2012 HHMI Med into Grad Scholars

Daniel Araujo, Neuroscience GP
PhD research: Investigating the role of FOXP1 in brain development (G. Konopka)
Summer clinical research: Establish and characterize neuronal cell lines derived from reprogrammed fibroblasts that are taken from both psychotic (psychotic-bipolar and schizophrenic) and normal control probands. (C. Tamminga)

Haocheng Cai, Immunology GP
PhD research: To identify critical pathogen-sensing proteins by forward-genetics approach, and investigating the ligand-receptor interaction via chemical approaches (Z. Chen)
Summer clinical research: Learn how the autonomic system dysfunction is diagnosed and evaluated in clinical trials, and establish the database
containing preexisting patient information in aims to recruiting research patients and future prognosis. (S. Vernino)

Molly Gillam, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Radiosensitization therapy for glioblastomas. Use nanoparticles to deliver radiosensitizing drugs to glioblastoma (S. Burma).
Summer clinical research: Phase II clinical trial of “Hippocampal-Avoiding Whole Brain Irradiation with Simultaneous Integrated Boost for Treatment of Brain Metastases”. (R. Timmerman)

Ji Mi Kim, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Characterize cancer cell type specific hits identified by genome wide siRNA screening. (M. White).
Summer clinical research: Current therapies for lung cancer and their side effects (J. Schiller)

Ryan Laranger, Genetics & Development GP
PhD research: Regenerative medicine (J. Shay, W. Wright)
Summer clinical research: Characterize resident T cells in the skin of Lupus patients to identify disease and progression biomarkers for Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus (B. Chong)

Michael Ramirez, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Phenotypic characterization of colon cancer cell lines (S. Altschuler, L. Wu)
Summer clinical research: Clinical course of sporadic colorectal cancer (S. Gupta)

Junyao Ren, Genetics & Development GP
PhD research: Innate Immunity (Z. Chen)
Summer clinical research: Analysis of endothelial cells in rheumatoid arthritis (D. Karp, E. Blair Solow)

Mary Topalovski, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Develop therapeutics to target factors involved in crosstalk between the tumor and its microenvironment (R. Brekken)
Summer clinical research: Gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancers (M. Beg)

2011 HHMI Med into Grad Scholars

Adam Coster, Cell Regulation GP
PhD research: The development of high-throughput live-cell imaging technologies for quantifying the heterogeneity of gene expression in cell populations (S. Altschuler & L. Wu) 
Summer clinical research: Differentiate the contributions of the RYG bariatric surgery and its requisite drastic dietary changes on the amelioration of diabetes (I. Lingvay)

Patrick Dospoy, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Elucidating the potential of c-myc as a novel therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (J. Minna)
Summer clinical research: I-SPY 2 Trial, a phase II, adaptive clinical trial for locally advanced breast cancer (D. Euhus)

Ryan McNamara, Molecular Microbiology GP
PhD research: Transcriptional regulation of the human immunodeficiency virus as a function of post-translational modifications to the HIV viral protein tat (I. D’Orso). 
Summer clinical research: Evaluate the efficacy of the addition of protease and/or polymerase inhibitors to the current standard of care treatment for patients infected with the hepatitis C virus (W. Lee)

Jessica Perez, Neuroscience GP
PhD research: Activity-dependent synaptic strengthening between the dentate gyrus and CA3 in schizophrenic vs. nonschizophrenic post mortum tissue (C. Tamminga
Summer clinical research: Diffusion tensor imaging to identify patients with diffuse axonal injury (R. Diaz-Arrastia)

Lacy Reynolds, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: How the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can be administered intravenously in high doses using a biocompatible low density lipoprotein (LDL) nanoparticle platform to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (I. Corbin)
Summer clinical research: Retrospective analysis of a database of nephrolianthisis and osteoporosis patients (O. Moe)

Katie Schaukowitch, Neuroscience GP
PhD research: Looking at the role of non-coding RNA in activity-dependent gene expression (T. Kim)
Summer clinical research: Determining the underlying mechanisms of schizophrenia (C. Tamminga)

Linda Williams, Genetics & Development GP
PhD research: Following up on a possible novel source of adipocyte progenitors (J. Graff)
Summer clinical research: Lipodystrophy (A. Garg)

Lu Zhang, Cancer Biology GP
PhD research: Development of therapeutics targeting truncated Adenomatous polyposis coli (J. Shay)
Summer clinical research: To determine whether exposure to high sodium dialysate or fluid removal during hemodialysis will cause intradialytic hypertension (R. Toto)

2010 HHMI Med into Grad Scholars

Chi-Lun Chang, Integrative Biology GP
Dissertation research: Study the mechanisms of store-operated calcium entry and endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junction formation (J. Liou); Committee: O. Moe, M. Roth, H. Yin
Summer clinical research: Retrospective analysis to understand the etiology increased uric acid kidney stone formation in Hmongs in Minnesota (O. Moe)
Bench to Bedside: Mineral disorders and questions related to Ca²⁺ signaling (O. Moe, K. Sakhaee, N. Maalouf)

Maithili Dalvi, Cancer Biology GP
Dissertation research: Cancer stem cells (J. Minna); Committee: R. Kittler, M. Roth, J. Shay
Summer clinical research: Validate the use of subcutaneous injection of non-radioiodinated Iothalamate for measurement of glomerular filtration rate (R. Toto)
Bench to Bedside: Lung cancer (J. Schiller, D. Gerber)

Cyndi Morales, Integrative Biology GP
Dissertation research: Autophagy and cardiac remodeling (J. Hill); Committee: B. Rothermel, B. Levine, A. Turer, H. Yin
Summer clinical research: Cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary and cerebrovascular studies in the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (B. Levine)
Bench to Bedside: Heart failure (M. Drazner, J. Hill) 

Rohin Moza, Biomedical Engineering GP, Division of Applied Science
Dissertation research: Deep tissue optical imaging of normal and pathologic samples (M. DiMaio)

Y. Nguyen, Molecular Microbiology GP
Dissertation research: Quorum sensing regulation of virulence genes in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (V. Sperandio); Committee: N. Alto, K., Gardner, L. Hooper
Summer clinical research: Renal failure in cirrhosis (D. Rockey)
Bench to Bedside: Understanding of human-pathogen interactions can translate into therapeutic development (M. Shiloh 

Austin Potts, Integrative Biology GP 
Dissertation research: The role of small intestinal gluconeogenesis in Reux en Y gastric bypass mediated resolution of type II diabetes mellitus (S. Burgess); Committee:
Summer clinical research: Changes in insulin sensitivity, glucose processing, and adipose distribution in bariatric surgery patients with and without type 2 diabetes (I. Lingvay)
Bench to Bedside: Type II Diabetes Melitus (I. Lingvay).

Anju Sreelatha, Biological Chemistry GP
Dissertation research: Characterization of vibrio parahaemolyticus effector, VopQ (K. Orth); Committee: B. Tu, J. Goodman, M. Shiloh
Summer clinical research: Hepatitis and acute liver injury (W. Lee)
Bench to Bedside: Study of Helicobacter pylori infections and treatment (B. Cryer).

Yinxin Zhang, Integrative Biology GP
Dissertation research: Intracellular cholesterol transport and regulation (M. Brown, J. Goldstein); Committee: P. Thomas, J. Seeman, M. Roth
Bench to Bedside: Metabolic diseases (L. Engelking).

Mian Zhou, Integrative Biology GP
Dissertation research: Circadian rhythm (Y. Liu); Committee: B. Tu, J. Takahashi, A. Zinn
Summer clinical research: Magnetic resonance imaging markers in traumatic brain injury (R. Diaz-Arrastia)
Bench to Bedside: Sleep disorder (J. Herman).

2009 HHMI Med into Grad Scholars