Print Version
Current Students and Alumni
Current Graduate Students
Cai, Wenqing
Chung, Cheng-Ho
Cignolo, Luca
Esquejo, Ryan
Fasci, Domenico
Gelino, Sara
Giordani, Lorenzo
Graf, Ryon
Lee, Corinne
McQuary, Philip
Mei, Angel
Samuelsson, Johanna
Scheliga, Judith
Soonthornvacharin, Stephen
Wang, Xin
Zhang, Danhua
Zhang, Runquan
Zhang, Ying
Alumni
Puto, LorenaZinkernagel, Annelies
Wenqing Cai
wenqingc@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Mark Mercola
Year entered program: 2007
Research Focus
Wenqing Cai is focusing on natural inducers of heart differentiation in embryonic stem cells. Heart attacks and congestive heart failure remain among most prominent health challenges in the world. However, despite successful approaches to prevent or limit cardiovascular disease, the restoration of function to the damaged heart remains a formidable challenge. Stem cell biology represents a new approach of regenerative medicine, and Wenqing is working toward using embryonic stem cells to replace damaged cardiomyocytes and restore cardiac function.
Education
- B.Sc. in Biochemistry from Lanzhou University in China, 2001
- M.Sc. in Biochemistry from Lanzhou University in China, 2004
Cheng-Ho Chung
chchung@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Fred Levine
Year entered program: 2007
Research Focus
Cheng-Ho Chung is interested in pancreatic stem/progenitor cells and beta cell regeneration. Diabetes has high prevalence rate and frequent complications which render it a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Cheng-Ho's research focuses on pancreatic stem/progenitor cells and the mechanisms of beta cell regeneration. His final goal is to create new beta cells and to cure diabetes.
Education
- M.D. from Kaohsiung Medical University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2000
Luca Cignolo
lcignolo@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Lorenzo Puri
Year entered program: 2010
Research Focus
Luca Cignolo's research focus is directed towards the study of the molecular aspects that control genome integrity in embryonic and adult muscle stem cells. He is investigating the mechanism by which tissue-specific transcription factors, such as MyoD, protect the genome of differentiating tissues by coordinating DNA repair and transcription of differentiation genes.
Education
- BSc. in Biological Sciences, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', 2006
- MSc. in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', 2008
Ryan Esquejo
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Tim Osborn
Year entered program: 2009
Domenico Fasci
dfasci@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Guy Salvesen
Year entered program: 2008
Research Focus
Domenico Fasci is interested in the study of the SUMOylation/deSUMOylation cycle. Modification of proteins by SUMO is a reversible process that regulates protein function and localization in several cellular responses. Domenico’s research focuses on the mechanisms that regulate the function of deSUMOylating enzymes.
Education
- B.Sc. in Biotechnology from University of Bologna, Italy, 2006
Sara Gelino
sgelino@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Malene Hansen
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Sara Gelino is interested in the role of autophagy in the longevity pathway of dietary restriction. Dietary restriction, or limited food intake without malnutrition, is known to extend the lifespan of many organisms. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying this fascinating phenomenon are still poorly understood. Using the nematode C. elegans Sara is working to address how autophagy promotes C. elegans longevity at the cellular and molecular level during dietary restriction.
Education
- B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from University of Utah, 2005
Lorenzo Giordani
lgiordani@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Lorenzo Puri
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Epigenetic changes, such as histone modification, chromatin remodeling and DNA methylation regulate gene expression and cell identity during development and post-natal life. Lorenzo is interested in mechanism by which epigenetic events are integrated at the chromatin level to determine the sub-sets of genes that are expressed upon the commitment of embryonic or adult stem cells toward specific cell lineages. Moreover, Lorenzo investigates how epigenetic drugs (e.g. histone deacetylase inhibitors) can selectively modulate gene expression in stem cells, by targeting genes marked by discrete epigenetic signatures.
Education
- B.Sc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Rome "Tor Vergata," 2006
- M.Sc in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Rome "Tor Vergata," 2009
Ryon Graf
rgraf@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisors: Dr. Dwayne Stupack and Dr. Guy Salvesen
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Metastasis and resistance to apoptosis are two classic hallmarks of cancer pathology. Ryon is interested in the dual roles of Caspase 8 in cell migration and apoptosis, and employs various biochemical and cell techniques to elucidate signaling pathways involved in these phenomena.
Education
- B.S. in Genetics from University of California, Irvine, 2008
Corinne Lee
fiametta@ucsd.edu
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Nigel Calcutt
Year entered program: 2007
Research Focus
Corinne Lee's broad research interest is in the neurological complications of diabetes mellitus. One of the primary goals of her current work is to determine causes of painful diabetic neuropathy and to identify potential therapeutics that may alleviate quality-of-life altering symptoms experienced by many patients with diabetes. Corinne is interested in the possibility that pain symptoms from peripheral neuropathies are not caused by the peripheral nervous system at all, but instead may be the result of complications of the central nervous system.
Education
- B.S. in Neuroscience from UC Los Angeles, 2006
Philip McQuary
pmcquary@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisors: Dr. Dieter Wolf and Dr. Malene Hansen
Year entered program: 2008
Research Focus
Philip McQuary is exploring the role of the translation initiation factor eIF4E2 in protein synthesis under stressful environmental conditions. In response to stressful environmental conditions, eukaryotic cells shut down their global protein production as part of an integrated stress response. Philip is working to discover the upstream regulators that activate eIF4E2 and its downstream translational targets needed for survival under stress conditions. He uses a combination of biochemical and global approaches using fission yeast S. pombe and C. elegans as two different model organisms through the: (1) characterization of eIF4E protein interactions during oxidative stress, (2) validation of mRNAs encoding stress response proteins as candidate translational targets of eIF4E2, and (3) global assessment of eIF4E2’s role in stress-regulated translation by polysome profiling.
Education
- B.S. in Microbiology from Texas A&M University, 1998
- M.S. in Molecular Biology from San Diego State University, 2007
Angel Mei
amei@burnham.org
Program: Integrated Biosciences
Advisor: Dr. Maurizio Pellecchia
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Angel is interested in drug development through fragment based design using NMR.
Education
- B.S.in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA, 2007
Johanna Samuelsson
johannas@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Manuel Perucho
Year entered program: 2006
Research Focus
Johanna Samuelsson is interested in epigenetic alterations in human cancers. Specifically, she is studying the frequent DNA hypomethylation occurring at repetitive elements in human cancers and the association of this loss of DNA methylation with changes in the chromatin structure and histone modifications.
Education
- M.Sc in Molecular Biology from Gothenburg University in Sweden, 2006
Judith Scheliga
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Dieter Wolf
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Judith Scheliga focuses on elucidating the biochemical pathways controlled by eIF3e and on linking its loss during breast carcinogenesis to its potential role in stress-specific translation and apoptosis. The putative tumor suppressor Int6/eIF3e, a conserved subunit of the translation initiation factor eIF3, was first identified as an integration site for the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), whereupon a truncated, oncogenic version of the protein is expressed (designated Int6sh), leading to mammary tumor formation. Several studies have implicated the protein in breast tumorigenesis, while the underlying mechanism remains unknown.
Education
- M.S. in Biology from the University of Regensburg, Germany, 2008
Stephen Soonthornvacharin
stephens@burnham.org
Program: Integrated Biosciences
Advisor: Dr. Sumit Chanda
Year entered program: 2009
Xin Wang
xinwang@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Huaxi Xu
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Xin Wang is interested in the trafficking process of several important Alzheimer's disease (AD) related proteins, such as γ-secretase components, BACE1, APP and Neurotrophin receptors. His main focus is to study the role of a trafficking regulating protein family--Sorting Nexins in neurodevelopment and neurosurvival since several members of this family have already been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. He aims to investigate the influence of some representative members of the family on abnormal brain aging, which may contribute to alleviate the Alzheimer's disease.
Education
- B.S. in Pharmacy from Chongqing Medical University, China, 2005
Danhua Zhang
danhua@burnham.org
Program: Molecular Medicine
Advisor: Dr. Duc Dong
Year entered program: 2009
Research Focus
Development is the process of unfolding life along the axis of time. Insights on the organogenesis will provide cues for potential therapies for diseases that need regeneration of certain types of tissues. By using zebrafish as a model system, Danhua studies the development of liver and pancreas, endeavoring on defining key factors in this process.
Education
- B.Eng. in Biopharmaceutics from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang Liaoning, China, 1995
- M.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from Beijing University, Beijing, China, 1999
- M.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from Iowa State University, 2005
Runquan Zhang
runquan.zhang@burnham.org
Program: Integrated Biosciences
Advisors: Dr. Ziwei Huang and Dr. Evan Snyder
Year entered program: 2008
Research Focus
Runquan is interested in exploring the interactions between chemokines and chemokine receptors during various critical pathological conditions. Based on this aim, she chooses CXCR4 agonism and CCR5 antagonism as two important targets of study, with respective significances in novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) diseases and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), in order of providing better insights of the structural mechanisms for distinct functions of chemokine receptors, and facilitating the development of novel strategies for therapeutic interventions of related diseases.
Education
- B.Sc. in Biochemistry from East China University of Science & Technology
- M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from San Diego State University
Ying Zhang
zhangy@burnham.org
Program: Integrated Biosciences
Advisor: Dr. Adam Godzik
Year entered program: 2007
Research Focus
Ying Zhang is interested in understanding the relationship between protein structure and function. She is currently analyzing protein structures in the context of genome-scale biological networks, such as metabolic and regulatory networks. Through the integrated research of protein structures and various pathways, Ying aims to predict how proteins interact with molecules in the cell and how protein modifications affect the dynamics of biological networks.
Education
- B.S. in Computer Science from Beijing Normal University, 2004
Alumni -- 2009
Lorena Puto
Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Tony Hunter’s Lab at Salk Institute
Annelies Zinkernagel
Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine
Current position: Attending and Physician Scientist at University Hospital Zürich, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology
