2012 CIRM Scholars
CIRM Clinical Fellows
 James Jacobs MD, MPH
My research is focused on the role of small, non-coding
RNA molecules along with their associated protein partners in hematopoiesis.
Specifically, I'm interested in determining if the role these small RNA molecules
play in the maintenance of germ-line stem cells exists in hematopoietic stem
cells as well.
Postdoctoral CIRM Scholars
 Claudia Cattoglio PhD
My research is focused on the transcriptional mechanisms underlying embryonic stem cell self-renewal, pluripotency and differentiation. In particular, my project aims at dissecting the transcriptional network orchestrated by the Xpc-Rad23b-Cetn2 trimeric complex, originally described as involved in DNA repair, and recently “rediscovered” in the Tjian lab as a co-activator of the Oct4 and Sox2 core transcription factors.
 Robin Harris PhD
As a postdoc in the Hariharan lab, my research focuses on understanding the process of regeneration in damaged tissue. I am using the presumptive wing of the fruit fly Drosophila to generate a genetics-based ablation and regeneration system, which can be used to identify a large number of genes involved in regulating tissue repair following injury.
 Yuguo Lei PhD
I am developing novel biomaterials for various stem cell applications. To achieve this, I screen or engineer peptide/protein ligands that are crucial for stem cell signaling and incorporate them into several hydrogels. These materials then can be used for expanding stem cells in large scale in vitro or injected to guide the proliferation or differentiation of stem cells in vivo.
 Chao-po Lin PhD
I am studying a class of non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, in the murine pluripotent stem cell context. Using mouse genetic models, I try to address the functional role(s) of microRNA-34 in the generation efficiency, as well as the quality of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
 Badriprasad Ananthanarayanan PhD
Two significant challenges impede the progression of stem cell-based therapies to the clinic: our limited ability to recapitulate microenvironmental cues from the native stem cell niche that govern many aspects of cell function; and the poor survival and engraftment of cells due to insults suffered during the transplantation process. I am developing a novel modular biomaterials platform based on hyaluronic acid and crosslinked using click chemistry for the study of microenvironmental influences on the differentiation of stem and progenitor cells in vitro, and as a biofunctional scaffold for transplantation of therapeutic cells in vivo.
 Achim Werner PhD
The Ubiquitin system has long been known as a key regulator of cell division and survival in somatic cells but has only recently emerged as an important player in stem cell pluripotency and differentiation. Yet, the precise molecular mechanisms how ubiquitylation controls these processes are still elusive. My postdoctoral work in the Rape lab focuses on a large family of Cul3-based Ubiquitin E3 ligases and their role in stem cell maintenance and differentiation.
Predoctoral CIRM Scholars
 Angela Kaczmarczyk PhD Candidate
Germline cells play a unique role in development; these specialized cells form the gametes that allow for reproduction. The crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis displays the remarkable ability to replace its germline cells post-embryonically, resulting in fertile animals and normal offspring. I am investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this replacement.
 David Covarrubias PhD Candidate
David is interested in the interactions between astrocytes and neural progenitor cells, and how astrocytes mediate the effects of adult neurogenesis in the glucocorticoid environment during stress response. Furthermore, he is also interested in the functional formation of synapses in the new, adult-generated neurons, and the involvement of astrocytes in regulating the network integration of adult-born neurons.
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