Eva is a rising senior at the University of California, Los Angeles with a major in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics and a minor in Biomedical Research. She has been a part of Dr. David Nathanson’s lab since October 2019. During her time there, she assisted in the development of a patient-derived glioma xenograft library and transitioned to developing novel potent, brain-penetrant drugs against glioblastoma. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive of primary tumors of the brain with a median survival time of less than fifteen months and no available cure, in part due to its extensive molecular heterogeneity. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to classify GBM into clinically relevant subtypes. However, recent studies have outlined a cell lineage-based stratification for GBM, in which a subtype of GBM may be dependent on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Currently available HER2 inhibitors are unable to efficiently cross the blood brain barrier to inhibit brain tumors. Thus, the goal of Nathanson Lab is to produce a potent HER2 inhibitor that is also highly brain penetrant. To work towards this goal, Eva is characterizing drug potency and selectivity through IC50 assays and western blots in HER2-dependent cell lines, as well as brain penetrance through pharmacokinetics. Eva would like to thank the members of the Nathanson Lab for their mentorship and supporting her growth as a scientist. She would also like to thank the Amgen Foundation and Biomedical Research Minor for their guidance and providing an opportunity to focus on her research.