Meet the ACT-GeM Team

Shante' Adams, MS

Research Laboratory Analyst I

As a Research Laboratory Analyst I within CHDM until 2017, Mrs. Adams research in our laboratory focused on model organisms that allowed researchers to study the function of genes associated with a disease in humans to develop diagnostic approaches.

 

Kevin Adams, MS

Laboratory Research Analyst I

Kevin Adams obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina and his Maters of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from East Carolina University. Mr. Adams was a Laboratory Research Analyst I in the CHDM until 2019. He used zebrafish as a model to study how the nervous system develops and how genetic or environmental factors can lead to abnormalities or degeneration within the system.

 

Oluwadamilare (Dami) Adebambo, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Adebambo obtained her Masters in Environmental Toxicology from Duke University and her Doctorate degree in Biology from North Carolina State University. Dr. Adebambo was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2019. Her research focused on using a combination of tools, including zebrafish, cells, and human genetics to understand the pathomechanism of human pediatric disorders and to develop new therapeutic paradigms.

 

Blair Anderson, PhD

UPGG Graduate Student

As a Duke University UPGG (University Program in Genetics and Genomics) Graduate Student within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Anderson's research in our laboratory focused on in-vivo modeling of complex human disease such as Sickle Cell Disease Nephropathy and other forms of chronic kidney disease.

 

Allison Ashely-Koch, PhD

Professor

Dr. Ashley-Koch was a Professor within CHDM until 2016. Her research focused on the genetic basis of psychiatric and neurological disorders, with an emphasis on complex genetic traits. Her ongoing work aims to dissect the genetic etiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, chiari type I malformations, essential tremor, and neural tube defects. 

 

Mary Atkinson, MS

Project Coordinator

Ms. Atkinson was a Project Coordinator with CHDM until 2015 when she transferred to the Duke Department of Surgery as a Regulatory Coordinator.

 

Katherine Bishara, BS

Research Technician

Ms. Bishara was an undergraduate research intern at the Duke Center for Human Disease Modeling, and moved with the lab to Chicago as a Research Technician in 2019. Her research focused on the characterization of zebrafish models of retinal ciliopathies using histological and behavioral assays to study photoreceptor integrity.

 

Joel Bohning

Research Technician

As a Research Technician within CHDM until 2017, Mr. Bohning's research was part of a collaborative effort between UNC and Duke. His training and research interests are in molecular biology, infectious diseases, and prescription drug screening.

 

Camille Bonnet

Visiting Scholar

As a Visiting Scholar from the University of Paris Diderot within CHDM until 2016, Ms. Bonnet's Master’s research focused on whether the candidate genes presented in a copy number variant (CNV) have an effect on neurogenesis and whether the phenotypes observed in zebrafish are consistent with the phenotypes observed in individuals with the CNV.

 

Kristin Childs, MS

Laboratory Research Analyst II and Mouse Facility Manager

Ms. Childs was a Laboratory Research Analyst II within CHDM until 2019. Her work in our laboratory focused on managing our mouse colony and providing physiological data to support the mouse projects within the Center.

 

Heidi Cope, MS, CGC

Genetic Conselor

Ms. Cope is a board-certified Genetic Counselor within CHDM until 2016. During her time with CHDM, Ms. Cope was a liaison with participants in our genetics research studies, with an emphasis on prenatal conditions. She received the Audrey Heimler Special Project Award, which allowed the Center to undertake a new study to learn more about the psychological impact of losing a baby to anencephaly. 

 

Theresa Curington

Clinical Research Coordinator

Theresa Curington received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Education from North Carolina Central University. Ms. Curington was the Center's Clinical Research Coordinator until 2019, and she supported our clinical recruitment activities for human subjects research.

 

Anna Danese

Visiting Scholar

As a Visiting Master’s Scholar from University of Paris Diderot Program, Ms. Danese's research in our laboratory focused on the contribution of candidate genes to syndromic neurological phenotypes in children. Her work employed zebrafish studies to demonstrate physiological relevance to phenotype and variant pathogenicity.

 

Caroline Drucker, PhD

Research Project Manager/Communications Officer

As a Research Project Manager within CHDM until 2017, Dr. Drucker facilitated project planning and execution. She devised and implemented strategies to carry the Center’s mission. She also mentored and supported CHDM trainees in effective grant proposal, manuscript, and presentation preparation.

 

Amika Ekanem

Visting Undergraduate Student

Ms. Ekanem, a Duke Cardea Fellow with a major in Neuroscience and minor in Global Health. She volunteered at the CHDM from 2017 to 2018 to develop an Independent Study Project to carry through to her Junior and Senior years at Duke University. 

 

Lorraine Fievet, MS

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Fievet obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Université de Rennes 1 (France) and her Master/Magister degree in Genetics from Université Paris Diderot (France). Ms. Fievet was a PhD student at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology (IGBMC; Illkirch, France), who was a visiting graduate student within CHDM until 2019. Her research focused on miRNA involvement in cilia biogenesis using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in zebrafish.

 

Edward Flynn

Laboratory Research Analyst II and Zebrafish Facility Manager

Mr. Flynn obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Rochester Institute of Technology. Mr. Flynn was a Laboratory Research Analyst II who managed the 710 W Main zebrafish facility until 2019. His work in our laboratory focused on providing aquaculture support in CHDM's zebrafish facility and providing a variety of technical duties in a research laboratory.

 

Ludmila (Lu) Francescatto, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Francescatto obtained her Doctorate degree in Cell and Developmental Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was raised in Brazil and moved to the USA in 2003 to pursue a degree while on an athletic scholarship. As Postdoctoral Researcher within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Francescatto’s research focused on rare human genetic disorders. 

 

Lydie Gama

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Gama was a Visiting Scholar in 2017 from the "Magistère Européen de Génétique" at Paris Diderot University (France). Her research focused on copy number dissection in zebrafish. Prior to her time at the CHDM, she did an internship at the Center for Genetic Architecture of Complex Traits Laboratory at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.

 

Melanie Garrett, MS

Biostatistician

Ms. Garrett obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Zoology from Miami University and her Master of Arts degree in Statistics from North Carolina State University. As a Biostatistician within CHDM until 2016, Ms. Garrett's work in our laboratory focused on the application of computational tools to analyze complex traits. 

 

Gary Gerlach, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Gerlach obtained his Doctorate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Gerlach was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2019. His research in our laboratory focused on exploring the use of the zebrafish embryos as a means of identifying mutations of therapeutic benefit to humans and developing physiologically-relevant assays to understand both the basic patho-mechanism of human genetic disorders.

 

Erica N. Golden

Research Technician

Ms. Golden obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Longwood University. As a Research Technician until 2016, Ms. Golden's efforts focused on the management of our mouse colony. 

 

Christelle Golzio, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Golzio received her PhD from the University of Paris Descartes at the Necker Hospital and completed her postdoctoral studies at Duke University. She was an Assistant Professor in the CHDM and Department of Psychiatry from 2015-2016 and used zebrafish as a tool to understand causality of neurodevelopmental phenotypes and comorbid features in reciprocal copy number variant disorders.

 

John Griffin, PhD

Senior Research Associate

Dr. John Griffin received his MSc in Molecular Medicine from Trinity College Dublin and his PhD in Developmental Biology from King’s College London. He was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, where he investigated the molecular causes of human congenital diseases. Dr. Griffin was a Senior Research Associate in the CHDM, as well as an Honorary Fellow in the Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology at King’s College London. His research was to explore the causes of human birth defects and identify new therapeutic strategies.

 

Carter Gunn

Research Technician II

Mr. Gunn obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Mr. Gunn was a Research Technician II in the CHDM until 2018. His research focused on helping the Task Force for Neonatal Genomics discover rare genetic variants and elucidate the mechanisms by which some of these mutations drive disease and other medical disorders.

 

Sean Hasso, PhD

Senior Research Associate

Dr. Hasso received his Doctorate in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh. As a Senior Research Associate within CHDM until 2017, Dr. Hasso focused on establishing models to interrogate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying rare human diseases.

 

Westley Heydeck, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Heydeck obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Penn State University and his Doctorate degree in Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Heydeck was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2018 who developed in vivo models for ciliopathies and other rare pediatric disorders.

 

Julie Holsclaw, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Holsclaw was a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2019. She was trained in Drosophila genetics at UNC-Chapel Hill, and came to the CHDM to apply genetics and molecular training to rare pediatric disorders through the employment of in vivo and in vitro tools.

 

Kelly Jones-Granja

Administrative Assistant and Departmental Diversity and Inclusion Leader

As the Center's Administrative Assistant until 2019, Mrs. Jones-Granja provided overall administration for the faculty and staff. She coordinated special projects, prioritized and resolved inquiries (phone, e-mail, and in person), scheduled and maintained calendars of appointments, meetings and travel itineraries, and acted as a liaison between the department and external groups.

 

Mateusz (Mati) Kedzior, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Kedzior obtained his Engineering degree (2010) and Master of Science degree (2011) in Biotechnology from Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland), and Doctorate degree in Biology from the University of Wroclaw (Poland, 2017). In his doctoral project, he focused on the investigation of new possible defense mechanisms of Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria against the host immune system. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until July 2018, Dr. Kedzior’s research focused on the biochemical basis of cis-compensation in humans.

 

Ayaz Khan, MS

Graduate Student

Mr. Khan obtained his Master's degree in Biotechnology at the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan.  He came to ACT-GeM through a partnership with the Human Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Health Biotechnology Division at NIBGE. His research at ACT-GeM involved functional testing of candidate genes from families with suspected pediatric genetic disorders using zebrafish models.

 

 Tahir Khan, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Khan obtained his Doctorate degree in Biotechnology from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Due to the high incidence of genetic conditions in his native Pakistan, Dr. Kahn became interested in studying the genetic basis of unexplained medical conditions. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2018, Dr. Khan's research in our laboratory focused on identifying genetic risk factors for anencephaly and other rare congenital disorders through exome sequencing.

 

Maria Kousi, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Kousi obtained her Doctorate degree in Medical Genetics and Neuroscience from University of Helsinki and her Master of Science degree in in Human Genetics from University of Helsinki (Finland). As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2018, Dr. Kousi’s research in our laboratory focused on understanding the architecture of human genetic disease using genomics and zebrafish modeling.

 

Zak Kupchinsky, MS

Research Laboratory Analyst II and Fish Facility Manager

Mr. Kupchinsky obtained his Master of Science in Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences from Kentucky State University and his Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from Juniata College. Mr. Kupchinsky's work in our laboratory until 2018 focused on zebrafish assay and technology development. protocols and assays. He also served as the manager of the 710 W Main Street zebrafish facility.  

 

Agathe Lafont

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Lafont was a Visiting Scholar from Paris Diderot University in 2018 and her research in our laboratory will focused on cloning techniques, site directed mutagenesis, in vitro transcription, DNA sequencing and analysis, and zebrafish embryo injections and phenotyping toward the better understanding of GnRH phenotypes in humans.

 

Xenia Latypova, MD

Visiting Graduate Student

Dr. Latypova obtained her Medical Degree from University of Nantes (Université de Nantes). As a Visiting Scholar from University of Nantes (France) until 2018, Dr. Latypova's research focused on the basis of human genetic disorders using functional in vivo and in vitro modeling to address the challenge of modeling syndromic intellectual disability. 

 

Debby Lee

Master of Biomedical Sciences Student

Ms. Lee obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from University of California, Merced. She is a prior NIH Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar, and an American Physiological Society Undergraduate Fellow. As a Master of Biomedical Sciences Student within CHDM in 2017, Ms. Lee was trained in the use of human disease models to elucidate rare and undiagnosed conditions.  

 

Carmen Leitch, BS

Senior Research Technologist

Ms. Leitch received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UMBC. She joined the ACT-GeM team at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s to provide expertise in using zebrafish as a model organism.

 

Kellie LeVine

Research Technician II

Ms. LeVine received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a double minor in French and Chemistry from Duke University. Ms. LeVine was a Research Technician II until 2018 whose research in our laboratory focused on Cartilage Hair Hypoplasia and other rare pediatric disorders.

 

Ruxanda Lungu

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Lungu was a Visiting Scholar from Paris Diderot University in 2018 and her research in our laboratory focused on cloning techniques, site directed mutagenesis, in vitro transcription, DNA sequencing and analysis, and zebrafish embryo injections and phenotyping applied to improve our understanding of cis-compensatory events in humans. 

 

Erik Madsen, MD, PhD

Pediatric House Staff

Dr. Madsen chose to participate in science out of curiosity and a strong frustration that we can’t fix people when they are broken.

 

Pavle Matak, PhD

Associate in Research

Dr. Matak received his BSc in Molecular Genetics and PhD in Molecular Genetics from King’s College London. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University working on an iron-related mouse model of Parkinson disease. He joined the CHDM in 2016 to generate mouse and zebrafish models of rare pediatric conditions.

 

Kelly McKnight, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. McKnight obtained her Doctorate degree in Biomedical Sciences and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Florida State University. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2016, Dr. McKnight's research focused on the analysis of next generation sequencing data from pediatric cohorts, development of zebrafish models, and therapeutic development.

 

Kelsey McFadden

Laboratory Research Analyst I

Ms. McFadden obtained her Bachelors in Science in Marine Biology (minor in Chemistry) from Jacksonville State University. Ms. McFadden was a Laboratory Research Analyst until 2019. Her research focused on zebrafish husbandry and embryo phenotyping, application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and sequencing of human cohorts for secondary sequence validation.

 

Spencer McKinstry, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. McKinstry obtained his Doctorate degree in Cell Biology from Duke University and his Bachelor in Science degree in Biology from Pomona College. Dr. McKinstry was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2019; his research focused on the role of the neurodegenerative disorders with and has expertise in Huntingtin protein in normal synapse development and how Huntington’s disease leads to abnormal synapse formation. 

 

Flora Mikaeloff

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Mikaeloff obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics at Paris Diderot University. As a Visiting Scholar from Paris Diderot University within CHDM in 2017, Ms. Mikaeloff’s research focused on the cis-suppression effect carried by mouse on human disease mutations. Prior to her stay in the CHDM, she did an internship at the Umea Center for Molecular Medicine in Umea, Sweden.

 

Tanner Monroe, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Monroe obtained his Doctorate degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Monroe aimed to identify druggable targets, improve trait prediction, and more clearly define mechanisms of human disease. In 2019, he was awarded a NIH T32 fellowship in the Northwestern University Scientist Training Program in Kidney Disease (NUKIDs).

 

Sungjin Moon, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Moon was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2016. He developed mouse models of ciliary disorders to study candidate epistatic interactions of retinal and renal genes. Additionally, he performed zebrafish modeling of phenotypes found in pediatric cohorts such as heterotaxia, neuroanatomical traits, and ciliopathies.

 

Darren Morrow

Laboratory Manager

Mr. Morrow obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biological Science from University of California, Davis. Mr. Morrow started working in marine sciences after his undergraduate degree and then spent 15 years at Stanford University as a researcher in a corn genetics. It is here that Mr. Morrow became very interested in the management of research labs and enabling other researchers to prosper in their work. He was the CHDM Laboratory manager until 2019.

 

Niki Mourtzi, MS

Graduate Student

Ms. Mourtzi obtained her Bachelor degree in Biology and Master degree in Molecular Diagnostics - Clinical Biochemistry from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She came to ACT-GeM through a PhD program at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her research focused on  informatics analyses in families with pediatric endocrine disorders to decipher genetic architecture. 

 

John Musgrove, MD

Clinical Research Fellow

Dr. Musgrove obtained his medical degree at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and was a fellow in the Biomedical Science Investigator Pathway Fellowship program within Duke's Nephrology Department. Dr. Musgrove's research in the CHDM as a visiting fellow until 2019 focused on developing new projects to study into the molecular mechanisms driving adverse outcomes in CKD/ESRD and to participate in some of our existing renal work.

 

Tetsuya Niihori, MD, PhD

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Niihori was a Visiting Scholar from the Tohoku University School of Medicine within CHDM in 2016-2017. His research focused on novel gene discovery and use of in vitro and in vivo models to study the RASopathies. 

 

Edwin Oh, PhD

Associate Professor

Dr. Oh obtained his Doctorate degree from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. As an Assistant Professor within CHDM until 2017, Dr. Oh's research focused on the genetic and structural variants that contribute to human health and disease and how to improve the cellular and molecular diagnosis of genetic diseases.

 

Ausegul Ozanturk, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Ozanturk obtained her Doctorate degree and her Master of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Hacettepe University, Turkey; part of her doctoral studies took place in the CHDM. She continued as a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2017, and Dr. Ozanturk’s research in our laboratory focused on understanding the genetic architecture of the ciliopathies.

 

Meghanna Pandit, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Pandit obtained her Doctorate degree from University of Utah and her Master in Science degree from Idaho State University. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Pandit's research focused on cell-based assays and BBS mouse models to study skin and muscle regeneration in the broad context of ciliopathies. 

 

Mahsa Parvizi

Guest Researcher

Mrs. Parvizi received her Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences at Wake Forest University. As a Guest Research within CHDM until 2015, Mrs. Parvizi's focused on the opportunity to partake in the cutting-edge techniques used at CHDM to help her further her knowledge on the genetics underlying psychiatric disorders.   

 

Igor Pediaditakis

Research Technician II

Mr. Pediaditakis was a Research Technician in the CHDM until 2019. He offered a broad array of technical support to CHDM researchers which included molecular cloning techniques, site directed mutagenesis, in vitro transcription, DNA sequencing and analysis. He also offered zebrafish husbandry support in the 710 W Main zebrafish facility.

 

Yezmin Perilla, MS, CGC

Genetic Conselor

Dr. Perilla received her Graduate degree in Genetic Counseling at Sarah Lawrence College. As a Genetic Counselor within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Perilla's efforts focused on ensuring participants have a clear understanding of the nature of the research study and how it applies to them personally. 

 

Julien Philippe, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Philippe obtained his Doctorate degree in Biomedical Sciences (Human Genetics) from University of Lille. Dr. Philippe was a Postdoctoral Associate in the CHDM until 2019, and his research focused on in vivo modeling of syndromic neurological disorders using zebrafish as a model. He also led the development of new technologies and platorms in the CHDM.

 

David Reid, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Reid obtained his Doctorate degree in Biochemistry from Duke University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from University of Oregon. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Reid's research focused on understanding how cells make proteins, how protein synthesis is regulated, and how changes in protein synthesis can contribute to disease. 

 

Ellen Richardson, MS

Laboratory Research Analyst II

Ms. Richardson obtained her Master of Science degree in Biological Sciences and her Bachelor of Science degree from University of South Carolina. Ms. Richardson was a Laboratory Research Analyst II until 2018, and her research in our laboratory focused on analysis of pediatric patient exomes, and development of zebrafish models of pediatric disease.

 

Mathilde Rodrigues

Visiting Graduate Student

Ms. Rodrigues was a Visiting Scholar from Paris Diderot University, who interned in the CHDM in 2019. Her research in our laboratory focused on modeling fetal brain abnormalities through the combined use of cloning techniques, site directed mutagenesis, in vitro transcription, DNA sequencing and analysis, and zebrafish embryo injections and phenotyping.

 

Elias Romano, MS

Visiting Graduate Student

Mr. Romano obtained his Master's degree in Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy, with a focus in the Pericarditis in children. Mr. Romano is currently a PhD student at the University of Bologna, Italy, and did an internship within the CHDM in 2018 to analyze new candidate genes for inherited thrombocytopenia.

 

Azita Sadeghpour, PhD, CGC

Genetic Counselor 

Dr. Sadeghpour obtained her Postdoctoral degree in Molecular Biology and her Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sadeghpour was a board-certified Genetic Counselor in the CHDM until 2019 and her work in our laboratory focused on genetic testing and clinical research of pediatric cohorts with undiagnosed ultra-rare disorders and ciliopathies.

 

Samudita Senaratne, MD

Visiting Graduate Student

Dr. Senaratne obtained her medical degree from University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka and her Master of Science (MSc) from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dr. Senaratne, a PhD student in Genetics at the Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo, Norway, visited the CHDM for an internship in 2018 to work on an existing collaboration on the involvement of FRMD6 in syndromic intellectual disability under our umbrella research program on ciliary disease.

 

Aintzane Urbizu Serrano, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Dr. Serrano obtained her Doctorate degree in in Biology and Food technology - Study area: the genetic basis underlying Chiari malformation type I from University of Barcelona. As a Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Serrano's research in our laboratory focused on developing studying novel MRI parameters and genetic factors for the diagnosis of classical Chiari malformation type I (in collaboration with Conquer Chiari Research Center).  

 

Omar Shennib, BS

Research Technician II

Omar Shennib obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology (with Chemistry minor) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He also has a certificate in Microbiology, UIUC, with Research Distinction. Mr. Shennib supported the development of zebrafish assays of human genetic disease through gene editing, DNA and RNA extraction, sequencing, gene expression studies, and microscopy until 2020. 

 

Karen Soldano

Research Laboratory Analyst II

Ms. Soldano obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from University of New Hampshire. As a Research Laboratory Analyst II within CHDM until 2016, Ms. Soldano's research in our laboratory focused on Neural Tube Defects.

 

Perciliz L. Tan

Graduate Student

Ms. Tan obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Notre Dame. She was a Graduate Student at CHDM until 2017 and her research in our laboratory focused on the genetic analysis of variants involved in age related macular degeneration, with subsequent development of zebrafish models to test variant pathogenicity. 

 

I-Chun Tsai, PhD

Assistant Research Professor

Dr. Tsai obtained her Doctorate degree in Oncological Science from University of Utah (Huntsman Cancer Institute) and her Master of Science degree in Biochemistry from National Taiwan University. Dr. Tsai was an Assistant Research Professor in the CHDM until 2019. Her research focused in understanding the molecular mechanisms of signaling pathways, and how this knowledge can contribute to treatment design for patients.

 

Liyun Tu, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate

Liyun Tu obtained her Postdoctoral degree in Computer Science from Chongqing University (China) and from the University of North Carolina and her Maters of Science degree in Computer Software and Theory from Chongqing University (China).

Dr. Tu was a Postdoctoral Researcher whose work focused on developing a new algorithm and scalable tools for phenotyping and the understanding of human genetic disorders based on dysmorphology analysis in zebrafish images.

 

Joyce Tzeng, MS

Laboratory Research Analyst I

Ms. Tzeng obtained her Master of Science degree in Nutritional Biology from University of California, Davis and her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Health Sciences from Taipei Medical University. Ms. Tzeng’s research in our laboratory focused on managing adult zebrafish colonies for experiments and studying human genetics by zebrafish embryo manipulation and molecular biology techniques. 

 

Jason Willer

Research Analyst II

As a Research Analyst II within CHDM until 2017, Mr. Willer's research in our laboratory focused on analysis of exome data and support of tissue culture, with emphasis on the various screens that were being planned and were underway.

 

Jianqiu Xiao, PhD

Postdoctoral Associate 

Dr. Xiao obtained his Doctorate degree in Genetics from Fudan University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Bioscience from Shenyang Agricultural University. As a Postdoctoral Associate within CHDM until 2016, Dr. Xiao's research in our laboratory focused on zebrafish models of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

 

Weibin Zhou, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Zhou obtained his Master of Science degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Fudan University, China and his PhD in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Zhou was an Assistant Professor in Medicine based in the CHDM until 2019. His research was primarily focused on the molecular mechanisms of nephrotic syndrome and podocyte regeneration using zebrafish mesonephros (adult fish kidney) as a model system.