Camille Rubel
The substitution of fluorine atoms for hydrogen atoms in drug candidates has been shown to improve the biostability of those molecules. However, few reported methods exist that fluorinate complex organic molecules with high selectivity. An alternate approach to the synthesis of fluorinated drug candidates is the addition of functional groups to compounds that contain fluorine. Thus, the functionalization of fluorinated compounds would enable the discovery of improved drug candidates. Recent research has described the catalytic silylation of aryl C-H bonds. Aryl silanes are bench-stable, and the silyl group can be […]
Eric Yu
A covalent organic framework is a crystalline structure consisting of covalently bonded organic molecules in a porous network. 2D COFs as thin as a single atomic layer are expected to have exotic electronic properties due to reduced dimensionality. My research is focused on several aspects of these novel nano-structures, including their synthesis on metallic substrate through bottom-up fabrication, atomic-scale visualization utilizing the variable temperature – scanning tunneling microscope (VT-STM), and electronic structure analyzed through spectroscopic techniques. Current methods of thermal evaporation of molecules has limitations when the precursor size is […]
Sab Sikder
Dementia is a very difficult disease to live with as it can progressively deteriorate the cognitive function of a patient to the tragic point where, for example, friends and family become unrecognizable, and basic taskssuch as walking, eating, using the restroomrequire continuous, everyday assistance from family members. However this places a significant physical, socioeconomic, and psychological burden on the caregiverswhich has been shown to increase their risk for physical and psychiatric illnesses. They have shown to have a higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders, compromised immune function along with […]
Sierra Raby
The U.S. food system is plagued by food insecurity, which disproportionately affects poor communities and communities of color. Urban agriculture can help remake food systems and mitigate food insecurity by providing opportunities to grow local, nutritious food. However, urban farms often struggle with pest management, and previous survey research on San Francisco Bay Area urban farms indicates that most farms experienced crop losses due to herbivorous insects. Developing low-input agroecological pest management practices for urban environments is vital and these strategies must consider the unique conditions of urban agroecosystems. As […]
Jeffrey Wang
Cyclic di-AMP (c-di-amp) is a nucleotide second messenger molecule with an integral role in the pathogenesis of many bacteria; however the physiological roles of this molecule in bacteria have only recently begun to be understood. Bacteria are known to undergo physiological and regulatory changes in response to nutrient starvation. Starvation induces the stringent response, which is controlled by the key alarmone molecule (p)ppGpp and is involved in mediating downstream biological processes including antibiotic tolerance, ribosome hibernation, and activating virulence genes. While depletion of c-di-amp and consequent elevation of intracellular (p)ppGpp […]
Derek Wan
Our eyes are never stable even when we attempt to maintain a steady gaze. The characteristics of microscopic eye motion during fixation have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers for certain neurological and visual disorders. However, the use of scanning laser ophthalmoscopes (SLOs) in clinical and research settings is often limited to rough estimates of fixation stability, due to low frame rates inherent in videos. Such estimates preclude meaningful analyses and result in non-standardized methods to quantify eye motion across research laboratories and clinics. Furthermore, existing technology is not being utilized […]
Jacqueline Dang
I am working with my SURF mentor on optimizing binding of mannose conjugated nanosheets to E. Coli bacteria by controlling expression of pili. Loop are created on the nanosheet surface in an air-water interface by a rocking mechanism. These loops protrude from the nanosheet bilayer, mimicking glycoproteins and glycolipids that protrude from cell membrane surfaces.Type 1 pili, which are the structures that project from bacterial cell surfaces that govern binding, are primarily controlled by the fim operon. The fim operon has a multitude of constituent elements that code for fimbrae […]
Sheila Sharifi
The auditory system is remarkable for its ability to detect sounds across a wide range of intensities and frequencies. The molecular machinery involved in generating this range converts acoustic stimuli into electrical signals transmitted to the brain, a process known as mechanoelectrical transduction. The purpose of this research project is to achieve clarification on the basis of hearing by studying a crucial element in the transduction pathway the inner ear protein TMIE. Although TMIE has been recognized as an essential component of mechanotransduction, characterizations of its molecular structure and its […]
Elena Kharitonova
Aryl esters are a class of organic molecules that have a wide range of applications. They are common active ingredient of pharmaceuticals, food flavorings, perfumes, and cosmetics. They are useful building blocks for other molecules in synthetic chemistry, structural elements in material science, and components of many biological tools. Traditionally, these esters are prepared by the addition of strong electrophiles to arenes under harsh conditions, often for long periods of time. Because of the harsh conditions, these classical reactions occur with a very limited scope. In addition, the reaction occurs […]
Yein Ra
The study of members of the bacterial genus Streptomyces is motivated by their impressive capacity to produce clinically-applicable secondary metabolites, including antibiotics and anti-tumor compounds. It has been widely observed that the production of these secondary metabolites and natural products by Streptomyces species can be increased when in the presence of other bacterial species. However, the factors that control secondary metabolism and its induction by interspecies interactions are still not fully understood. Through my research project, I will study a potential mechanism of secondary metabolism regulation in the model organism, […]