Richard Daneman, PhD - Associate Professor
Departments of Pharmacology & Neurosciences
Phone: 858-822-2376
Eric Nudleman, MD PhD - Associate Professor
Department of Opthalmology
Nicole Lummis, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
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.
Sidar Aydin, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
I am from Istanbul, Turkey, but my adventurous soul took me to new places to explore and learn more about science and life! After graduating from Hacettepe University, Ankara with a BSc in Biology, I moved to Bremen, Germany, and obtained my MSc in Neuroscience. During that time, I had the chance to work in Daneman Lab as an intern in 2016 and that’s the story of how I fell in love with the BBB! This new passion of mine opened a new path and I started my PhD in Bern, Switzerland to study immune cell trafficking across the BBB. After obtaining my PhD in Immunology in 2021, I continued following my dreams and returned to the source of my scientific drive: The Daneman Lab! As of November 2021, I am a part of the team as a postdoctoral researcher, and this time I am ready to expand my knowledge about other brain barriers! When I am not in the lab, I love traveling, nature, and all the outdoorsy activities. Watercolor painting brings me to my Zen point and learning new languages is my absolute passion!
Ben Gastfriend, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
I am originally from Philadelphia, and received my B.S. from the University of Maryland College Park and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, both in chemical engineering. During graduate school, I worked with Professors Eric Shusta and Sean Palecek to develop improved human pluripotent stem cell-based models of the neurovascular unit, study molecular mechanisms of endothelial and mural cell differentiation, and benchmark these models using human tissue data. I joined the Daneman lab in 2022 and am excited to investigate mechanisms underlying neurovascular development and function.
Kaja Bajc, MSc - Lab Manager, Staff Research Associate
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.
Meghan Rossi, MSc - PhD Student
I graduated from Berkeley (Go Bears!) in 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Molecular & Cell Biology, and then earned a master’s in Brain Sciences at University College London in 2015. There, I worked with Dr. Kate Jeffery on how head direction cells might encode complex spatial information. After forgetting what the sun looked like, I moved back to California to work with Dr. Shane Crotty in characterizing immune responses to HIV vaccine candidates in order to better inform HIV vaccine design. Now, as a Neurosciences PhD student, I am super excited to start my project in the Daneman lab examining interactions between the periphery and the blood-brain barrier. Outside the lab, you can find me singing loudly at inappropriate moments, stopping to pet every dog that crosses my path, and pretending to be proficient at beach volleyball.
Kevin Tenerelli - MSTP Student
After attending Palomar College, I graduated from California State University San Marcos in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology concentrated in molecular and cellular biology. I then began UC San Diego’s MD/PhD program and joined the Neurosciences Graduate Program. Co-mentored by Eric Nudleman and Rich Daneman, my interests lie in blood-retinal barrier dysfunction in blinding eye diseases and elucidating mediators of fibrosis in the retina. In my free time I like to paddleboard on Mission Bay with my family, play racquetball and discover new music.
Sean Harvey - PhD student
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.
Iris H. Garcia-Pak - MSTP student
My pronouns are she/her/hers. Originally from Honolulu, I flew to the other end of the country to earn my Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University in 2015. After college, I spent 3 years as a post-baccalaureate IRTA fellow at the NIH in Bethesda studying the maturation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Then in 2018, I came to UCSD as an MSTP student to pursue my dream of becoming a physician scientist. After completing the first half of medical school, I find myself leaning toward Pediatrics, Neurology, and Psychiatry specialities, but still too early to tell! I am currently in the Neurosciences Graduate Program and, as a member of the Daneman lab, am investigating the role the BBB might play in glutamate regulation. In my free time I dabble in snowboarding, dance, and smashing the patriarchy. I love plants, eating bread, and keebs, but I love none of these things as much as I love BTS.
Reid Larsen - PhD student
Originally from the Boston area, I went to the University of Michigan to study Biomedical Engineering. During my time there, I worked in Dr. Peter Tessier’s lab doing antibody engineering research and at Selecta Biosciences, a small biotech company outside of Boston, doing drug development and testing. After graduating in 2019, I spent a year teaching English in Santiago Chile and traveling in Patagonia. I joined the Biomedical Sciences program at UCSD in the Fall of 2020. Now in the Daneman lab, I am interested in studying the composition and role of the sugar coating that lines the blood vessels in the brain. Termed the glycocalyx, this structure acts as the first barrier in the blood-brain barrier and could be important in many disease pathologies. Outside of the lab, you’ll find me playing rec sports or searching San Diego for the best burritos. I love to be out in nature, whether that’s hiking, snowboarding, or with my feet in the sand on the beach.
Ricardo Lozoya - PhD student
During my undergrad summers, I was part of an HHMI-funded summer research program that gave me the opportunity to first study and learn about the blood brain barrier while working in Dr. Chenghua Gu’s lab at Harvard Medical School. After graduating from Rice University in 2019 with a degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, I joined my old undergraduate mentor, Christian Schaaf, in Heidelberg, Germany to study the role of CHRNA7 gene dosage on neuropsychiatric disorders using patient-derived iPSCs. Now I am a PhD student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSD and am excited to continue learning about the BBB as a member of the Daneman lab! When I’m not in lab, you can usually find me pouring over old family recipes, playing/watching soccer, and dancing salsa and bachata.
Audrey Miglietta - PhD student
I attended UC Davis, not too far from my home in the Bay Area, where I majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Aside from running with the cows and turkeys, I worked at NeuroMab producing and characterizing monoclonal antibodies for neuroscience research. Upon graduating in 2018, I moved to sunny San Diego to work in the lab of Dr. Nicola Allen at the Salk Institute. As a research assistant, I investigated the roles of astrocytes in the development of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. In the Fall of 2020, I joined the Neurosciences Graduate Program at UCSD, where I am now delighted to be in the Daneman lab exploring the role of the blood-brain barrier in hippocampal function in health and disease. When not grinding in lab, I enjoy obsessing over my planner, frolicking around breweries, and fiddling with arts and crafts.
Lucija Pintaric, MSc - Staff Research Associate
Hi there! I finished my bachelor's degree in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in 2018 from Krems an der Donau, Austria. After that, I pursued a master's degree in Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna. I started my full-time research career at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, where I had the opportunity to work on a study that focused on the genetic analysis of Retinitis Pigmentosa patients. Once I joined the Daneman lab at the beginning of 2020, my main project involved looking into the role of fibrotic scar tissue formation in stroke and the mechanisms that lead to it. Once I became an SRA in the lab my research questions expanded to include multiple diseases related to fibrosis in the central nervous system. I began to additionally collaborate with Dr. Nudleman to fully characterize a new and improved model of retinal fibrosis. Moreover, I collaborate with several pharmaceutical companies to test potential therapeutics for retinal fibrosis.
Montserrat Rodriguez - Staff Research Associate
I am a first-generation college graduate. I attended UC San Diego and graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology. My interest in research began when I joined the Daneman Lab through the MADURA Program at UCSD back in January 2021. My experience in studying how the blood-brain barrier interacts with neuronal circuitry to regulate behavior, woke a new passion in me and now my goal is to obtain a PhD and become a principal investigator. When I am not in the lab, you can find me at Starbucks or shopping, spending money I don’t have.
Undergraduate Students
Khoa Nguyen
Navid Ghazi
Vedant Garg
Nandini Seth
Everett Han
Natalie Garrido
Sonya Shafir
Sherry Shao
Andrea Bonifacio
Jamie Lee
Joey Barros
Mahek Shah
Lab Alumni
Catie Profaci, PhD - Graduate Student
2015 - 2022
Now, Postdoc in Ardem Patapoutian’s lab at Scripps Research
Alex Zhang - Undergraduate Student, Volunteer
2017-2021
Now, Medical Student at University of Colorado
Amanda Argoncilla - Undergraduate Student, Volunteer
2019-2021
Now, Lab Tech - Salk Institute
Cayce Dorrier - PhD Student
2016-2020
Now, Postdoc at NIH
Rob Pulido, PhD Student
2015-2019
Now, Clinical Scientist at Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Wenshuai Jiang, Research Associate
2019-2021
Now, PhD Student at Cornell University
Tony Zhang - Undergraduate Student, Volunteer
2017-2020
Now, Medical Student at Drexel University
Joseph Miller - Master's Student, Research Associate
2016-2020
Now, Medical Student at California University of Science and Medicine
Marie Blanchette, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
2015-2019
Now, Scientific Evaluator at Health Canada
My Pubmed
Contact Marie
Mario Malfavon, Postdoctoral Fellow
2016-2019
Now Scientist, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC)
Tamara Chan - Master's Student, Research Associate
2016-2019
Now graduate student at Stanford University
Stephanie Liaw - Lab Manager
2014-2019
Now consultant at 1798
Geoffrey Weiner - MSTP Student
Now intern at Stanford
Ezekiel Haenelt- Undergraduate Student
2016-2018
Jessica Gutierrez- Undergraduate Student
Summer 2018
Austin Batugal- Undergraduate Student
Gabby Whiten- Undergraduate Student
Summer 2017
Now graduate student at NYU
Anne Cabangcola - Undergraduate Student
2014-2016
Yuqi Cheng - Visiting Professor
Conor Mcloughlin - Visiting Student
Summer 2016 Trinity College Dublin
Alena Bartakova, MD - Postdoctoral Fellow
Dan Peng- Undergraduate Student
Sidar Aydın - Visiting Student
2016
Now, postdoc in Daneman lab!
Soumya Kurnool - Undergraduate Student
2015-2016
Now medical student at UCSD
Fabien Sohet, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
2010-2015
My Pubmed
Contact Fab
Allison Soung - Assistant Specialist
2013-2015
Now graduate student at Washington University
Christina Lin - Assistant Specialist
2013-2014
Now in Med School at UCSD
Nadine Ruderisch, PhD - Postdoctoral Fellow
2011-2013
Now a Postdoc at Roche, Switzerland
My pubmed
Seo Yeon Lee - UC Berkeley Undergrad
Amanuel Kebede, MS - Staff Research Associate
2009-2013