2023-24 WRF Fellows

Jamie is a senior studying Bioengineering: Data Science at the University of Washington. She joined Dr. Patrick Boyle’s Cardiac Systems Simulation Lab after her freshman year, where she cultivated a passion for computational cardiology. Jamie is currently working on a computational study to establish the feasibility of using optogenetic stimulation (light-induced bioelectric currents) to suppress the ectopic activity of engrafted human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) in patients recovering from heart attacks. The ability to suppress this activity could provide an important tool for reducing incidence and frequency of engraftment-associated arrhythmias that have posed significant obstacles to the advancement of stem cell therapies into clinical trials. After completing her undergraduate studies, Jamie hopes to pursue a PhD and continue conducting research at the intersection of Bioengineering and Cardiology. Jamie would like to express her profound gratitude to her PI, Dr. Boyle, her mentors, Dr. Alex Ochs and Chelsea Gibbs, and her lab colleagues. She is also extremely grateful for the generous support from the Washington Research Foundation.

Mentor(s): Patrick Boyle, Bioengineering
Project Title: Ectopic Activity of PSC-CMs Can Be Optogenetically Suppressed at the Cell and Organ Scales: Proof-of-Concept from Computational Simulations

Kelsey is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in chemistry. She joined the Velian lab in January 2022 after taking an interest in synthetic inorganic chemistry. The subgroup she works in is focused on the synthesis, characterization, and reactivity of Co6Se8 clusters that can be adorned with transition metals, which act as catalytically active sites. Her current research is on probing the clusters’ reactivity towards intramolecular carbon-hydrogen amination. This work is focused on the transformation of aliphatic azides to pyrrolidines, a class of 5-membered N-heterocycles. She seeks to understand how edge-metal identity effects catalytic activity and the interactions among edge metals and Co6Se8 cluster. After her undergraduate studies, Kelsey would like to pursue a PhD in inorganic chemistry. She would like to thank her mentors, Prof. Alexandra Velian, Dr. Ben Mitchell, and the Velian lab for their support and mentorship, as well as the Washington Research Foundation for their generous support.

Mentor(s): Alexandra Velian, Department of Chemistry
Project Title: Investigation of Intramolecular C-H Amination Using Tri-metalated Co/Se Cluster Catalysts

Nathan Greenwood is a fourth-year student at the University of Washington studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. He is interested in the interface of biochemistry and computer science and hopes to use computational tools to increase our understanding of molecular biology and treat disease. Currently, he works in the Baker lab to design de novo proteins to bind to protein targets and has worked closely on the design of proteins to activate a chaperone protein called Heat Shock Protein 70 Kilodalton (Hsp70). When active, Hsp70 is a key player in refolding proteins and preventing disease, and thus controlling its activity has therapeutic potential. Before joining the Baker lab Nathan worked to deepen our understanding of plant herbivory responses in the Steinbrenner Lab. His research projects and coursework in molecular and computational biology have guided his passions and shown him the importance of interdisciplinary research. After completing his undergraduate studies, Nathan hopes to explore further research fields abroad before pursuing a Ph.D. in computational biochemistry. Aside from academics, he enjoys reading science fiction, running, and learning. Nathan is honored to receive the WRF fellowship and would like to thank his mentors Dr. Jason Zhang, Amir Motmaen, Preetham Venkatesh, and Dr. David Baker, for their support and invaluable advice. He would also like to thank his previous mentors Tonio Chaparro and Dr. Adam Steinbrenner for sparking his interest in research and to the Washington Research Foundation for supporting his undergraduate career and research.

Mentor(s): Dr. Jason Zhang, Biochemistry; Amir Motmaen, Biochemistry; Preetham Venkatesh, Biochemistry; Dr. David Baker, Biochemistry
Project Title: Design of de novo Hsp70 Activators

Megan is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Bioengineering and minoring in Applied Mathematics. For the past year, Megan has worked under the mentorship of Dr. Nuttada Panpradist in Dr. Jeff Nivala’s Molecular Information Systems Laboratory, as well as in Dr. Barry Lutz’s lab. In her junior year, Megan was awarded the Mary Gates Research Scholarship for her work designing and producing DNA circuitry capable of interacting with enzymes for the purpose of disease diagnostics. Her current project aims to create affordable and accessible crucial diagnostic tools for fast-acting and life-threatening bacterial pathogens. During her remaining year at UW, Megan will present her work at the Biomedical Engineering Society conference, continue to mentor the underclassmen in her lab, and hopes to create usable prototypes of her full diagnostics test for a variety of pathogens. After graduation, Megan intends to pursue a PhD in synthetic biology with the aim of improving disease diagnosis and treatment. Megan would like to thank the Washington Research Foundation for their generous support, and her mentor Nuttada Panpradist for her unwavering belief in her capabilities.

Mentor(s): Dr. Jeff Nivala, Department of Computer Science Engineering; Dr. Nuttada Panpradist, Global Health of Women, Adolescents, and Children & School of Public Health
Project Title: A model system to detect virulent S. marcescens infection using novel, engineered restriction endonuclease mediated DNA Strand Displacement (resDSD) circuit

Kristin is a Chemical Engineering Major with a Nano and Molecular Engineering Option, working under the mentorship of Dr. Nance. Her research aims to develop a multimodal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) model that is amendable to high throughput screening of therapeutics. The US has an average of 69,500 TBI-related deaths, 223,135 hospitalizations, 326,600 inpatient stays, and 801,700 Emergency Department visits per year. The Centers for Disease Control reports the annual cost of treating non-fatal TBIs to be in excess of $40B. Currently, there is no pharmacological treatment for TBI, and 138 clinical treatment trials were completed since 2004 with a 100% failure rate. There is a critical need for innovation in therapeutics for TBI. However, TBI is complex, with many possible modalities of injury. The range of unknown potential injury to the brain during a TBI makes a single TBI model too simplistic to represent the full extent of injury accurately. Therefore, a tunable, tailorable living brain slice platform that can be adapted to different stimuli and modalities is an important step to enable therapeutic screening.

Kristin is a Service-Disabled Veteran who hopes to design a drug to treat TBI in her graduate
studies using the models developed with the WRF Fellowship. She has always been dedicated to service, to her country in Operation Enduring Freedom and the War on Terror, and now by helping her fellow Veterans and the many others who are and who will be affected by TBI. As the mother of a football player, she also hopes to make sports safer for our youth. She serves her fellow students as the President of Women in Chemical Engineering (WCHe) and chairs a sub-committee to incorporate Universal Design elements in the Chemical Engineering curriculum.
She would like to thank her husband, children, parents, fellow ChemE students, faculty, and staff of the ChemE department, graduate student mentor Brendan Butler, and faculty mentor Dr. Elizabeth Nance for their unending support.

Mentor(s): Dr. Elizabeth Nance, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Developing Models of Multimodal Traumatic Brain Injury

Sarah is a Senior majoring in Biochemistry, General Biology, Public Health-Global Health, and minoring in Bioethics. She joined Dr. Michael Bruchas’s Laboratory in the Summer of 2021 to research the necessity of β adrenergic receptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in mediating anxiety-like behavior. This study aims to elucidate noradrenergic locus coeruleus projections to the BLA that mediates anxiety-like behavior by using CRISPR to genetically knock down the β adrenergic receptors in the glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the BLA. Working as a medical assistant at a primary care clinic for underserved populations allowed her to see numerous first-hand accounts of patients battling anxiety disorders. This research has implications in aiding in the development of pharmaceutical improvements towards anxiety medication and treatment. After her undergraduate studies, Sarah intends to pursue a combined MD/Ph.D program in neuroscience to continue her studies in mental health disorders. As a physician-scientist, she hopes to mitigate mental health disorders through applied research and public health advocacy. Outside of school and work, she is the President of Community Health Outreach (CHO) and Director of Communications for Minority Association of Pre-medical Students (MAPS), both of which are registered student organizations here at UW! She would like to thank Dr. Sean Piantadosi and Dr. Michael Bruchas for their ongoing support of her medical research career, mentorship, and guidance in the neuroscience field as well as the kind financial help from the Mary Gates Research Endowment. She is also extremely honored to receive the Washington Research Foundation Fellowship and is excited to join the WRF family.

Mentor(s): Drs. Michael R. Bruchas & Sean Piantadosi, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Project Title: Modulation of Anxiety-Like Behavior by Norepinephrine Signaling in the Basolateral Amygdala

Jonathan is a senior majoring in chemistry and applied mathematics. He works in the lab of Professor Dianne Xiao, where he studies the electrochemical applications of supramolecular cages. His research aims to utilize redox-active iron-bipyridyl cages as catalysts in the electroreduction of organic compounds, with the goal of improving the sustainability of common chemical synthesis pathways. Supramolecular cages are polyhedral structures formed from the self-assembly of organic ligands and metal ions in solution. Owing to their internal cavities with unique electronic microenvironments, these compounds have been extensively studied for redox-neutral catalysis, but their uses in electrochemical reactions are underexplored. Jonathan began this project by synthesizing two organic ligands with bipyridyl linking groups and redox-active moieties that could readily gain and lose electrons at voltages associated with organic reductions. While working with his mentor, Kathleen Snook, he used these ligands to produce two iron-bipyridyl cages and characterized their electrochemical profiles using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Both cages were shown to lower the voltage required for the reduction of organic dihalide compounds, indicating catalysis. This year, Jonathan is building upon these results through computational modeling and expanded CV studies. To better understand the mechanisms behind the electrocatalysis results, he is currently performing density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of cage structures, substrate reduction reactions, and cage-substrate interactions. He also intends to perform cage-substrate CV experiments under modified solvent and electrolyte environments, with the goal of studying electrocatalysis under conditions that have been optimized for preparative-scale electrosynthesis. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Jonathan intends to pursue a PhD in chemistry. He sincerely appreciates the support of the Washington Research Foundation, and he is immensely grateful to his mentors for their guidance on this project.

Mentor(s): Professor Dianne Xiao, Department of Chemistry; Kathleen Snook, Department of Chemistry
Project Title: Redox-Active Supramolecular Cages as Catalysts for Organic Electrosynthesis

Audrey Byrne is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Public Health-Global Health with a minor in Dance. They joined the Jaspan Lab at Seattle Children’s Center for Global Infectious Disease Research during their sophomore year studying the microbiome of mothers and infants in sub-Saharan Africa and their susceptibility to infectious diseases, primarily HIV. After their undergraduate studies, they intend to pursue a dual MD/MPH degree specializing and researching gender-affirming care in transgender and gender-diverse populations (TGD). Their project combines their interests in gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) with the skills they’ve acquired during their time in the Jaspan lab, as the sex hormones interact closely with the gut microbiota (GM). GAHT is a common treatment used to alleviate gender dysphoria among the TGD population, although little is known about its effects on the GM. Alteration of the GM has many adverse effects that overlap those of testosterone and can lead to systemic and intestinal inflammation. Their project aims to profile the GM of mice receiving testosterone GAHT using 16s ribosomal RNA sequencing and measure markers of inflammation in serum to assess the effect of testosterone hormone treatment on the population of the GM and intestinal and systemic inflammation. This work has the potential to serve as the basis for future studies exploring the GM in relation to both estrogen and testosterone GAHT to better counsel TGD patients. They would like to thank their mentors Heather Jaspan and Donald Nyangahu, all members of the Jaspan Lab for their ongoing support, and the Washington Research Foundation for providing them with the resources to carry out this project.

Mentor(s): Heather Jaspan, Department of Pediatrics and Global Health
Project Title: Gut Microsexome: The Gut Microbiota of Transmasculine Individuals on Gender-Affirming Hormone Treatment

Rohda is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in Bioethics and Education. With a demonstrated history of developing expertise in various research areas, she has a passion for scientific inquiry and hopes to eliminate the health disparities underserved populations face. Rohda is interested in understanding bone metabolic diseases and risk factors such as genetics and nutrition. To advance her understanding of bone metabolic diseases, she joined the Kwon lab in her junior year, investigating how genetic variants influence musculoskeletal development using zebrafish as a model organism. Her current project focuses on uncovering the potential importance of slc8a4b, a solute carrier membrane-associated protein that plays an essential role in calcium and sodium homeostasis, and whether it mediates genetic risk for osteoporosis. Despite the association of solute carrier 8 (slc8) genes and fracture risk, revealed through genome-wide association studies, the role of slc8 genes in skeletal development remains unknown. In continuation of her research, Rohda will be determining the expression of slc8a4b in zebrafish and conducting the first animal knockout study to assess whether a loss of this gene disrupts bone mineralization. An enhanced understanding of the function of slc8a4b could uncover the role of solute carrier family 8 genes in skeletal development, which could lead to the development of gene therapies for osteoporosis. After her undergraduate studies, she aspires to pursue a career as a physician-scientist who studies metabolic bone diseases and addresses social determinants of health to improve health outcomes. Rohda is also a strong advocate for research, as shown by her dedication as an Undergraduate Research Leader. She is extremely grateful to her mentors, Dr. Ronald Young Kwon, Dr. Arianna Ericka Gómez, members of the Musculoskeletal Systems Biology lab, and McNair advisors for their time and invaluable support. Rohda is honored to receive the WRF fellowship to support this independent research project and greatly appreciates the foundation’s generous support.

Mentor(s): Ronald Y. Kwon, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Project Title: Elucidating the Role of Solute Carrier 8 Genes (SLC8) in Bone Formation

Seoyoung is a senior studying Chemical Engineering and working under the mentorship of Sydney Floryanzia and Dr. Elizabeth Nance. Her research aims to construct an in vitro primary astrocyte model cultured in dishes and within microfluidic devices and measure the uptake of polymer nanoparticles on non-treated and oxygen-glucose deprivation-exposed primary brain cells. She hopes that this project will contribute to creating a tunable, physiologically relevant model to measure the effect of hypoxic-ischemia, a common cause of neurological diseases, to assess the effectiveness of nanoparticle treatments, and to further understand how the brain responds throughout the process. After completing her undergraduate studies, Seoyoung aims to pursue a combined MD/Ph.D. program at the intersection of chemical engineering and biotechnology in hopes of spreading a positive impact to a wider audience in need. She would like to express her immense gratitude to the Washington Research Foundation for their generous support and to Nance Lab for their guidance and support. She would like to extend her gratitude, especially to Dr. Elizabeth Nance and Sydney Floryanzia for their endless mentorship and role modeling in her journey as a researcher.

Mentor(s): Sydney Floryanzia, Chemical Engineering; Dr. Elizabeth Nance, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Investigation of the Uptake of and Cellular Response to Plga-Peg Nanoparticles in Healthy Primary Astrocytes and Primary Astrocytes Exposed to Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation (OGD) In a 2D and 3D Model Systems

Dylan is a senior studying bioengineering and working under the guidance of Dr. Drew Sellers in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. She joined the Sellers & Pun Lab in 2021 to study a novel universal chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy developed by the lab for the treatment of solid tumors. Her current project aims to optimize a folate-peptide intermediate for targeted CAR T-cell killing of cancers that overexpress folate receptor alpha (e.g., ovarian and breast cancer). Through this study, she hopes to develop a safer, cost-effective, and broader-targeting treatment for patients with heterogeneous solid-tumors. After graduation, Dylan aims to pursue an MD to integrate her passions in cancer research, patient care, and health equity as a physician-scientist. She would like to express her immense gratitude for her previous mentor Dr. Ian Cardle and P.I. Dr. Drew Sellers for their mentorship and support towards achieving her professional goals. She is also grateful and honored to receive the Washington Research Foundation Fellowship in support of this project.

Mentor(s): Dr. Drew Sellers, Department of Bioengineering
Project Title: Optimizing Folate-Peptide Intermediate for Universal Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy

Ali is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in Computer Science. He is currently conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Nance, Dr. David Beck, and his graduate student mentor, Nels Schimek. He joined the Nance lab during his senior year of high school and has been working on multiple projects centering around data visualization. His current research focuses on using Deep Learning techniques (self-supervised learning, equivariant graph neural network, and Equivariant transformer) and explainable AI to explore patterns and connections within particle movement from pre-existing Multiple Particle Tracking (MPT) data generated from three different injury models in the brain. He also aims to create an open-source Python package to enable other MPT researchers to apply the Deep Learning models to their MPT data. After completing his undergraduate degree, he is planning on pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science focusing on applications of Deep Learning. Ali is incredibly grateful to his mentors, colleagues, and the Washington Research Foundation for their support.

Mentor(s): Dr. Elizabeth Nance, Chemical Engineering; Dr. David Beck, Chemical Engineering; Nels Schimek, Chemistry
Project Title: Enhancing Particle Behavior Analysis through Deep Learning in Biological Multiple Particle Tracking