Chris Yi

Metastasis, responsible for >90 percent of cancer-related deaths, is a highly complex process that involves the migration of tumorigenic cells from the primary tumor to the secondary, distant site. Cells face a rigorous journey, from invasion into the surrounding tissue, intravasation into the surrounding blood vessels/lymphatic system, survival through the external system, extravasation at the secondary site, and eventual colonization. To assist in this process, tumor cells can undergo phenotypic transformations. Cancer cells hijack canonical (native) developmental pathways, the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) in order to […]

Joanna Veres

Living on Earth, gravity constantly exerts a mechanical load on the spine, which puts pressure on the discs and causes them to gradually lose height throughout the day. However, this constant mechanical load is greatly reduced while in environments with microgravity such as on the international space station. Due to long-term mechanical unloading in the presence of microgravity, astronauts have an incidence of disc herniation 4.3 times that of the general population. Being able to better describe the physiological changes to the IVD caused by prolonged time spent in microgravity […]

Xavier Tao

Currently, most chemotherapy drugs used for cancer treatment target specific upregulated or dysfunctional pathways, rather than specific cancer-driving mutations. This results in adverse side effects or reduced applicability, since the drug can also affect normal pathways of healthy cells. In many tumors, cancer-driving mutations alter amino acid residues into cysteines. Due to cysteine’s unique chemical properties, these mutations are an ideal target for covalently binding molecules. This approach is especially useful in undruggable proteins lacking traditionally targeted binding pockets. In this regard, the Nomura Research Group has applied target-based screening […]

Angela Sun

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, even in those who have never smoked cigarettes. In the United States, about 10–15 percent of lung cancers arise in never-smokers, and approximately 17,000 to 26,000 never-smokers die annually from the disease. Despite this fact, knowledge about the epidemiology of lung cancer in never-smokers remains limited. Our proposed study will be the first to elucidate the incidence rates of lung cancer in never-smokers in our integrated health system, specifically addressing differences by sex and race that are not well established in […]

Amy Wu

This research project examines the rich history and future of midwives of color in the Bay Area through the novel implementation of Science, Technology and Society (STS) frameworks. By defining the midwifery model of care conceived by Bay Area midwives of color as a complex sociotechnical system, the process by which midwives of color have created their models of care can be explored at the intersection of the nation’s capitalistic healthcare system, historic attempts to destroy the knowledge produced by grand midwives in the antebellum period and broader African diaspora, […]

Jessica Stewart

My research focuses on a kinase in the MAPK/ERK pathway called BRAF, which is commonly mutated in cancer. This summer, I will isolate BRAF endogenously from 293FT cells and analyze their structure by native mass spectrometry and cryo-electron microscopy. This strategy differs from most conventional approaches, as I will not overexpress the protein. Rather, I aim to study BRAF isolated from its native stoichiometric environment, circumventing assumptions that must be made with overexpression. With this strategy, I seek to learn about BRAFs activation and native binding interactions. This knowledge could […]

Mihir Shah

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary brain tumor in adults. Although research has enhanced GBM diagnosis and clinical stratification, overall patient outcome has not significantly improved. This is because GBM is incurable with current treatments, which include surgery, radiation therapy, and Temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. The development of CRISPR-Cas9 systems presents opportunities to study human diseases, and it can be leveraged to create therapeutics. Specifically, CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)-based screens help study GBM dependencies and growth vulnerabilities without DNA damage. I have assisted with in vivo and in vitro […]

Rohan Shinkre

Recent research regarding dengue virus serotypes 1-4 (DENV 1-4) has focused on the human immune systems production of antibodies after infection by the virus. IgG antibodies after primary infection can either protect or mediate viral replication to potentially cause severe dengue disease. These pathogenic antibodies are cross-reactive, but IgG-mediated protection for one serotype of dengue virus will not necessarily protect against the other three serotypes. Most dengue research has focused on IgG antibodies, since it was previously thought that IgM antibodies have low affinity for DENV and may not play […]

Zan Song

Public procurement is an essential channel for government to buy items at the best possible price and quality. However, many developing countries lack a systematic track of public procurement, leaving space for wrongdoers to engage in improper behavior. Procurement expenditure contributes significantly to GDP, so it is vital to prevent corruption in public procurement and invest money wisely. This project aims to use econometric methodologies to highlight the existence of corruption and collusion problems in Chinese public procurement. This summer I will work under the supervision of Qianmiao Chen to […]

Connor Tumelty

Epigenetic information refers to chemical modifications to DNA and histones that can be inherited independently of the genetic sequence of a gene. These modifications control the expression of the gene and can alter the organism’s phenotype. In nature, a number of epialleles (alleles with identical sequences yet different epigenetic states) have been identified and often contribute to vast phenotypic diversity among a population of organisms. It is currently poorly understood whether epialleles can be engineered within plant systems. If possible, this could expand the toolbox available to plant breeders and […]