. Lankai was also an incredible gardener, cultivating a beautiful variety of plants at home despite little direct sunlight. Under her care, the plants bloomed, symbolic of how she treated the people around her.
In addition to her husband Zhihai, Lankai is lovingly survived by her two daughters: Sharon and Elizabeth, her sister Fengkai Guo, and her brother Fenggang Guo.
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather for a Visitation at Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St. Winchester, MA on Thursday, July 3 from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester.
Donations in her memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute. https://www.dana-farber.org
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