Welcome to the lab of 

Richard Daneman

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Phone: 858-822-2376

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My Pubmed

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I've always been fascinated by scientific research; by how we can elucidate unknown aspects of biology to better understand disease and ultimately improve human health.  During my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Biophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, I studied the activity of brain-derived molecular motors in response to anesthesia.  I continued pursuing my interest in neuroscience by completing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at University of California San Diego, where I researched the role of lipid signaling in the initiation of neonatal post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus under Dr. Jerold Chun.  In May 2019, I was thrilled to join Dr. Richard Daneman's lab as a postdoctoral scholar to investigate the effects of disease, such as stroke and EAE, on the function of the blood-brain barrier, with a particular focus on pericytes.

In addition to my passion for science, I love any kind of game, podcasts, and trying new foods.

After graduating from Georgetown University in 2012 (Hoya Saxa!), I worked for two years studying the progression of Alzheimer's pathology with Dr. Karen Duff at Columbia University.  Now as a Ph.D. student in the UCSD Neurosciences program, I am excited to continue studying disease in the nervous system.  In the Daneman lab, I will be working on discovering the mechanisms behind the breakdown and repair of the blood-brain barrier in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.  Besides my love for the brain and all its mysteries, I enjoy (in no particular order) running, cooking, Bruce Springsteen, the beach, NPR, baseball games, cheese, outdoor activities, and writing for our program's neuroscience blog, NeuWriteSD.org!

My Pubmed

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I graduated from Boston University in 2014 with a B.A. in Neuroscience. My research experience as an undergrad focused on the neurobiology of addiction. I started my Ph.D. in 2014 in the Biological Sciences Program here at UCSD. After exploring a diverse set of types of research during rotations in the first year, I became intrigued with the blood-brain-barrier. Here with the Daneman Lab, I study the dynamic reciprocal interaction between neural circuitry and the blood-brain-barrier. Outside of the lab I enjoy hiking, surfing, playing soccer, and seeing live music. I successfully defended my thesis in the summer of 2019 and am now volunteering in the lab to finish up projects while working as a Senior Scientist, Clinical Development, Neuroscience, at Ionis Pharmaceuticals.

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I am from Slovenia and joined the Daneman lab in mid 2016 to do an internship and write my Master's thesis.  After finishing my Master's in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, I returned to San Diego and started working as a Research Associate in the lab. I work closely with Marie on her project about regional differences of the BBB and have some lab manager responsibilities. During the past few years I've spent a lot of time traveling solo in New Zealand, Southeast Asia and South America. Currently I really enjoy being in San Diego and spending all of my free time surfing. 

I graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2017 with a B.S. in Microbiology. My enthusiasm for biomedical research began as an undergraduate research assistant in Craig Montell’s lab at UCSB, where we sought to identify ion channels and transmembrane receptors that regulate taste and feeding behaviors in Drosophila. After graduating, I joined Gary Steinberg’s lab at Stanford University, where my projects focused on post-stroke neural circuit dynamics and molecular mechanisms driving functional recovery in murine models of ischemic stroke. I began my PhD in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program in the Fall of 2019. Now in the Daneman lab, I aim to investigate the role of blood-brain barrier dysregulation in Alzheimer’s Disease pathogenesis. When I am not grappling with science-related problems in lab, you can find me training the “gentle art” of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, surfing, and enjoying San Diego's endless variety of burritos and beer.

Hi! I'm from Croatia and I have completed my bachelors in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in Krems an Der Donau, Austria. In 2017 I worked on a clinical study concerning the genetic analysis of an ocular disease called Retinitis pigmentosa at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong.  In 2018 I graduated and enrolled into a Master's program in Molecular Biotechnology at FH Campus Wien. I joined the Daneman lab this year and my research focuses on the role of fibrotic scar tissue formation in stroke and the mechanisms that lead to fibrotic scar formation following stroke. When I am not in the lab you can see me dancing and singing at inappropriate places, doing sports, hiking, or partying. 

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