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Lab Members

 

  • ​Peter DeHoff

    ​Peter DeHoff

    "I provide technical expertise and support to various projects within the department. Projects encompass ExRNA NGS, ExDNA NGS, WGBS, NGS data processing/analysis, DNA construct design/cloning, and biochemical fractionation of protein/particles from human serum/plasmas/stem cell culture materials."
  • Scott Lindsay-Hewett

    Scott Lindsay-Hewett

    "I grew up in the UK where I completed a BSc in molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of Durham, an MRes in computational biology at the University of York, and a PhD in molecular genetics at the University of Leeds. My current research interests include the use of placenta-derived trophoblast stem cells to study placenta development and function in healthy pregnancies, as well as placenta-based pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Toward this aim, I am working with the UCSD Department of Nanoengineering to develop a 3D placenta-on-a-chip microfluidics device that will be used to simulate placental dysfunction and transplacental drug transfer. I am also an active member of the NIH Common Fund’s Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) where I assist the UCSD Pregnant Female Reproductive Tissue Mapping Center in generating 3D molecular maps for placenta, fallopian tube, and uterine endomyometrium, utilizing a variety of technologies including bulk and single nucleus RNA-seq/ATAC-seq, and spatial transcriptomics."
  • Srimeenakshi Srinivasan

    Srimeenakshi Srinivasan

    "I am originally from India and came to the US to do my Masters and PhD at University of Texas in Nanomedicine. I then moved to San Diego and got trained in molecular biology with specific specialization in extracellular RNA sequencing. Some of the diseases that I have been working on include pregnancy related diseases such as preeclampsia and accreta as well as NASH. Over the last few years my focus has moved towards bioinformatic processing and analysis of RNA-seq data."

     

  • Abhik Chakraborty

    Abhik Chakraborty

    “ I was born and raised in the state of West Bengal, India. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from BRS college, West Bengal State University in the year 2012 and earned my Master of Science in Biotechnology from KIIT University, in the year 2014. I successfully defended my doctoral thesis in the month of June 2022 at KIIT university under the supervision of Dr. Birendranath Banerjee. My doctoral thesis focused on screening of cytogenetic and molecular biomarkers in a cohort of eastern India couples with known history of recurrent pregnancy loss. My doctoral work has led into eight publications ( five first author publications and three co-author publications), and I was also honored with “Young scientist award” for presenting a part of my doctoral work at COGI-2019, Paris, France. Apart from my regular doctoral work, I was also involved in heading cytogenetics and molecular biology divisions in inDNA Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., which provided me immense exposure to patient samples and instrumentation facilities. In Dr. Laurent’s lab, at UCSD, I am primarily involved in screening and characterizing molecular biomarkers which can be used for early detection of pregnancy complications."

  • Luiza Perucci

    Luiza Perucci

    "I was born and raised in Brazil. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry, master`s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and PhD in Clinical and Toxicological Analysis at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Throughout my academic journey, I developed a profound interest in studying biomarkers for gestational diseases, with a specific focus on preeclampsia. In the Laurent lab, I am primarily involved in optimizing protocols for the isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles (EVs) to further understand their potential as biomarkers for the early detection of pregnancy complications."
  • Abbas Hakim

    Abbas Hakim

    "I graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Marine Biology. I currently work with multiple lab members on different small RNA sequencing projects, broadly investigating miRNA expression. My other work in the lab includes general lab management and optimization of an automated RNA extraction pipeline for high-throughput processing. I was born and raised in Malaysia."
  • Anelizze Castro-Martinez

    Anelizze Castro-Martinez

    "I am a UC-San Diego graduate with a B.S. in biochemistry and cell biology. I have a strong background in the academic and clinical laboratory space and intend to use my degree towards a career in medical research or general medicine. My favorite lab technique is Live/Dead staining of placental villi and photographing them for visualization."
  • Willi Cheung

    Willi Cheung

    "I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I got my bachelor degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology at UCSD. Currently pursuing my master degree in cell and molecular biology. My primary focus is to study extracellular vesicles (EVs) and characterize their RNA contents from different culture media using immunomagnetic separation (IMS), RNA sequencing and qPCR."
  • Tyler Ostrander

    Tyler Ostrander

    "I moved around a handful of times growing up, but spent most of my childhood in Arkansas and Michigan. I initially earned my B.A. in fine art and graphic design at a college near Boston, but made the decision a few years later to return to my other passion and earned my B.S. in biology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. My primary research interests are in ecology and wildlife conservation, and I hope to pursue the use of genetics as a tool to support conservation efforts. In the Laurent lab, I work on various projects providing small RNA sequencing."

  • Yoshinori Endo

    Yoshinori Endo

    "I grew up in Kyoto, Japan. I went to college at UC Davis, University of Melbourne, and Kyoto University. My interest is to understand early development in mammals including non-model species. Mammalian early development has been extensively studied in mouse and human. Understanding differences and similarities with other animals will enable us to gain new insights into our own species. My project is to generate primordial germ cells (PGCs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of northern white rhino. This work is in collaboration with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance."
  • Andrew Lin

    Andrew Lin

    "I was born in the Bay Area and moved to Taiwan shortly after. I am currently a 3rd-year undergraduate majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology and minoring in Math, and I plan to go for a Ph.D. after my bachelor's degree. My interests lie within the field of bioinformatics/genetics, and I hope to translate this passion into some sort of project in the near future!"
  • Natalie Kaplanyan

    Natalie Kaplanyan

    "I am a current undergraduate student at UCSD, originally from Los Angeles. I am majoring in Public Health with a Concentration in Medicine Sciences and a minor in General Biology as part of the class of 2024. I plan to pursue a Master of Public Health degree before matriculating to medical school in the near future. My interests in the maternal-fetal field include high-risk pregnancies, and I primarily work to identify molecular biomarkers to help reveal pregnancy complications early on."