CARE Fellows

2022-2023

	Naomi Barber-Choi 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Computational and Systems Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Akihiro Nishi Naomi Barber-Choi is an undergraduate student at UCLA studying Computational and Systems Biology. She is primarily interested in using computational tools to model the dynamics of real-world systems. She’s currently working in Dr. Akihiro Nishi’s lab at UCLA, which focuses on using network science and agent simulations to examine key factors that could help prevent disease outbreaks. The current project Naomi is working on examines self-isolation behavior in the context of a disease outbreak. While in theory the ideal response to a disease outbreak would be an immediate, synchronized isolation, agents often isolate only when they perceive a threateningly high disease prevalence. This risk tolerance may vary from agent to agent, and so even if asynchronous isolation has a higher societal cost and lower societal benefit, it tends to be the response that evolves— as seen with COVID-19. The research of the Nishi lab seeks to identify factors that could encourage an immediate, synchronized isolation, deterring future pandemics. Naomi would like to thank Dr. Nishi and her mentor Michael Mengual for giving her the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research.
	Isabella Cardenas 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Mentor: Dr. Valerie Arboleda Isabella is a second-year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics student at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an undergraduate, Isabella conducts research in Dr. Valerie Arboleda’s lab. The Arboleda lab is interested in the discovery, functional analysis, and therapeutic targeting of genes that are altered in human disease. Isabella contributes to the molecular characterization of the genes KAT6A and KAT6B in human stem cells via knockdown and overexpression of these genes. In the CARE program, Isabella will continue conducting research in the Arboleda lab. The lab seeks to understand how different genetic changes affect the overall function of human genes and influence the molecular phenotype within a single cell. In the winter, Isabella will begin to assist in these loss and gain of function studies by performing qPCR and western blot on biospecimens where these genes of interest have been artificially altered to assess changes in RNA and protein for genes of interest, respectively. This works to develop model systems to better understand how mutations affect the differentiation of cells’ genetic regulation. Isabella will leverage functional genomic approaches in order to simulate how rare genetic syndromes, specifically KAT6A syndrome, are due to these pathogenic mutations that are important for chromatin conformation. Isabella would like to thank the entire Arboleda Lab, especially Dr. Valerie Arboleda and Aileen Nava, for their continued guidance and mentorship. She would also like to thank the CARE Fellows Program at UCLA for this invaluable opportunity to grow as a scientist.
	Nicole Coronel 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: HBS Faculty Mentor: Dr. Liisa Lutter Nicole is a second-year undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience and English at UCLA. She is heavily interested in ailments correlated to neurodegeneration and mental health. At UCLA, Nicole conducts research in Dr. David Eisenberg’s lab under the mentorship of Dr. Liisa Lutter. Researchers at the Eisenberg lab aim to comprehend the detrimental effects of amyloid fibrils to uncover faster neurodegenerative diagnostics and therapeutics. Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are distinguished by cognitive and neuronal decline. These diseases are rapidly growing due to aging in the elderly, and treatments are limited. Nicole’s research project in the Eisenberg lab focuses on the α-synuclein protein that forms aggregates known as Lewy bodies in affected Parkinson’s patients. This project concentrates on developing plant molecules that inhibit α-synuclein protein aggregation. Her project is divided into three experimental stages. She will track the effects of these plant molecules in vitro on recombinant α-synuclein, then investigate the impact of efficient compounds in ex vivo patient-brain derived fibrils and eventually conduct cell culture experiments. In conjunction with Dr. Lutter’s research on the mechanisms of action of these plant molecules, Nicole’s project seeks to uncover therapeutic options against Parkinson’s. If therapeutic effects are examined, the compound should cross the blood-brain barrier of mice and reach affected brain regions. Nicole would like to express her sincerest appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Eisenberg and Dr. Lutter for their continued mentorship and support in conducting research. Nicole will also like to thank the CARE Fellows program for their generosity and guidance.
	Sophia Lopez 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Neuroscience Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Subotnik Sophia Lopez is an undergraduate at UCLA majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Art History. She is a sophomore and a member of the PEERS program. She has been a research assistant for Dr. Kenneth Subotnik at the UCLA Aftercare Program since the Fall of 2022. There she assists in the clinical research of patients who have recently experienced psychotic symptoms and works towards the lab’s goal of providing treatment and cognitive training to help these patients re-enter the workforce and/or academic settings. Sophia contributes on the Data Entry and Tester team where she collects data by administering cognitive tests and physical fitness assessments to patients. She also assists in data entry and updating the Aftercare Program’s large information database. Sophia would like to thank Dr. Subotnik and Emily McGraw for this opportunity to explore clinical research and for their continued guidance throughout her time at Aftercare. She would also like to thank the CARE Fellows Program for so kindly supporting her and her undergraduate research experience.
	Breanna Remigio 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Computational and Systems Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aaron Meyer I am a second-year student at UCLA majoring in Computational and Systems Biology. I have also joined the Meyer Lab in the Department of Bioengineering. The Meyer Lab focuses on using computational methods to explore cell communication. Specifically, they explore how the cells within the immune system communicate with each other to gain a better understanding of how to either solve a health problem or prevent it from happening overall by better predicting how the system will react if something breaks or if changes within these cells can potentially improve how they react to disease or cancers. I work closely with my lab mentor, Andrew Ramirez, on his project where he is aiming to develop a computational technique that will allow researchers to accomplish single-cell analysis for multimodal studies. This will result in researchers having the ability to keep track of many cell populations and their varying properties without the constraints of current computational techniques. I would like to thank Dr. Aaron Meyer, Andrew Ramirez, and the rest of the Meyer Lab for their mentorship and support as well as the CARE Fellows program for this opportunity.
	Madison Rodriguez 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Psychobiology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Lieberman With aspirations to be a holistic physician, I am passionate and curious about all things that have to do with mind and body interactions. Within our lab, we are studying neural synchrony and asynchrony across specific brain locations of multiple people working together performing certain tasks as a team. To measure this brain activity, our lab team uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) which is a mobile and non-invasive brain monitoring technique that measures changes in hemoglobin inside the brain. This allows for real-time neuroimaging to observe the participants’ brain activity during the performance of given tasks. We hope to find how diverse perspectives and thinking styles may affect a team, which patterns of brain activity underpin positive team dynamics and how teammates’ brains and behaviors change over time.
	Sophia Rueda 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Neuroscience Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura DeNardo Sophia Rueda is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience. She conducts research in the DeNardo lab which focuses on how mPFC connections form, how they function from early development to adulthood, and how they can be perturbed by early life adversity. All this information is crucial to help us understand the mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and lay foundations for more targeted treatments. The project she is currently focusing on aims to understand how transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), an FDA-approved, non-invasive treatment for major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, produces its therapeutic effects. While this treatment has proved effective for many individuals, there have also been variable outcomes. The lack of understanding of the neurobiological effects caused by this therapy hinders the possibility of creating more effective interventions for a larger range of psychiatric disorders. Her project will be focusing on rTMS induced plasticity changes in the brain. She will focus on the presence of perineuronal nets (PNNs) within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). PNNs are a part of a meshwork of extracellular proteins that regulate synaptic plasticity. It is hypothesized that rTMS may break down PNNs, allowing plastic changes to occur that can ultimately rescue behavioral symptoms of depression or OCD. Sophia would like to thank the DeNardo Lab, especially Dr. Laura DeNardo and Michael Gongwer for their continued mentorship. She would also like to thank the CARE Fellows Program for supporting her through this invaluable research experience.
	Daniel Torres Pomares 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Chemistry Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alexander Spokoyny Daniel is a second-year chemistry major at UCLA and a member of the PEERS program. He is a native of Los Angeles who hopes to be a researcher in the field of pharmaceuticals. He has been part of Dr. Alexander Spokoyny’s lab since Fall 2022, where he is involved in the use of organically coordinated gold compounds to facilitate selective bioconjugation of cysteine in peptide chains. These bioconjugates show promise that they may be able to protect chemicals or other biomolecules from harsh environments in the body, thus allowing for use in targeted therapies as well as opening previously impossible treatment avenues. To this end Daniel aids in the synthesis of compounds used to achieve these bioconjugates as well running simulations using density functional theory (DFT) to better understand the mechanisms of these reactions.
	Alejandra Velazquez 2022-2023 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chantle Swichkow Alejandra Velazquez-Villegas is an undergraduate in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics student at the University of California, Los Angeles. There Alejandra is an undergrad at the lab of Professor Leonid Kruglyak at the University of California (UCLA), where she assists postdoctoral fellow and faculty mentor, Chantle Swichkow in studying the genetic structure of yeast-bacteria interactions in fermented environments. This is done by exploring genetic variation in yeast and interspecies mutualism with lactic acid bacteria, in the hopes of better understanding the diverse communities of microorganisms that are established. This has allowed her to participate in the investigation of the evolution of yeast and bacteria communities in sourdough starters and understand how communities from the native yeast and bacteria have developed from different flours.

2021-2022

	Andrea Garcia Angulo 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathrin Plath Andrea is a third year undergraduate biology major at UCLA. She is a first generation college student, a member of PEERS, and aspires to become a physician scientist in the future. She recently joined Dr. Kathrin Plath’s lab which studies the mechanisms by which epigenetic changes affect the pluripotency of stem cells. To this end, Andrea is working on better understanding how long-noncoding RNA’s Xist and Tsix as well as higher-order reconfiguration of chromatin structure mediate X chromosome inactivation in mouse embryonic stem cells in order to present a clearer understanding of the dynamic mechanisms of reprogramming and differentiation.
	Ava Bignell 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elissa Hallem Ava Bignell is a second-year student from Ontario, California. She is involved in the campus organization Donation of Tissues and Organs along with the sorority Alpha Delta Chi. She has been conducting research in the Hallem Lab since September of 2021. Using Caenorhabditis elegans and Strongyloides stercoralis, a parasitic nematode, the Hallem Lab studies sensory behavior through neural systems. This behavior may be altered due to the organisms’ experiences or environmental conditions. As a CARE Fellow, Ava is studying the response of C. elegans to carbon dioxide, specifically how the metabolic activity of bacteria affects the response of C. elegans. To study this, Ava will use paraformaldehyde to create bacteria that are metabolically inactive and grow C. elegans on this bacteria. Next, a chemotaxis assay will be used to calculate the attraction or repulsion, which will be compared to that of the response of C. elegans grown on bacteria that is metabolically active. This research will give insight into how behavior of C. elegans is shaped by bacterial metabolism. In the future, Ava’s goals include obtaining a PhD and continuing to do research along with being an educator.
	Bezawit Danna 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biochemistry Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ajit Divakaruni My name is Bezawit Danna. I am a sophomore Biochemistry major. I joined the Divakaruni Lab in Winter 2022. The Divakaruni Lab studies energy metabolism and cellular substrate preference. The main focus of the Divakaruni Lab is mitochondrial metabolism in cells and general mechanism of metabolic controls. The lab uses bioenergetics, analytical chemistry, and live cell imaging to characterize mitochondrial metabolism and develop mitochondrial pathways as therapeutic drug targets. I am working on brain energy metabolism. We focus on Mitochondrial Metabolism in brain cells to find potential therapeutic drug targets for neurodegenerative diseases like Alizihemer and parkinson disease. In Particular, we research on Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier to inhibit pyruvate uptake in mitochondria. Currently, I am helping with doing BCA assay with BSA standard solution to quantify synaptosomal protein.
	Cindy Ly 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elissa Hallem Cindy is a second year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major who recently joined the Hallem lab where she studies the host-seeking behaviors of Strongyloides. In particular, she studies how mechanosensation, a host-emitted sensory cue, may affect how they find and locate hosts. Cindy uses the infective larvae of the rat-parasitic nematode Strongyloides ratti as a model system to measure and compare the nictation rate of S. ratti infective larvae in the presence and absence of 50 Hz vibrations. The lab hopes that these results could help develop novel preventative and therapeutic measures against infections by Strongyloides stercoralis, which poses a significant disease burden in underdeveloped countries.
	Daniel Meza 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pavak Shah Daniel Meza is a second year Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology major at UCLA. The Shah lab uses C. elegans as a model organism to study the mechanisms that drive the neural circuits that form during development. Daniel is currently investigating the efficacy of various iterations of GCaMP, a genetically encoded calcium indicator, for use in embryonic C. elegans. With newer versions of GCaMP being recently developed, their time to protein maturation in C. elegans is unknown. Because the development of C. elegans is on the scale of hours, slight improvements in the time needed to have a functional GCaMP can be very significant. Through microinjections, Daniel produces transgenic C. elegans containing the desired GCaMP for testing.
	Derick Diaz 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniel Cohn I am a first generation rising second-year with a future career goal in research. Currently, I am enrolled in the Cohn lab studying skeletal disorders. My role will be to learn how to isolate DNA from mutant mouse tissues. Next, I will then determine their genotypes using PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis and DNA sequence analysis. These studies will then form the basis for evaluating the effects of a Trpv4 mutation on skeletal development, the main goal of the study.
	Jasmine Gonzalez 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Pre-Human Biology and Society Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yalda Afshar Jasmine is a sophomore working under the guidance of Dr. Yalda Afshar’s translational lab at the UCLA Health, Divison of Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Her research primarily focuses on high-risk pregnancies, such as fetal congenital heart disease and placenta accreta spectrum disorders. As a CARE Fellow, Jasmine investigates the signaling alterations in endothelial mechano-transduction within placental vascular endothelial cells by studying abnormal flow patterns observed in fetal congenital heart disease (CHD). These vascular cells were found to respond to different types of environmental conditions such as the flow direction of blood. Individuals who have CHD exhibit a halt in cellular growth, and are unable to mature in comparison to those who do not carry CHD. Jasmine collects data to understand this abnormal vascular phenotype by isolating human umbilical endothelial cells, running flow experiments, and conducting immunofluorescence staining and imaging to understand downstream complications in vascular cellular growth. Jasmine would like to thank the CARE Fellows program for this research opportunity, as well as Afshar lab group for their invaluable guidence and mentorship.
	Jose Munoz 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biochemistry Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Howe Jose is a second-year Biochemistry major at UCLA and has been working in Dr. Koehler’s lab for the past year. The Kohler lab studies the mechanism of protein import into mitochondria and how defects in mitochondrial protein translocation can lead to disease. Ultimately the lab wants to determine the molecular basis of the Mohr-Tranebjaerg syndrome. As of August 2021, Jose has been working on the project of identifying if DNA samples from zebrafish carry the recessive mitochondrial mutation. Mohr-Tranebjaerg syndrome causes deafness, blindness, and dystonia, which are the result of DDP1, the homolog to Tim8 which is a Mitochondrial import inner membrane translocase subunit. He is currently running Polymerase-Chain Reactions(PCR) to investigate the DNA of the zebrafish. He creates specific master mixes using Taq-polymerase that help in obtaining optimal results in each PCR. He also performs gel electrophoresis in order to identify which specimens have the recessive mutation. His work, under the guidance of Ryan Howe, is then used to further analyze the mutation of the zebrafish in order to determine the molecular basis of the disease. Jose would like to thank the Koehler Lab for providing him with this opportunity, as well as the CARE Fellows for funding his research this academic year.
	Karen Navarro 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Sears I am a rising sophomore majoring in Biology and also part of the Solid Gold Sound, PEERS, and a CARE Fellow member. I am involved in research within the Sears lab under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Sears. In the Sears Lab, I study the cellular basis of post-natal development in mammals. Post-natal growth is essential to mammalian physiology and is highly variable across species allowing them to grow in a range of body sizes. These growth rates are high in early life, but then tend to decrease rapidly as the organism reaches full adult size. This decline following early post-natal growth results from the decrease in the rate of cellular proliferation caused by a downregulation of the growth-regulating genetic program. In the lab, I am collaborating on an extensive genome study in mice and opposum to establish the roles of particular genes responsible for the epigenetic regulation in cellular processes (proliferation, apoptosis, etc.).The hypothesis is that proliferation rates will decrease in tissues from mice and opposum starting from birth to sexual maturity, but that the specific pattern of decline varies among tissues and species. The methods in the lab I am utilizing include collecting tissues from mice and opossums. The tissues then are embedded, cryosection, stained for cell processes, and finally, are photographed and analyzed using microscopes to quantify the changes occurring during post-natal development among these species and different tissues.
	Kelechi Onwuzurike 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Douglas Black Kelechi Onwuzurike is a second year Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology major at UCLA that started working in Dr. Black’s RNA splicing lab in the fall quarter of the 2021-2022 academic school year. The Black Lab extensively studies the pre-mRNA splicing reaction mechanism. The errors in this mechanism can found to contribute to human diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, and inherited genetic disorders. Kelechi and his mentor Xinyuan Chen study the role of splicing regulators and their cis elements in the splicing of Myc-dependent cassette exons in prostate cancer. Through cloning techniques, DNA & RNA extractions, cell culture, and RT-PCR, Kelechi hopes to study splicing change of these exons when cis-elements that bind to splicing regulators are manipulated to understand how they can promote exon inclusion. With this mind, the long-term goal is to gain a mechanistic understanding of splicing regulation in Myc-driven cancers. After his undergraduate degree, Kelechi would like to pursue an MD-Ph.D to become a Physician-Scientist. Kelechi would like to thank the Black Lab, specifically his mentor, Xinyuan Chen, and Principal Investigator, Dr. Black, for their pristine guidance, patience, and support in his research endeavors. He would also like to thank the Care Fellows Program and staff, and his donor, Dr. Koretz for funding his research experience.
	Kimberly Vasquez 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Chemistry Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paula Diaconescu Kimberly is a sophomore chemistry major at the University of California, Los Angeles. She recently joined Dr. Paula Diaconescu’s lab where she is part of the NSR center efforts. She is helping in researching the formation of polymers through redox-switchable catalysts. Redox- switchable catalysts is a method that can generate and control numerous active species with different reactivity. This method helps control the sequence and regularity that can affect the material properties of copolymer building blocks. It is important to use switchable catalysts since they have the ability to imitate the two biological processes called spatial and temporal control. Redox- switchable polymerization catalysts give us the opportunity to synthesize multiblock copolymers that are prepared from biodegradable materials which are inexpensive. The goal of this lab is to switch a catalyst form between their oxidation state and their reduced state to ultimately create a compound that demonstrates orthogonal reactivity for different substrates and give catalysts the ability to reduce. Overall, with the development of redoxswitchable catalysts we can look forward to new materials and reactions and can expect the expanding of switchable polymerization . Kimberly would like to thank the Diaconescu lab for their mentorship and support. She would also like to thank the CARE Fellows Program for the opportunity.
	Savannah Lopez 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Neuroscience Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adriana Galvan Savannah is a current sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Disability Studies at UCLA. She is currently working within Dr. Galván’s laboratory on the DAYS project (Development of Anxiety in Youth Study). The research focuses on studying how brain development is linked to anxiety in early adolescence. The research aims to model neural activity during risky decision-making simulations in youth. Participants will perform decisive tasks while undergoing fMRI, and completing self-report, behavioral, and psychophysiological measures. In the lab setting, under the DAYS project, Savannah aids in running MRI scans, coding to create brain videos out of structural scans, and collecting data that assess behavioral patterns. As anxiety disorders are most common among adolescents, it is important to examine brain maturation and its connection with levels of anxiety. The study uses a dimensional approach in understanding the persistence of anxiety symptoms during the “key development window” where symptoms and functionality worsen. Savannah would like to thank Care Fellows, Dr. Galván, and her fellow lab members for their guidance and support in aiding her growth as a scientist.
	Sugey Garcia Galvan 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Biology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Barber Sugey is a rising third-year Biology major and has recently joined Dr. Paul Barber’s lab this winter quarter. As a CARE Fellows student, Sugey is participating under a graduate student’s project assessing the role of seagrass Zostera marina (eelgrass) in the Port of Los Angeles, a highly disturbed marine environment. Overall, seagrass are a foundation species, which means they provide biological, chemical, and physical support to marine environments. Since the Port of Los Angeles is a disturbed area, acknowledging whether the eelgrass is able to provide refuge for other organisms is important. This is determined by characterizing biodiversity using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding from samples collected at the site. Based on the results, conservation efforts can be made for the eelgrass beds along the coast of these highly distubed areas.
	Tony Luu 2021-2022 Home University: Class: sophomore Major: Neuroscience Faculty Mentor: Dr. Caius Radu I am a first-generation student at UCLA. I am from San Bernardino and become interested in the medical field after exploring different career options at Pomona College. I wanted to explore the pharmaceutical aspect of medicine and applied to the Radu lab where I assist the lab with experiments, publications, and maintaining lab cleanliness. What I am currently working on is the manipulation of certain pathways in the body’s innate immune system to increase the immune response in a person’s body to target tumor cells.