January 23, 2025

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Lin Tian, PhD | Hosted by Danielle Schmitt

"Title - TBD"

January 16, 2025

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Miriam Goodman, PhD | Hosted by Ruhi Patel

"Title - TBD"

January 9, 2025

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Andrew Koh, PhD | Hosted by Stephen Smale

"Title - TBD"

Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

December 12, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Elizabeth Jonas, PhD | Hosted by Ambre Bertholet
Professor, Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Internal Medicine, Neuroscience, Yale University

"Metabolic Switch in Neural Development and Plasticity"

Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

December 6, 2024

11am - noon
Biomedical Sciences Research Building - Room #483

UCLA CRSHE Seminar Series with Aditya Pimplaskar

"Leveraging polygenic scores to investigate the genetics of perinatal depression"

Talk Description: Perinatal depression (PND) is a depressive illness affecting ~20-25% of mothers during pregnancy as well as after birth, leading to increased risk for adverse outcomes in both mothers and children. Compared to other psychiatric illnesses, PND is understudied; as such, there is a need for well-powered genetic and clinical studies of PND to generate reliable estimates of polygenic risk and understanding of disease etiology. In this work, we analyze a broader perinatal depression phenotype in various health system linked biobanks, leveraging clinical and genetic data for risk prediction. We compare genetic risk for a variety of psychiatric and pregnancy-related traits between PND and non-PND pregnancies, and further use these genetic risk estimates to distinguish PND from non-PND depression.

Bio: Aditya Pimplaskar is a PhD candidate in the Bioinformatics program at UCLA, advised by Dr. Loes Olde Loohuis. His primary research focus is the use of biobanks for precision medicine, specifically in psychiatric genetics. His work includes phenotyping methods from electronic health records, genetic risk estimation for complex traits, and assessments of the impact of biases in biobank studies. Prior to his graduate studies, he completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA in Computational Biology and mathematics.

November 21, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Research Seminar | Sarah Shahmoradian, PhD | Hosted by Becky Jenkins and Gretchen Fujimura
Assistant Professor, Alzheimer’s and Neurogenerative Diseases, Biophysics, Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

"Title - TBD"

Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

November 1, 2024

11am - noon
BSRB, room 483

CRSHE Seminar Series with Dr. Veena Sangkhae
Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, UCLA

"Iron Pathobiology in Pregnancy"

Talk Description: I will discuss endocrine regulation of iron homeostasis during pregnancy and how perturbations in these regulatory mechanisms can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Speaker Bio: I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I completed my undergraduate studies at the UCSD, majoring in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. My undergraduate and subsequently graduate research was performed in the lab of Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky who discovered the hormone thrombopoietin, which regulates the production of platelets. My graduate thesis was focused on The Role of Thrombopoietin Signalling in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. During my PhD, the lab moved twice so I went from UCSD to Stony Brook University and then to University of York in the UK where I completed my PhD in 2015. I moved back to LA and completed my post-doc in the laboratory of Drs. Elizabeta Nemeth and Tomas Ganz here at UCLA, who discovered the hormones hepcidin and erythroferrone, critical regulators of iron homeostasis. In 2021 was awarded a K01 to study iron and pregnancy and became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care. I’m currently a member of UCLA Center for Iron Disorders.

November 1, 2024

3:30pm
159 Boyer Hall

Cell and Developmental Biology Club - Alvaro Sagasti, Ph.D.
Professor; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; UCLA

"“Patterning an epithelium: Intra-epithelial migration disperses cells through the developing epidermis”"

Sponsored by the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center – Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program Area

October 31, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Peter Tontonoz, MD, PhD | Hosted by Elizabeth Tarling
Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"Lipid Transport in Physiology and Disease"

MBI Research Seminar
Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 24, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Ana Paula Arruda, PhD | Hosted by Emily Smith
Assistant Professor, Nutritional Science & Toxicology, University of California Berkeley

"Endoplasmic Reticulum Architecture in Metabolic Homeostasis & Disease"

MBI Research Seminar
Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 17, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

Zhen Chan, PhD
MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Zhen Chan, PhD | Hosted by Alexander Stevens and Hong Zhou

"Bringing CryoET and AlphaFold2 to Cell Biology"

MBI Research Seminar
Bringing CryoET and AlphaFold2 to Cell Biology
Zhen Chan, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biology & Biological Engineering,
California Institute of Technology
Contact – Sofia Quezada – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 4, 2024

11am - noon
BSRB, room 483

CRSHE Seminar Series Event with Sisi Peng
Graduate student, Department of Communication, UCLA

"Perspectives of Periods: Joy, Stigma and Disgust"

Sisi Peng will be sharing her current work with the Haselton lab studying attitudes toward periods in social media, surveys, and an in-lab experiment.

October 3, 2024

Noon - 1:00pm
California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)

UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education (CRSHE) Distinguished Speaker Series | Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, PhD

"The Science of Human Embryos and Embryo Models"

Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, PhD
Professor, Mammalian Development and Stem Cell Biology, Physiology,
Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge;
and Bren Professor, Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech

Contact – Hannah Landecker, PhD – landecker@soc.ucla.edu
Registration Required – https://eventsrsvp.ucla.edu/crshe-speaker-series/logon.aspx?Auth=Y

May 30, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sunny Shin, PhD | Hosted by Tim O’Sullivan, PhD

"Innate immune defense against intracellular bacterial pathogens"

May 29, 2024

10:30 am - 11:30 am
159 Boyer Hall

MCDB Seminar Speaker Dr. David Stern, PhD | Host: Dr. Jeff Long | Wednesday, May 29, 2024
HHMI Janelia Research Campus

"Aphid effector proteins in plant gall induction and agriculture"

Abstract:
Many species of arthropods produce effector molecules that induce abnormal plant organs, called galls, which the arthropods exploit for food and shelter. The identity of these effector molecules has long been mysterious. We identified a large family of rapidly evolving genes that encode novel “Bicycle” proteins, which aphids inject into plant cells during gall development. Genetic studies of natural populations implicate bicycle genes as the major proteins regulating gall development. Using a novel homology search algorithm, we identified bicycle genes in all aphid species and related taxa, suggesting that non-gall forming species, which include myriad crop pests, may use Bicycle proteins to regulate plant physiology and development. To test this hypothesis, we optimized CRISPR-Cas9 targeted mutagenesis in a pest aphid species and initiated genetic studies of Bicycle and other effector proteins. Our results may provide a new way to think about control of these crop pests.

May 23, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Jawdat al-Bassam, PhD | Hosted by Tamir Gonen, PhD

"Visualizing the transitions of molecular machines catalyzing tubulin biogenesis and microtubule polymerization”"

May 16, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Lin Tian, PhD | Hosted by Danielle Schmitt, PhD

"Title - TBD"

May 2, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Benjamin Garcia, PhD | Hosted by Hilary Coller, PhD and Keriann Backus, PhD
Benjamin Garcia, Ph.D., FRSC | Raymond H. Wittcoff Distinguished Professor and Head | Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics | Washington University School of Medicine

"Quantitative Mass Spectrometry For Analysis Of Epigenetic Mechanisms in Human Disease"

April 11, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Danzhou Yang, PhD | Hosted by Jie Zheng, PhD

"MBI Seminar Series: Title - TBD"

April 4, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Brenda Bass, PhD | Hosted by Hilary Coller, PhD

"Title - TBD"

March 7, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Denise Al Alam, PhD | Hosted by Brigitte Gomperts, MD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; and Investigator, The Lundquist Institute

"Senescence and Lung Disease in Trisomy 21"

Host Contact – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars

February 29, 2024

3:00 PM
UCLA California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)

UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education (CRSHE)

"Distinguished Speaker Series featuring L.A. County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell"

RSVP to join CRSHE Director Amander Clark Ph.D., L.A. County Supervisor HollyJMitchell and UC Regent Elaine Batchlor, M.D., M.P.H., in conversation about Black maternal health and care on Feb. 29 at 3pm PST. Learn more and reserve your spot today! https://ucla.in/3UsCGh8

February 29, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

Vanessa Sperandio, PhD
Professor & Chair, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"MBI Seminar Series: The Highs and Lows of Microbiota-Enteric Pathogens and Host Interactions"

Contact – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars

February 1, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Bob Farese, PhD | Hosted by Elizabeth Tarling, PhD

"TBD"

January 11, 2024

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Gina DeNicola, PhD | Hosted by Heather Christofk
Interim Chair and Associate Member | Dept. of Metabolism and Physiology Leader, Metabolism Program Moffitt Cancer Center

"THE ROLE OF NRF2 AND CYSTEINE METABLISHM IN CANCER"

December 8, 2023

Noon - 1:00 PM
Gonda 1357

Amjad Askary, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, UCLA Department of MCDB

"Regulation of cell fate determination in the vertebrate retina"

Neural repair seminar series

12/8 from 12-1pm
Gonda 1357
Amjad Askary, Ph.D.
Talk title: Regulation of cell fate determination in the vertebrate retina

December 7, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Kivanc Birsoy, PhD | Hosted by Siavash Kurdistani, MD

"Understanding The Role Of Oxidative Metabolism In Health and Disease"

November 30, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Vamsi K Mootha, MD | Hosted by Ambre Bertholet, PhD

"Mitochondria, Oxygen and Human Disease"

November 16, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Heidi McBride, PhD | Hosted by Madelaine Sholto, PhD
Professor, Neurology and Neurosurgery | Montreal Neurological Institute | McGill University

"Emerging Roles of Mitochondria and Peroxisomes in Bile Metabolism and Liver Cancer"

November 9, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Kathryn Moore, PhD | Hosted by Elizabeth Tarling, PhD
Jean and David Blechman Professor of Cardiology | Director NYU Cardivascular Research Center

"Cross-Disease Communication in Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer"

November 9, 2023

3pm - 4pm
room 483 in the Biomedical Sciences Research Building (BSRB)

MCDB Seminar | Neal Silverman, PhD | Hosted by Daria Siekhaus, PhD
Professor Neal Silverman, Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

"From Bugs to Drugs: SLC46s as Critical Components for Innate Immune Recognition and Targets for Anti-inflammatory Therapies"

November 2, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD | Hosted by Timmie Britton and Shania Day"

https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/event/mbi-thursday-research-seminar-sarkis-mazmanian-phd-hosted-by-timmie-britton-and-shania-day

October 26, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

Bérénice A. Benayoun, PhD

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Bérénice A. Benayoun, PhD | Hosted by Rochelle Lai"

Sex-Differences in Vertebrate Aging: Are we missing half of the picture?

https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/event/mbi-thursday-research-seminar-berenice-a-benayoun-phd-hosted-by-rochelle-lai

October 13, 2023

Noon - 1:00PM
23-105 CHS, Zoom

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters and Sciences

"TBD"

Zoom – https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/92530408578?pwd=Nmo2dEhUQXllMldiQnMzWmFqVmwzdz09
Passcode – 651788
Contact – pathologywebsite@mednet.ucla.edu

October 13, 2023

Noon - 1:00 PM
23-105 CHS and Zoom

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters and Sciences

"Grand Rounds/Pathology & Laboratory Medicine - Research Seminar Series"

Seminar Title: Dissecting Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

Zoom – https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/92530408578?pwd=Nmo2dEhUQXllMldiQnMzWmFqVmwzdz09
Passcode – 651788
Contact – pathologywebsite@mednet.ucla.edu

October 12, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Adam Martin, Ph.D. | Hosted by Alvaro Sagasti, Ph.D.
Adam Martin, Ph.D. Professor, Biology Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"Folding tissues across length scales: cell-based origami"

Zoom – Please contact Nadia for zoom information.
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 12, 2023

1:30 - 6:00PM
UCLA Covel Commons

Arjun Deb, MD
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"A Humanized Monoclonal Antibody to Enhance Heart Repair"

Cardiovascular Theme Symposium (Day #1)

Transcriptional Control of Fibroblast Proliferation and Cardiac Fibrosis
Eric Small, PhD, University of Rochester

Cardiac Fibrosis: Cellular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities
Nikolaos Frangogiannis, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine - and -

A Humanized Monoclonal Antibody to Enhance Heart Repair
Arjun Deb, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Registration Required –
https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cVeo4zw3qMVrFc2
Contact – Dana Barba – cri@mednet.ucla.edu
Website – https://medschool.ucla.edu/research/themed-areas/cardiovascular/seminars

June 8, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Hari Shroff, Ph.D. | Hosted by Pavak Shah, Ph.D.
Senior Group Leader | Janelia Research Campus | Howard Hughes Medical Institute

"Multiscale Biological Imaging at High Spatiotemporal Resolution"

June 1, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Jing Chen, Ph.D. | Hosted by Heather Christofk, Ph.D.
Janet D. Rowley Distinguished Service Professor in Cancer Research | Director of Basic and Translational Science, Section of Hem/Onc | Associate Vice Chair for Translational Research | Department of Medicine Director, Cancer Metabolomics Research Center Biological Sciences Division (BSD), The University of Chicago

"Nutrients, Metabolism and Cancer"

May 25, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Andrew Ewald, Ph.D. | Hosted by Luda Lin
Virginia DeAcetis Professor of Basic Cancer Research| Professor and Director of Cell Biology | Director, Giovanis Institute for Translational Cell Biology | The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

"Cellular strategies and molecular mechanisms driving breast cancer metastasis"

May 18, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Clodagh C. O’Shea, Ph.D. | Hosted by Sean Jiang
Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory | Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar | Wicklow Chair Salk Institute

"TBD"

May 11, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Jason Shepherd, Ph.D. | Hosted by Roger Castells
Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Endowed Chair | Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Investigator | Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences University of Utah|

"Virus-like intercellular signaling in the nervous system"

May 4, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Dorothee Kern, Ph.D. | Hosted by Rob Clubb
Professor of Biochemistry | HHMI Investigator | Chair of the Biochemistry Department Brandeis University

"Evolution of Energy Landscapes and its Exploitation for Drug and Enzyme Design"

April 27, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Victor Torres, Ph.D. | Hosted by Hung Ton-That
C.V. Starr Professor of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology | NYU Grossman School of Medicine

"Harnessing basic science to develop new approaches to combat Staphylococcus aureus infections"

April 20, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Anthony Brown, Ph.D. | Hosted by Katie Ching and Alvaro Sagasti
Professor, Neuroscience | Ohio State University

"Cytoskeletal polymers as cargoes of intracellular transport: the remarkable dynamics of axonal neurofilaments"

April 13, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Christiane Wobus, Ph.D. | Hosted by Benancio Rodriguez
Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology | University of Michigan Medical School

"Studying enteric virus-host interactions in human intestinal organoids"

April 7, 2023

3;30PM - 5:00PM
1357 Gonda

Volker Hartenstein, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"TBD"

Contact – Laura Schreiber – lschreiber@mednet.ucla.edu

April 6, 2023

4:00PM - 5:00PM
159 Boyer Hall

Rong Fan, PhD
Professor, Biomedical Engineering and Pathology, Yang University

"Spatial Multi-Omics Driving the Next Wave of Biomedical Research Revolution"

Contact & Zoom information – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

February 16, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Issam Ben-Sahra, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

"Signaling and Metabolic Control of Nucleotide Metabolism"

February 9, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Danesh Moazed, Ph.D.
Professor, Cell Biology HHMI Investigator Harvard Medical School

"Chromatin-Associated RNA Decay in Epigenetic Gene Silencing"

February 3, 2023

8:30am - 4:00pm
Location: Covel Commons / Registration REQUIRED: https://uclastemcell23.eventbrite.com/

click on link for list of speakers
BSCRC 19th Annual Conference

"BSCRC 19th Annual Conference"

BSCRC 19th Annual Conference
Back to Basics: Understanding Tissue Stem Cell

Anne Brunet, PhD Stanford
D’Juan Farmer, PhD UCLA
Rusty Gage, PhD Salk Institute
Steve Goldman, MD, PhD URochester/Copenhagen
Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD UCLA
Mara Sherman, PhD MSKCC
Hongjun Song PhD UPenn
Omer Yilmaz, MD, PhD MIT

Registration REQUIRED: https://uclastemcell23.eventbrite.com/

February 2, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Shawn Ferguson, Ph.D
Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Neuroscience Yale University

"Pathways of Lysosome Dysfunction Across Neurodegenerative Diseases"

January 26, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Jake Lusis, Ph.D.
Professor Medicine-Cardiology, Human Genetics, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics UCLA

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Jake Lusis, Ph.D. | Coagulation factor 11 mediates liver- heart crosstalk and protects against heart failure"

Hosted by the MBI Research Seminar Committee

January 19, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Ruslan Afasizhev, Ph.D. | Hosted by Hong Zhou
Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine

"TBD"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

January 19, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Ruslan Afasizhev, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Ruslan Afasizhev, Ph.D. | The ABC of RNA Editing in Trypanosomes"

Hosted by Hong Zhou

January 12, 2023

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Peter Adams, Ph.D. | Hosted by Oliver Fregoso
Director and Professor, Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

"TBD"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

November 18, 2022

Noon - 1:00PM
1357 Gonda

Alvaro Sagasti, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Life Sciences

"Intimate Interactions in the Skin: Sensory Axons and Epithelial Cells Cooperate to Shape One Another During Development"

Integrative Center Neural Repair (ICNR) and Integrative Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics (ICNG) Seminar
Sponsor: ICNR
contact - Bennett Novitch, PhD - bnovitch@g.ucla.edu

November 17, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Prachee Avasthi, Ph.D. | Hosted by Alice Soragni
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Cell Biology | Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth | Co-founder, CSO, & Director of Cell Biology | Arcadia Science

"From models to non-models: exploring new science and new ways to pursue it"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

November 10, 2022

3PM - 4PM
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Jonah Chan, Ph.D. | Hosted by Ye Zhang
Rachleff Professor of Neurology | UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences | Division of Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology | Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammation Center | Innovation Program for Remyelination and Repair | University of California, San Francisco

"Myelin wraps up critical period plasticity in the visual cortex"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

November 9, 2022

Noon - 1:00PM
Zoom and 132 NRB Auditorium

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor – Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Life Sciences

"Regenerative Medicine Research Theme | Finding Targets for Cancer Therapy"

Zoom Registration – https://uclahs.fyi/ctsi-seminar
Contact – Sophia Argueta– CTSISeminar@mednet.ucla.edu

November 3, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | John Schoggins, Ph.D. | Hosted by Melody Li
Ph.D. Associate Professor, Microbiology University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center

"Cell intrinsic control of viral infection"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

October 27, 2022

10am - 11am
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Cory Abate-Shen, Ph.D. | Hosted by Hilary Coller
Chair, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Columbia | University Irving Medical Center

"Of mice and men: Learning about human prostate cancer by studying mouse models"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

October 20, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Eva Nogales, Ph.D. | Hosted by Students and Postdocs in Seminar Committee
Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley

"Molecular mechanisms in the regulation of of the gene silencer PRC2"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 6, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Elizabeth Wright, Ph.D. | Hosted by Jose Rodriguez and Maria Flores
Professor of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"Structural studies of viruses by correlative cryo-electron microscopy"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

September 30, 2022

3:30 PM
Boyer 159

D’Juan Farmer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, MCDB, UCLA

"Deciphering the developmental origins of cranial sutures"

CDB Club

September 29, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | James Olzmann, Ph.D. | Hosted by Claudio Villanueva
Associate Professor, Molecular & Cell Biology, Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology | University of California, Berkeley

"Mechanisms of lipid quality control and ferroptosis"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

September 29, 2022

8am - 3pm
RSVP Required for in-person at the Luskin Conference Center –https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/bWn1zVQa/vote

Hannah Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"UCLA / JCCC - Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Retreat 2022"

UCLA / JCCC
Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Retreat 2022

Featured Speakers
Aparna Bhaduri, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biological Chemistry
Vivian Chang, MD, MS
Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatrics
Arion Chatziioannou, PhD
Professor, Molecular & Medical Pharmacology
Harley Kornblum, MD, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Pediatrics,
Molecular & Medical Pharmacology
Robert Damoiseaux, PhD
Professor, Molecular & Medical Pharmacology and Bioengineering
Zoran Galic, PhD
Associate Adjunct Professor, Medicine
Steven Jonas, MD, PhD
Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics
Xinmin Li, PhD
Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Hannah Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology,
UCLA College of Letters & Sciences
Sandra Orsulic, PhD
Professor-in-Residence, Obstetrics & Gynecology - and -
Erina Vlashi, PhD
Associate Adjunct Professor, Radiation Oncology
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

RSVP Required for in-person at the Luskin Conference Center –https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/bWn1zVQa/vote
Contact – Juliana Ryan – jkryan@mednet.ucla.edu

September 26, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Amjad Askary, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"Searching for Patterns in the Spatial Distribution of Cells"

Bioinformatics/ Human Genetics Seminar Series

Zoom Information and Contact – bioinformaticsPhD@lifesci.ucla.edu
Human Genetics Contact – Blanca Ramirez – blancaramirez@mednet.ucla.edu
Website – https://bioinformatics.ucla.edu/seminars/

July 19, 2022

2PM - 3PM
Zoom Registration

Bill Lowry, PhD
Professor, UCLA Department of MCDB

"Defining the Etiology of Monogenic Intellectual Disability Syndromes"

Zoom Registration https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/97703647323?pwd=azVGeExOdVZTc1hhMWsxaTVJc3AvZz09
Sponsor: CA Center for Rare Disease Genomics

June 14, 2022

Noon - 1:00PM
NRB Auditorium and Zoom Registration – https://uclahs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcof-qtrzMiGd0cV3GEWC0nBOvbaBvnDVIL

Amjad Askary, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Life Sciences

"BRI/ Joint Seminars in Neuroscience | Lineage and Cell Fate Determination in the Mammalian Retina"

BRI/ Joint Seminars in Neuroscience - New BRI Member Short Talks

Featured Speakers:
Lineage and Cell Fate Determination in the Mammalian Retina
Amjad Askary, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Life Sciences

Generational Impacts of Early Adversity on Children’s Mental and Physical Health
Bridget Callahgan, PhD
Assistant Professor, Psychology, UCLA College of Life Sciences

Exploration of Human Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity Through Cell Villages
Michael Wells, PhD
Assistant Professor, Human Genetics,
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Neural Circuit Function & Dysfunction in Stroke and Parkinson Disease
William Zeiger, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Neurology - Movement Disorders Division,
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Zoom Registration –
https://uclahs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcof-qtrzMiGd0cV3GEWC0nBOvbaBvnDVIL
Contact – BRI@mednet.ucla.edu
Website – https://bri.ucla.edu/joint-seminars-in-neuroscience/

June 7, 2022

5pm - 5:30pm
Zoom – https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/97788055289?pwd=Tmk2Lzk0cWpOZzgwU2ZmM3JkbjZZdz09 or Contact – Adara Lui – alui@mednet.ucla.edu

Abril Morales, PhD
Postdoc Trainee, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology (B. Lowry’s Lab), UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"Integrative Center for Neurogenetics Seminars | Investigation of Mitochondrial Dysfunction Mechanisms in Rett Syndrome Neurons"

June 2, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Steven Kliewer, Ph.D. | Hosted by Tom Vallim
Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology | Professor, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology | University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center

"Alcohol and the Neuroendocrinology of FGF21: A Sobering Update"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

June 2, 2022

Noon - 1:00PM
Webinar Registration (Zoom) – cancer.ucla.edu/BSCRC-JCCC_Seminars or Contact - Nick Kazden – nkazden@mednet.ucla.edu

Hanna Mikkola, MD, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA

"Broad Stem Cell Research Seminar | Search for the Script for Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal"

May 27, 2022

12 PM PDT on Zoom
Webinar Registration - https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zP7Qz4huTd-HZaDtB7b1Zw

D'Juan Farmer, PhD
Assitant Professor, UCLA Department of MCDB

"For the Love of Science: Letting Scientific Discovery Lead the Way"

D’Juan will compare his research as an undergraduate and how that led to his current research.

May 12, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Kumaran Ramamurthi, Ph.D. | Hosted by Hung Ton-That and Emily Peluso Smith
Deputy Chief, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Senior Investigator | Head, Cell Biology Section | National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research

"Synthetic Bacteria Deliver the Goods (to Cancer Cells)"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

May 5, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Nadya Dimitrova, Ph.D. | Hosted by Hilary Coller
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University

"Long noncoding RNAs: hidden friends and foes in the cancer genome"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

April 21, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | David Schneider, Ph.D. | Hosted by MBI Students and Postdocs
Professor, Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University

"Following host trajectories through disease space to understand resilience mechanisms"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

April 14, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159 and Zoom

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Manu Platt, Ph.D. | Co-hosted by MBI and SEDS
Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

"Powers (and Problems) of Proteases in Tissue Destructive Disease"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

April 7, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159 and Zoom

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Beronda Montgomery, Ph.D. | Hosted by Beth Lazazzera
MSU Foundation Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics | Michigan State University

"Shaping Up and Responding: Color Vision and Light-Dependent Development in Cyanobacteria"

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

March 17, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Cosimo Commisso, Ph.D. | Hosted by Edward De Robertis
Director Associate Professor, Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute

"How Does Glutamine Stress Influence Tumor Progression and Therapy?"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

March 16, 2022

1pm-2pm
Boyer 159

Kirsten Turlo, Ph.D.
Lecturer, UCLA Biomedical Research Minor

"Diversity in Our STEM Ranks: Describing Data, Finding Hope and Seeing Change"

This seminar addresses published literature on racial representation in STEM faculty, data on inequities in NIH research grant award rates and data on racial disparities in STEM graduate student progress. We will report our data on the impact of having open and honest conversations with undergraduates about inequities in STEM, assessed as part of our Biomedical Research 1A: Science in Your Time course. From this talk, new perspectives will be gained on the extent of racial disparities that exist in STEM at all levels. More importantly, we hope that the data will help develop personal strategies for creating a more inclusive environment for students and colleagues. Ultimately, our goal is to describe the status of racial disparities in STEM in the US and find the principles of progress as a community of scientists.

March 16, 2022

1pm-2pm
Zoom – https://uclahs.zoom.us/s/92291142010 Password – 616758

D’Juan Farmer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"OHRC Musculoskeletal Research Seminar Series | Tracing the Development of Origins of Cranial Sutures"

OHRC Musculoskeletal Research Seminar Series
Contact – Fabrizio Billi, PhD – fabriziobilli@mednet.ucla.edu

March 10, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Katey Rayner, Ph.D., F.A.H.A. | Hosted by Tom Vallim
Associate Professor Member, College of the Royal Society of Canada Director, Biochemistry Graduate Program Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology Faculty of Medicine University of Ottawa Heart Institute

"Cholesterol, inflammation and atherosclerosis: Expecting the unexpected"

March 3, 2022

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sundeep Kalantry, Ph.D. | Hosted by Kathrin Plath
Associate Professor, Human Genetics University of Michigan

"Tracing the Evolutionary Origins of X-chromosome Inactivation"

February 24, 2022

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Guojun Bu, Ph.D. | Hosted by Chao Peng
Professor, Neuroscience Mayo Clinic

"Pathobiology of APOE in Alzheimer’s disease"

February 17, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Weizhe Hong, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biological Chemistry, Neurobiology; David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

"Understanding the Social Brain"

February 3, 2022

4pm - 5pm
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D. | Hosted by Hilary Coller
Professor, Medicine-Hematology-Oncology, University of California, San Diego

"Malignant Deaminase Activation Drives Pre-Cancer Stem Cell Generation"

January 28, 2022

8:30AM
Registration Required – https://uclastemcellsymposium.vfairs.com/ | Contact – Steve Peckman – speckman@mednet.ucla.edu

Amander Clark, PhD
Professor & Chair, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences

"18th Annual Stem Cell Symposium | Organoids: Modeling Development, Disease and Therapies"

January 27, 2022

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sara Linse, Ph.D. | Hosted by David Eisenberg
Professor, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Lund University

"Secondary nucleation in amyloid formation"

January 27, 2022

12:00pm (noon) - 1:00pm
Zoom Registration – cancer.ucla.edu/JCCCSeminarSeries | Contact – Nancy Presseau – npresseau@mednet.ucla.edu

Hilary Coller, PhD
Professor, Molecular Cellular & Developmental Biology and Biological Chemistry, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"JCCC Research Seminar | Autophagy in the Tumor Microenvironment"

January 20, 2022

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Titia de Lange, Ph.D. | Hosted by Oliver Fregoso
Titia de Lange, Ph.D.; Leon Hess Professor; American Cancer Society Professor; Head of Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics; Director, Anderson Center for Cancer Research; The Rockefeller University

"Telomere shortening: Why and How?"

January 19, 2022

7am - 8am
Please email OBGYNMedEd@mednet.ucla.edu for zoom information

Amander Clark, PhD
Professor & Chair, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA College of Letters and Sciences

"Grand Rounds/ Obstetrics & Gynecology"

Please email OBGYNMedEd@mednet.ucla.edu for zoom information
Grand Rounds/ Obstetrics & Gynecology
Stem Cells in Reproductive Medicine

January 13, 2022

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Danelle Devenport, Ph.D. | Hosted by Alvaro Sagasti
Danelle Devenport, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular Biology, Princeton University

"Principals of Planar Cell Polarity: From Molecules to Morphogenesis"

January 13, 2022

12:00pm (noon) - 1:00pm
Zoom Registration – cancer.ucla.edu/JCCCSeminarSeries; Contact – Nancy Presseau – npresseau@mednet.ucla.edu

Andrew Goldstein, PhD
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology, and Urology, UCLA College of Letters & Sciences, and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"Understanding How Metabolism Contributes to Cellular Identity and Treatment-Resistance in Prostate Cancer"

JCCC Research Seminar
Website – https://cancer.ucla.edu/news-events/events-calendar/list-view

December 14, 2021

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Zoom registration: Please register at https://web.cvent.com/event/1054ddcb-55f3-4d34-b947-ec765531b790/summary

Thomas Rando, MD, MPH
Professor, Neurology, and Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, and Director, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

"David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA | The Cultural North Star Series - Part 1: Do What's Right"

Zoom Registration: https://web.cvent.com/event/1054ddcb-55f3-4d34-b947-ec765531b790/summary

Sponsor: DGSoM

Contact – Emily McLaughlin – EMclaughlin@mednet.ucla.edu

December 2, 2021

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Cell Biology University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D. | Hosted by Claudio Villanueva"

November 18, 2021

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Yunsun Nam, Ph.D. | Hosted by Feng Guo
Yunsun Nam, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Biochemistry University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

"Mechanisms of microRNA biogenesis and regulation"

November 4, 2021

4pm - 5pm
159 Boyer Hall

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Maitreyi Das, Ph.D. | Hosted by Alice Soragni
Maitreyi Das, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Tennessee, Knoxville

"Principles of cell polarization: a journey through growth and cytokinesis"

October 15, 2021

12:00pm (noon) - 1:00pm
Gonda 159

Hilary Coller, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, and Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"The Role of Autophagy in the Tumor Microenvironment"

Cell Development Biology Club
Contact – Kristen Lorico – klorico@mednet.ucla.edu
Sponsor: JCCC

October 13, 2021

12:00pm (noon) - 1:30pm
Zoom registration – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrfu-qrT4qGtG2ErqjI1MjLrrpIujmlOeL

Siobhan Braybrook, PhD, Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology - and - Yuzhang Li, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
UCLA College of Letters & Sciences - and - UCLA Samueli School of Engineering

"Noble Family Innovation Fund Seminar Series, Part 2 | The Future is Brown: Genetic Engineering Technology Innovation in Kelp"

Noble Family Innovation Fund Seminar Series, Part 2
The Future is Brown: Genetic Engineering Technology Innovation in Kelp

Zoom registration – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrfu-qrT4qGtG2ErqjI1MjLrrpIujmlOeL
Seminar series description – Noble Family Innovation Fund Seminar Series | California NanoSystems Institute (ucla.edu)
For more information, please contact communications@cnsi.ucla.edu.

October 8, 2021

3:30 PM
Boyer 159

Pavak Shah, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, MCDB

"The Development of Behavior"

Sponsor: JCCC

October 7, 2021

4pm - 5pm
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Marco Mangone, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biodesign Institute Arizona State University

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Marco Mangone, Ph.D. | Hosted by Oliver Fregoso"

September 30, 2021

4pm - 5pm
Boyer 159

Dorothy Schafer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Neurobiology University of Massachusetts Medical School

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Dorothy Schafer, Ph.D. | Hosted by Ye Zhang"

June 17, 2021

12pm
RSVP - https://uclahs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsc-6srzgtH9X2QR80u10c6gJ0ulkOMd9Z

Jeffrey Maloy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Teaching at UCLA
Seminar: Supporting LGBTQ+ Students

"Building an inclusive culture for LGBTQ+ individuals in academic biology"

RSVP with this link - https://uclahs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsc-6srzgtH9X2QR80u10c6gJ0ulkOMd9Z

LGBTQ+ Pride Month Seminar
UCLA Graduate Program in Bioscience

June 3, 2021

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Charles KF Chan, Ph.D. | Hosted by John Adams
Assistant Professor, Surgery-Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University

"Skeletal Stem Cells and Beyond"

June 2, 2021

12:00pm (noon) - 1:00pm
Contact – Rosely Encarnacion – rencarnacion@mednet.ucla.edu

Roger Wakimoto, PhD/Amander Clark, PhD/Michael Levine, MD/Jonathan Hiatt, MD/Stephen Smale, PhD
DGSoM/ EDI/ Junior Faculty Seminar Series

"COVID Impacts on UCLA Health Sciences and Life Sciences Junior Faculty"

Speakers:
Roger Wakimoto, PhD
Vice Chancellor, Research; Professor, Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences,
UCLA College of Physical Sciences
Amander Clark, PhD,
Chair & Professor, Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology,
UCLA College of Letters & Sciences
Michael Levine, MD
Vice Chancellor, Academic Personnel; Professor, Psychiatry
& Biobehavioral Sciences
Jonathan Hiatt, MD
Vice Dean, Faculty; Professor, Surgery- and -
Stephen Smale, PhD
Vice Dean, Research; Professor, Microbiology, Immunology
& Molecular Genetics, UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Zoom Registration –
https://uclahs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYlf--pqT0tGdHrmh30Zi68VqfhhXH_sk6L
Contact – Rosely Encarnacion – rencarnacion@mednet.ucla.edu

May 20, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Melina Schuh, Ph.D.
Director, Department of Meiosis Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Melina Schuh, Ph.D. | Hosted by Margot Quinlan"

Abstract: The Schuh lab studies meiosis in mammalian oocytes. In her presentation, Melina will summarize her lab’s recent research on the spindle in mammalian oocytes. Her lab found that human oocyte spindles are surprisingly unstable, and identified functions for actin and a liquid-like meiotic spindle domain for spindle assembly in mammalian oocytes.

In the main part of her talk, she will present recent work from her lab that sheds light on the origin of high aneuploidy rates in mammalian embryos. The vast majority of human embryos are aneuploid. Aneuploidy frequently arises during the early mitotic divisions of the embryo, but the origin of this remains elusive. Using bovine embryos as a model for human embryos, we identify an error-prone mechanism of parental genome unification which often results in aneuploidy. Surprisingly, genome unification initiates hours before breakdown of the two pronuclei that encapsulate the parental genomes. While still within intact pronuclei, the parental genomes polarize towards each other, in a process driven by centrosomes, dynein, and microtubules. The maternal and paternal chromosomes eventually cluster at the pronuclear interface, in direct proximity to each other. Parental genome clustering often fails however, leading to severe chromosome segregation errors, incompatible with healthy embryo development. Nucleoli, which associate with chromatin, also cluster at the pronuclear interface in human zygotes. Defects in nucleolar clustering correlate with failure in human embryo development, suggesting a conserved mechanism.

May 13, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Sarah Slavoff, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sarah Slavoff, Ph.D. | Hosted by Keriann Backus"

May 6, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Sarah Teichmann, FMedSci FRS
Head of Cellular Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute

"MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sarah Teichmann, FMedSci FRS | Hosted by Maureen Su"

April 29, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Shawn Burgess, Ph.D. | Hosted by Marc Liesa-Roig

"Mapping Mitochondrial Metabolism in Liver and its Importance in NAFLD"

Shawn Burgess, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC), Pharmacology
Chief, AIRC Division of Metabolic Mechanisms of Disease
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

April 22, 2021

9am-10am
Please contact mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Bil Clemons, Ph.D. | Hosted by Jose Rodriguez and Tracy Johnson

"A detailed look at tail-anchored membrane protein targeting – from opisthokonts to protists to plants"

Bil Clemons, Ph.D.
Professor, Biochemistry
California Institute of Technology

April 8, 2021

9am - 10am
Zoom – Please contact Nadia at mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Clifford Brangwynne, Ph.D. | Hosted by Margot Quinlan and Kathrin Plath
Director, Princeton Bioengineering Initiative; June K. Wu ’92 Professor in Engineering; Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Princeton University

"Fluid forces – phase separation in, on, and around the genome"

Website – https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

April 1, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

MBI Thursday Research Seminar | Sabine Petry, Ph.D. | Hosted by Margot Quinlan
Associate Professor, Molecular Biology, Princeton University

"How to make microtubules and build the cytoskeleton"

Abstract:
How does a cell construct its microtubule cytoskeleton? According to Feynman’s principle “what I cannot create, I do not understand”, my lab pursues this question by building the chromosome segregation machinery from scratch. I will first tell you how the microtubule framework is generated in a cell. Upon deciphering the function of the most important microtubule accessory proteins, I will present how we use those building blocks to reconstitute a spindle substructure in vitro and determine its building plan. Finally, I will outline how we combine spindle substructures like pieces of a puzzle to assemble and thereby understand a functioning spindle that segregates chromosomes.

By studying how the MT cytoskeleton is built, I hope to help explain how hundreds of proteins can self-assemble on the nm scale into a complex molecular machine 1000-fold larger than its constituents, a challenge for the biochemistry of the 21st century

March 18, 2021

12pm (noon) - 1pm
RSVP HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDISSS21821

Amander Clark, PhD
UCLA: Chair/Prof, MCDB

"Using Pluripotent Stem Cells to Model Human Development"

RSVP HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDISSS21821

ZOOM: https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/94345303264?pwd=bWhhampvYTY2Q1Q4WXd0Vm4yMVhPZz09
ID: 943 4530 3264 Password: CDI2020
Sponsor: Pediatrics

March 17, 2021

3pm - 4pm
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Speaker: Richard Sportsman, PhD and Lauren Goins, PhD
UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; UCLA Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology

"MCDB Post-Doc Seminar Series"

Presenter: Richard Sportsman
UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Title: RNA dynamics of viral capsids

Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of biomolecules in solution is challenging, and to do so in the cellular environment is even more difficult. To get a grasp on how dynamic long RNAs are in cells, cell-free/in vitro systems currently offer ideal systems which can reveal biophysical properties of RNA that may contribute to their biological function.

To study such dynamics, I will discuss studies conducted with an RNA plant virus, brome mosaic virus, which is a model system for understanding dynamic processes like viral capsid self-assembly and disassembly. We characterize the structure and dynamics of the RNA inside and outside the symmetric protein capsid shell and how they may lead to a novel mechanism for viral RNA release and delivery to the host cellular machinery. I will discuss some biophysical approaches we have taken to capture the dynamics of these capsids and how these dynamics play a role in optimizing RNA genome release from viruses.

Presenter: Lauren Goins
Postdoctoral Fellow
(Banerjee Lab)

Title: Unraveling Notch signaling mechanisms controlling crystal cell development.

Abstract
Crystal cells play important roles in antimicrobial immune response and clot formation in Drosophila. Using a combination of transcriptomics and genetic dissection, we have revealed new molecular and cellular mechanisms that control Notch signaling during crystal cell development. These include regulation at the level of RNA, protein, and intracellular localization that ultimately results in a switch between canonical and non-canonical Notch signaling.

MCDB Post-Doc Seminar Series
Sponsor: MCDB

March 11, 2021

5:30pm - 6:30pm
Webinar Registration - https://ucla.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZYy1ehjHTh6kMkhW3Q2dmg

Hanna Mikkola, M.D., Ph.D.; Karen Lyons, PhD; Hilary Coller, PhD; Moderator: Amander Clark, PhD
UCLA MCDB

"UCLA Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology: Women in Science"

Be inspired by renowned female scientists as they discuss their biomedical research focused on finding solutions to high impact problems. This event will showcase the critical role women play in scientific discovery, education and innovation.

Hanna Mikkola, M.D., Ph.D.
UCLA: Prof MCDB

Karen Lyons, PhD
UCLA MCDB/Ortho Surgery

Hilary Coller, PhD
UCLA: Prof MCDB/Bio Chem

Moderator: Amander Clark, PhD
UCLA: Chair/Prof MCDB

March 11, 2021

9am - 10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom link.

William Weis, Ph.D.
William M. Hume Professor in the School of Medicine, Professor of Structural Biology, of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and of Photon Science, Stanford University

"Force-dependent allosteric regulation of cell-cell adhesion"

MBI Thursday Research Seminar

March 4, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Luciano Marraffini, Ph.D.
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Professor, Bacteriology/The Rockefeller University

"CRISPR-Cas13 immunity: sacrificing the host for the population"

Hosted by Hung Ton-That

MBI Thursday Research Seminar

February 25, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Marisa Bartolomei, Ph.D.
Perelman Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology/Co-Director, Epigenetics Institute/University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

"Epigenetic Regulation of Imprinting in Cluster"

Hosted by Patrick Allard

MBI Thursday Research Seminar

February 11, 2021

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu to request Zoom link.

Tzung K. Hsiai, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering, UCLA Cardiovascular Engineering & Light-Sheet Imaging Laboratory, Maud Cady Guthman Endowed Chair in Cardiology

"Light at the End of SARS-CoV-2: Integrating 4-D Light-Sheet and Light-Field to Elucidate Cardiac Morphogenesis"

Abstract:
During cardiac development, peristaltic contraction of the embryonic heart tube produces time-varying hemodynamic forces and pressure gradients across the atrioventricular canal. However, the relative importance of myocardial contraction and hemodynamic force to modulate cardiac morphogenesis remain poorly understood. By using dual illumination and dual detection light-sheet system, we recapitulate flow-mediated Notch1b-Nrg1-ErbB2 signaling underlying the initiation of endocardial trabeculation for contractile function. We demonstrate myocardial contractile force-mediated Notch1b-endothealial mesenchymal transition underlying valvulogenesis in the ventricular outflow tract. Overall, we integrate advanced optics with zebrafish genetics to provide biomechanical insights into cardiac development with translational implications for congenital heart disease.

February 8, 2021

12pm (noon) - 1pm
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Hiruy Sibhatu Meharena, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

"Genomic Imbalance and 3D-Genome Organization in Intellectual Disability"

Abstract:
Genomic imbalances, including aneuploidies and copy number variants (CNVs), are one of the leading causes of intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome (DS) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Rare mutations that disrupt the 3D-genome organization have also been associated with intellectual disability. While these disorders display similar clinical features, the molecular mechanisms underlying this convergence remains unclear. We find that neural progenitors harboring trisomy 21, an aneuploidy that leads to DS, exhibit global 3D-genome reorganization, disruption of the nuclear lamina, and genome-wide chromatin accessibility changes. These features resemble the genome-wide transcriptional and nuclear-architecture changes that are characteristic of senescent cells. Moreover, we find that an ASD-associated mutation in CTCF induces a transcriptional profile similar to those observed in neural progenitors derived from individuals with DS, indicating that there is a molecular mechanism convergence between aneuploidies and chromosomal looping disruptions. Additionally, we find that treatment of neural progenitors harboring trisomy 21 with anti-senescence drugs (senolytics) alleviates the transcriptional and cellular changes associated with the neurodevelopmental malformations observed in individuals with DS. Our findings indicate that senescence plays a key role in the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of DS and pharmacologically targeting senescence may provide a novel therapeutic avenue for treating individuals with DS.

Live virtual zoom – Seminar
Host: Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

February 3, 2021

12pm (noon) - 1pm
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

D’Juan Tyree Farmer, PhD
University of Southern California

"Molecular and cellular control of skeletal progenitors in the vertebrate skull"

Abstract:
Proper organ formation requires the preservation of stem cells across embryonic and postnatal development. I study the vertebrate skull as a model to understand fundamental features of organogenesis. By integrating next-generation sequencing approaches with imaging and genetics in mouse and zebrafish to interrogate cranial suture development, I will share how my research is unraveling the molecular programs that control progenitors and skeletal stem cells as they meet the shifting needs of the growing calvarial bones.

Live virtual zoom – Seminar
Host: Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

February 1, 2021

12pm (noon) -1pm
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Nicole M. Martinez, PhD
Yale University

"Uncovering new functions of RNA modifications in mRNA processing"

Abstract:
Emerging evidence indicates that eukaryotic messenger RNAs are extensively decorated with modified nucleosides that have the potential to regulate eukaryotic gene expression through effects on mRNA metabolism. This talk will describe the discovery that the RNA modification pseudouridine is installed co-transcriptionally to pre-mRNA at thousands of positions by multiple pseudouridine synthases, revealing an endogenous function of pre-mRNA pseudouridylation in pre-mRNA processing. This function of pseudouridine synthases is important for our understanding of the many diseases associated with human pseudouridine synthase dysregulation.

Live virtual zoom - Seminar
Host: Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

January 29, 2021

9am - 11am PST; 12pm - 2pm EST
Virtual, Via Zoom - register to receive the link

Presenter: Amander Clark, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, UCLA

"Gamete Generation from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: How Close Are We to Creating Sperm and Eggs in the Lab?"

Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Monthly Consortia Series

Presenter: Amander Clark, PhD

Infertility is a disease that affects millions of reproductive age men, women, and non-binary persons in the U.S. For persons who want a biologically related child, one of the most common treatments involves invitro fertilization (IVF). However, IVF is not an option for persons who no longer make gametes. Instead, a new experimental procedure known as in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) could be used in these cases.

IVG involves making gametes outside of the body either from stalled gamete precursor cells, or from skin cells that can be turned into egg or sperm cells in the laboratory. Animal models have successfully used IVG to restore fertility, and basic science research is currently translating this technology to human cells - with particular emphasis on reprogramming skin cells into stem cells, followed by IVG into gametes. Amander Clark and Insoo Hyun will consider the scientific, ethical, and policy issues related to IVG as a next generation approach for human reproduction.

Virtual, Via Zoom - register to receive the link - https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehdq9yx4b355217e&oseq=&c=506f7efa-b553-11e9-aefb-d4ae52753a3b&ch=5072bb7e-b553-11e9-aefb-d4ae52753a3b

January 14, 2021

9am-10am
Please contact Nadia at mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information

Maxence Nachury, PhD
Associate Professor, Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco

"Regulated trafficking of signaling receptors out of the primary cilium."

MBI Research Seminar
Website: https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

January 13, 2021

9am-10am
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Adrian Jacobo, PhD
The Rockefeller University, New York, NY

"Symmetry breaking during morphogenesis of a mechanosensory organ"

Abstract:
The development of mechanosensory epithelia, such as those of the auditory and vestibular systems, results in the precise orientation of mechanosensory hair cells and consequently directional sensitivity. After division of a precursor cell in the zebrafish lateral line, the daughter hair cells differentiate with opposite mechanical sensitivity. This process produces neuromasts containing equal numbers of hair cells of two opposite polarities, half of them sensitive to caudad water movement and half to rostrad flow.
Using a combination of experimental tools and mathematical modeling we show how Notch-mediated lateral inhibition produces a bistable switch that reliably gives rise to hair-cell pairs of opposite polarity. This spontaneous symmetry breaking drives polarity-dependent movements of hair cells that lead to the establishment of a mirror-symmetric organization of the organ. We model these reconfigurations by describing the effective surface tensions of the hair cells and the changes in these quantities throughout the developmental process. These results provide a unified experimental and theoretical framework to describe the polarity selection and directed migration of hair cells in the zebrafish lateral line.

January 13, 2021

11am - 12noon
Please contact Stacey at santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Eviatar Yemini, PhD
Columbia University, New York, NY

"Biologist, Know Thy Cells - A Colorful Barcoding Method to ID Cell Types, their Fate, and Decode Brainwide Communication"

Abstract:
A major challenge in biological imaging is resolving cell identities. These are necessary for determining cell-specific protein expression and function, the effect of transcription factors on cell fate, and the contribution of individual neurons to brainwide activity and behavior. Present methods are limited to a piecemeal approach, using multiple strains to identify a few cell types at a time. I introduce a new method and software that can identify many cell types, and in some cases all neurons, in vivo using a single strain. My method combines cell reporters with five distinguishable fluorescent proteins to create unique, stereotyped color codes that identify cell types. I illustrate this in C. elegans, engineering a multicolor transgene called NeuroPAL (a Neuronal Polychromatic Atlas of Landmarks), to create an identical colormap in all worms that uniquely identifies every neuron, showcasing three applications. First, I identify the neuronal expression patterns of all metabotropic receptors for acetylcholine, GABA, and glutamate, thus completing a map of this communication network. My findings indicate that second-messenger systems are the primary means of GABA communication in worm, and further suggest widespread extrasynaptic GABA signaling. Second, I analyze the conserved transcription factor EOR-1/PLZF and, despite its ubiquitous expression, uncover a precise role in neuronal fate. Third, I identify brainwide codes for gustatory and olfactory stimuli. My findings show a complex code that challenges the present view that global neuronal activity is simply low dimensional. To facilitate the workflow, I present semi-automated cell identification software and optimal-coloring software to apply the same method in other tissues and organisms. Lastly, I discuss future applications: investigating how whole-nervous-system activity is remodeled to change behavior during early development, sexual maturation, in response to environmental stress, and even across 15+ million years of evolutionary divergence.

January 7, 2021

9am-10am
Please contact mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information.

Kelly Monk, PhD
Co-Director & Senior Scientist, Vollum Institute

"Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating neuron-glial interactions"

MBI Research Seminar
Website: https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

December 17, 2020

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom link.

Ahna R. Skop, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Professor, Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"Seminar Title - TBD"

MBI Research Seminar
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom link.

December 16, 2020

3pm - 4pm
Please email santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for Zoom link.

Feiyang Ma
Postdoctoral Fellow - Pellegrini Lab

"Single Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Defines the Cellular Architecture of the Antimicrobial Response Network in Human Leprosy Granulomas."

Abstract

Granulomas are complex cellular structures comprised predominantly of macrophages and lymphocytes that function to contain and kill invading pathogens. Here, we investigated single cell phenotypes associated with antimicrobial responses in human leprosy granulomas by applying single cell and spatial sequencing to leprosy biopsy specimens. We focused on reversal reactions (RR), a dynamic process in which some patients with disseminated lepromatous leprosy (L-lep) transition towards self-limiting tuberculoid leprosy (T-lep), mounting effective antimicrobial responses. We identified a set of genes encoding proteins involved in antimicrobial responses that are differentially expressed in RR versus L-lep lesions, and regulated by IFN-g and IL-1b. By integrating the spatial coordinates of the key cell types and antimicrobial gene expression in RR and T-lep lesions, we constructed a map revealing the organized architecture of granulomas depicting compositional and functional layers by which macrophages, T cells, keratinocytes and fibroblasts contribute to the antimicrobial response.

December 16, 2020

3pm - 4pm
Please email santoniuk@mcdb.ucla.edu for Zoom link

Yan Xue
Postdoctoral Fellow - Jacobsen Lab

"Arabidopsis MORC proteins function in the establishment of RNA directed DNA methylation"

Abstract

The Microrchidia (MORC) family of ATPases are required for transposable element (TE) silencing and condensation of heterochromatin in both plants and animals, and C. elegans MORC-1 has been shown to topologically entrap and condense DNA. In Arabidopsis thaliana, mutation of MORCs has been shown to reactivate silent methylated genes and transposons and to decondense heterochromatic chromocenters, despite only minor changes in the maintenance of DNA methylation. Here we provide the first evidence localizing MORC proteins to specific regions of chromatin and find that MORC4 and MORC7 are closely co-localized with sites of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). We further show that MORC7, when tethered to DNA by a specific zinc finger can facilitate the establishment of RdDM. Finally, we show that MORCs are required for the efficient establishment of de novo RdDM when plants are transformed with an FWA transgene, even though morc mutations have no effect on the maintenance of preexisting methylation at FWA. We propose that MORCs act as de novo silencing factors in RdDM complexes by tethering these complexes to DNA to facilitate methylation establishment. These findings have implications for MORC protein function in a variety of other eukaryotic organisms.

December 3, 2020

9am-10am
Please contact Nadia for zoom information – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

Samie Jaffrey, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University

"Understanding the function and dynamics of m6A in the epitranscriptome"

MBI Research Seminar
Please contact Nadia for zoom information – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

November 19, 2020

9am-10am
Please contact Nadia for zoom information – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

Cecilia Moens, PhD
Professor, Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

"Transcriptional Regulation of Heart Development and Congenital Heart Disease"

MBI Research Seminar

Zoom – Please contact Nadia for zoom information.
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

November 12, 2020

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom information.

Benoit G. Bruneau, Ph.D.
Director, Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease/William H. Younger Chair in Cardiovascular Research, Gladstone Institutes/Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UC San Francisco

"Transcriptional regulation of heart development and congenital heart disease"

MBI Research Seminar
Please contact Nadia for zoom information. Contact – – Nadia Avila

November 5, 2020

9am-10am
Please contact Nadia Avila for zoom information.

Cole Trapnell, PhD
Assistant Professor, Genome Sciences, University of Washington

"Embryo-scale, single-cell spatial transcriptomics"

MBI Research Seminar
Please contact Nadia Avila for zoom information.

October 29, 2020

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom information

Dominique Missiakas, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology, University of Chicago

"A tale of two pathogens: Yersinia pestis and Staphylococcus aureus"

Dominique Missiakas, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology
University of Chicago

MBI Seminar Series
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom information
Website - https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 22, 2020

9am-10am
Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom information

Henry N. Higgs, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

"Dissecting the mechanisms by which actin influences mitochondria in mammals"

MBI Research Seminar

“Dissecting the mechanisms by which actin influences mitochondria in mammals”

Henry N. Higgs, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Please email mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for Zoom information

October 8, 2020

9am-10am
Zoom – Please contact Nadia at mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information

Pamela Bjorkman, PhD
Professor, Biology and Biomolecular Engineering, Caltech

"Antibody Recognition of Pandemic Viruses"

MBI Research Seminar

Antibody Recognition of Pandemic Viruses
Pamela Bjorkman, PhD
Professor, Biology and Biomolecular Engineering, Caltech

Zoom – Please contact Nadia for zoom information.
Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu
Website - https://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars

October 7, 2020

12pm-1pm
Register at uclahs.fyi/ctsi-seminar

William Lowry, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology

"Manipulating Metabolism in Hair Follicle Stem Cells to Regulate Activation and Tumorigenesis"

CTSI DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

Manipulating Metabolism in Hair Follicle Stem Cells to Regulate Activation and Tumorigenesis

William Lowry, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
UCLA

Date: October 07, 2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Register at uclahs.fyi/ctsi-seminar

DGSOM Theme: Cancer
In partnership with the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Themes
For additional information, please contact: ctsiseminar@mednet.ucla.edu

October 1, 2020

9AM
Zoom – Please contact Nadia at mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu for zoom information

Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH
Vanderbilt University

"Nutritional Immunity and Microbial Countermeasures"

MBI Research Seminar

Nutritional Immunity and Microbial Countermeasures

Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH

Professor & Chair, Pathology and Microbiology, & Immunology

Vanderbilt University

Zoom – Please contact Nadia for zoom information.

Contact – Nadia Avila – mbiasst@lifesci.ucla.edu

Website:  http://www.mbi.ucla.edu/seminars/thursday-research-seminars/

September 14, 2020

11AM
Please contact Rosemary at cri@mednet.ucla.edu for password information

Arjun Deb, MD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology

"Brief Theme Update: How Heart Scars Regulate Their Own Size"

Cardiovascular Seminar

Brief Theme Update: How Heart Scars Regulate Their Own Size

Arjun Deb, MD

Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology,

UCLA College of Letters & Sciences; and

Medicine, Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Zoom –

https://uclahs.zoom.us/j/4675328384?pwd=MkNncmNRV2I2Zk90U1FNMmYyTHh4QT09

Password – Please contact Rosemary for password information.

Contact – Rosemary Portal – cri@mednet.ucla.edu

Website: https://medschool.ucla.edu/cardiovascular-seminar-series

August 25, 2020

12pm (noon)
Meeting ID: 921 7373 2925 Passcode: 755857

Pavak K. Shah, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology

"From Structure to Function: Dissecting neural development with in toto imaging"

UCLA Molecular Biology Institute
Faculty Seminar

June 30, 2020

12pm (noon)
Meeting ID: 960 2156 5745 Password: 347454

Tracy Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology

"RNA splicing, chromatin modification, and the coordinated control of gene expression"

MBI Faculty Seminar - Tracy Johnson, Ph.D.

Zoom Link: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/96021565745?pwd=UHk3elNobXU5OVEvaFpNNUlmT1BrQT

Meeting ID: 960 2156 5745
Password: 347454

June 10, 2020

3 PM
Meeting ID: 923 8595 2941

Rafael Demarco

"Metabolic regulation of the male germline stem cell niche in Drosophila"

Postdoc Seminar Series
Hosts: Hanna Mikkola and Alvaro Sagasti

June 3, 2020

3 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 943 0973 7474

Noor Khan
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"Microbes replacing synthetic fertilizers and fungicides for sustainable agriculture"

Postdoc Seminar Series
Hosts: Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

May 20, 2020

3 PM
via Zoom (Meeting ID: 943 0973 7474)

Sandra Capellera Garcia
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"Single cell map of the emergence of human hematopoietic stem cells from hemogenic endothelium"

Postdoc Seminar Series
Hosts: Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

May 13, 2020

3 PM
via Zoom (Meeting ID: 943 0973 7474)

Xu Wang
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"New mechanism of plant cryptochromes in regulating photo-responsive gene expressions"

Postdoc Seminar Series
Speaker: Xu Wang, Postdoc from Lin's Lab
Hosts: Hanna Mikkola and Alvaro Sagasti

May 6, 2020

3 PM
via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 943 0973 7474)

Erica Pandolfi
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"Restoring Germline Potential to Patients Diagnosed with Primary Ovarian Sufficiency"

Hosts: Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

April 29, 2020

3 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 923 8595 2941 Password: 794415

Laurent Voisin
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"Cellular cannibalism & senescence"

Postdoc Seminar Series

Hosts: Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

April 22, 2020

3 pm
via Zoom (Zoom Meeting ID: 943 0973 7474, Password: 639989)

Jake Harris
Postdoc, UCLA MCDB

"Activation under repression: who wins and why?"

Postdoc Seminar Series

Hosts: Dr. Hanna Mikkola and Dr. Alvaro Sagasti

March 5, 2020

4PM
159 Boyer Hall

Trent Northen, Ph.D.
Chemist Senior Scientist, Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, DOE Joint Genome Institute

"Exploring the chemistry of microbiomes with mass spectrometry"

Sponsor: MBI - Thursday Research Seminar Series

February 27, 2020

1pm
154 BSRB

Matteo Pellegrini, PhD
UCLA: Prof MCDB

"What Can We Learn About Our Health From DNA Methylation"

Sponsor: OHRC

February 20, 2020

4PM
159 Boyer Hall

Janet Rossant, Ph.D., FRS, FRSC
University of Toronto, Professor, Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynecology

"Defining totipotency- from embryos to stem cells"

Sponsor: MBIDP
Thursday Seminar Series

February 20, 2020

11:30am
154 BSRB

Michelle Chan, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco

"From one cell to many: Deciphering regulation in mammalian development"

Ontogeny describes the emergence of complex multicellular organisms from single totipotent cells. In mammals, this field is particularly challenging due to the indeterminate relationship between self-renewal and differentiation, variation of progenitor field sizes, and internal gestation. Here, we present a flexible, high information, multi-channel molecular recorder with a single cell (sc) readout and apply it as an evolving lineage tracer to define a mouse cell fate map from fertilization through gastrulation. By combining lineage information with scRNA-seq profiles, we recapitulate canonical developmental relationships between different tissue types and reveal the nearly complete transcriptional convergence of endodermal cells from extra-embryonic and embryonic origins. Finally, we apply our cell fate map to estimate the number of embryonic progenitor cells and their degree of asymmetric partitioning during specification. Our approach enables massively parallel, high-resolution recording of lineage and other information in mammalian systems to facilitate a quantitative framework for understanding developmental processes.

Thursday, February 20, 2020
11:30am in 154 BSRB
(Biomedical Research Science Bldg.)
Hosts: Dr. Alexander Hoffmann and Dr. Bill Lowry

Light refreshments

February 18, 2020

12pm (noon)
158 Hershey Hall (Grand Salon)

Manu Setty, Ph.D.
Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY

"Characterization of lineage decisions in developmental trajectories using single-cell data"

How a cell decides its lineage is a long-standing and enigmatic question in molecular biology. I will present my research to characterize lineage decisions in developmental trajectories by computational modeling of high throughput data such as single-cell RNA-seq. I will describe Palantir, the first single-cell trajectory detection algorithm to model continuities in lineage decisions. Palantir models differentiation as a Markov process to compute the lineage biases and differentiation potential, a measure of plasticity, for all cells. Palantir modeling enables an accurate identification of lineage decision regions and associated gene expression and regulatory dynamics. I will then describe our study to characterize the spatial and temporal trajectories of mouse endoderm development. Combining Palantir modeling with a large-scale single-cell data, we uncovered an unexpected plasticity of embryonic epiblast cells to differentiate to the surrounding extra-embryonic endoderm at implantation and the concomitant emergence of the spatial signal in the endoderm. Our analysis further demonstrated the convergence of embryonic definitive and extra-embryonic visceral endoderm cells into spatially organized organ territories in the gut-tube at mid-gestation.

February 13, 2020

4pm
159 Boyer Hall

Mitchell Lazar, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania

"Transcriptional Regulation of Circadian Rhythms and Metabolism"

Sponsor: MBIDP - Thursday Research Seminar Series

February 12, 2020

12pm
1357 Gonda

Zeba Wunderlich, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine

"The Connections Between Enhancer Architecture and Function"

To carry out an enormous diversity of tasks, proteins can assume a variety of structures or disordered states, and years of work have made the connection between protein sequences, structures, and functions. Enhancers and other pieces of regulatory DNA regulate gene expression in highly disparate biological processes, but we still lack general principles that can help us connect enhancer sequence, transcription factor binding site arrangement (or architecture), and function. In my seminar, I will share two projects that seek to make connections between the way enhancers are built and the tasks they carry out in two biological settings: early development and the innate immune response in Drosophila. In the first part, I will describe a mechanism by which redundant (shadow) enhancers control expression noise, and in the second, I will describe the patterns of evolution that drive divergence in the expression response to bacterial infection.

February 3, 2020

12pm
158 Hershey Hall (Grand Salon)

Johannes Schöneberg, PhD
UC Berkeley

"Adaptive Optics Lattice Light-Sheet Imaging and AI Powered Big Data Processing of Live Stem Cell-Derived Organoids"

New methods in stem cell 3D organoid tissue culture, advanced imaging, and big data image analytics now allow tissue-scale 4D cell biology but currently available analytical pipelines are inadequate for handing and analyzing the resulting gigabytes and terabytes of high-content imaging data. We expressed fluorescent protein fusions of clathrin and dynamin2 at endogenous levels in genome- edited human embryonic stem cells, which were differentiated into intestinal epithelial organoids. Lattice light-sheet imaging with adaptive optics (AO-LLSM) allowed us to image large volumes of these organoids (70 × 60 × 40 μm xyz) at 5.7 s/frame. We developed an open-source data analysis package termed pyLattice to process the resulting large (∼60 Gb) movie data sets and to track clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) events. We then expressed fluorescent protein fusions of actin and tubulin in genome-edited induced human pluripotent stem cells, which were differentiated into human cortical organoids. Using the AO-LLSM mode on the new MOSAIC (Multimodal Optical Scope with Adaptive Imaging Correction) allowed us to image neuronal migration deep in the organoid. We augmented pyLattice with a deep learning module and used it to process the brain organoid data.

January 23, 2020

1pm - 2pm
154 BSRB

Dan Cohn, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology and Orthopaedics Surgery

"The TRPV4 Skeletal Dysplasias: Genetics, Mechanism, Mouse Models and Prospects for Therapy"

OHRC Musculoskeletal Research Seminar Series
Seminar title: The TRPV4 Skeletal Dysplasias: Genetics, Mechanism, Mouse Models and Prospects for Therapy

Speaker: Dan Cohn, PhD
Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology
and Orthopaedics Surgery,
UCLA College of Letters & Sciences,
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Contact – Gloria Kiel – gskiel@mednet.ucla.edu

January 23, 2020

5pm - 6pm
27-200C CHS

Andrew Goldstein, PhD
Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology and Urology; UCLA College of Letters & Sciences and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

"Prostate Aging, Tumorigenesis and Metabolism"