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.