I am a 5th year graduate student in the lab (as of September 2007). I grew up in Taiwan and came to the United States roughly 10 years ago and completed my B.A. in Molecular Cell Biology at UC Berkeley in 2001. After graduation, I spent 2 years work as a full-time Research Associate in the lab of Professor Mark Schumacher, Department of Anesthesia in UCSF where I studied the gene regulation of Vanilloid Receptor 1 (a.k.a. TRPV1) and expression cloning of novel pain-related mechano receptor. I also worked in Dr. Sylvia Hua's lab in Western Regional Research Center, Department of Agriculture, to search for natural compounds inhibitory to fungal growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis. My projects in the Arispe lab involves several aspects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling and association of VEGF with the extracellular matrix.

Aaron Der - I am a laboratory assistant in the Arispe Lab. I graduated with my bachelorÕs degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology in the spring quarter of 2009. I did research for my undergraduate thesis here and I am now working full time in the lab. My goal is to characterize intracrine VEGF signaling using fluorescent tags. My project, and my life, are a work in progress. .

Courtney Domigan - I am a second year graduate student in the Arispe Lab as of fall 2008. I was raised in Massachusetts but moved out to sunny California for my undergrad at UC Santa Cruz where I received a BS in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. During this time I worked as an undergraduate slave and then later as a technician with Alice Vrielink and Grant Hartzog. Here I spend a year after graduation studying the transcription factor Spt5 and making a lot of mistakes. My obligatory young adult year in San Francisco took me to Dan Minor's lab at UCSF in the lovely new campus by the ballpark. In the Minor lab I worked primarily on a high throughput screen looking for small molecule ion channel modulators. Now at UCLA, I have finished three rotations, joined the mighty Arispe Lab and have begun work on VEGF post translational modifications and the development of a chimeric mouse model for vascular development.

Josephine Enciso, M.D., Assistant Professor in Residence, Pediatrics/Neonatology & Developmental Biology - My research interest is in understanding the function and role of endothelium in blood vessel morphogenesis and inflammation and ultimately how these processes, when dysregulated, contribute to clinically relevant pathologies such as congenital birth defects and preterm labor. I received my MD at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 1996 and completed my residency in Pediatrics in 1999 at Tufts University School of Medicine/New England Medical Center-Floating Hospital for Children. I received my initial research training in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Madri, Professor of Pathology, at Yale University School of Medicine from 1999-2003, at which time I also completed subspecialty fellowship training in Neonatology/Perinatal Medicine. In November 2007, I joined the Division of Neonatology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In the Arispe Lab, I am currently investigating the endothelial cell-specific role of progesterone receptor in inflammation. .

D'Juan Farmer - In the Fall I will be in my fourth year at UCLA as a Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology major. I am continuing my project working with Dr. Ann Zovein on the effects of estrogen disruption on placental development. In the future I aspire to continue in the research field.

SUMMARY .

Lauren Goddard - I am a first year graduate student in Luisa's Lab. I grew up in South Brunswick, New Jersey, and attended Rutgers University where I received a B.S. in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a minor in psychology. I worked in the lab of Dr. Shu Chan Hsu for 3 years where I completed my senior thesis on the role of the exocyst complex in plasma membrane addition, and its effects on cultured spinal cord neurons in the presence or absence of the inhibitor NOGO. My current research in Luisa's lab will focus on the role of the progesterone receptor in vascular smooth muscle cells by studying a smooth muscle specific progesterone receptor knockout mouse.

I am a fifth year graduate student in the Arispe Lab as of Fall 2007. I grew up in the Wine Country of Northern California and later attended college at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, where I graduated summa cum laude in 2001 with a BA in Biology. During that time I participated in the Murdock Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Oregon Health and Science University in the laboratory of Dr. Beth Habecker, investigating the genetic pathway controlling norepinephrine synthesis in neurons. This piqued my interest in pursing a career in science and after joining the Arispe Lab here at UCLA in 2004, I began studying the Notch signaling pathway. In particular, my research is focused on characterizing the role of Notch1 and its ligand Jagged1 in blood vessel development and homeostasis in mice.

Sravya Keremane SUMMARY .

Marie La Russa - I recently graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology with a minor in French. I have been working in the powerhouse that is the Arispe lab since January 2009 and continue to do so while I apply to graduate school in the field of Molecular Biology. IÕve done work studying the patterning of beta 1 integrin throughout the vasculature and am currently studying the stability of VEGF in a matrix- bound versus a soluble environment.

Stephanie Lauw - I am a lab assistant at the Arispe lab as of July 2009. Prior to being hired as a lab assistant, I volunteered since the summer of 2007 as an undergraduate student while attending UCLA. In June 2009, I graduated with a BS in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, and minor in Biomedical Research. In my spare time, I like to be a lab slave and help others with their projects. In addition to my responsibilities as a lab assistant, I am continuing on my work on the role of ADAMTS-1 during embryonic development. I have also recently been assigned to a project that maps the vascular development of the mouse retina. I hope to attend medical school in the near future. .

Ryan Ponec - I am a 4th year undergraduate molecular, cell, and developmental biology major with a minor in biomedical research at UCLA as of fall 2009. Originally from San Diego, I have lived in Southern California for most of my life and become thoroughly spoiled by being able to wear shorts year round (when I am not in lab, of course). I began working in the Arispe lab in the fall of my 3rd year and hope to keep working there until I graduate. I am currently studying the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells from the vasculature during development under the guidance of Ann Zovein. .

Hello, I am Ana Rivas. I am originally from San Salvador, El Salvador and arrived to the USA 28 years ago. I have been in the lab since 1999 as a Research Assistant. It has been wonderful to witness all the wonderful discoveries that have happened. To me the lab is like being in school (but without the tests), I feel constantly stimulated and excited.

Jason Scapa - I am a third year undergraduate here at UCLA majoring in MCDB and minoring in Biomedical Research. I have been an undergraduate researcher in the Arispe Lab since January 2009. I am from Orange County, California and UCLA was always one of my top choices to attend for my undergraduate degree because of the academic reputation, world-renowned faculty ,and opportunities in research. In the Arispe Lab I am interested in studying the phenotypic expression of Jagged1 and Beta1 Integrin double knockouts in the smooth muscle of the vasculature in mice models. Jagged1 is an important ligand in the Notch Pathway, while Beta1 Integrin is a cell adhesion molecule known to have significant effects on cell to matrix attachment. My research is concerned with the effects of these double knockouts on fibrosis in the vasculature through their interaction in expression of PDGFRBeta.

Tony Torres-Collado - Hi, I'm a postdoctoral scholar in Arispe's lab. I am originally from Mallorca (a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea). I received my Ph.D in Barcelona, where I learned everything I know about ADAMTS1 from Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Manzaneque. I want to unravel the mechanisms that implies this extracellular matrix protease in development and pathology. I love music, western blotting and smiley people.

Justine Walker

Hi I am Liman, better known as the "Mouse Master". I was born and raised in China and came to the USA in 1997. I have been in the Arispe lab since 2004 contributing to the well-being and progress of all transgenic lines. I love this family of researchers.

I received my undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, summa cum laude, from Boston University, and then pursued a Medical Doctorate at Boston University School of Medicine. Moving westward, I underwent Pediatric residency training with board certification at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. There, I also completed my Neonatology subspecialty training through the Pediatric Scientist Development Program, with the scientific component conducted in the Arispe laboratory. Presently, I'm a fellow in the Arispe laboratory as a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine scholar. My research focus entails the contribution of endothelium to hematopoietic stem cell emergence and maintenance. We hope that by understanding the role of the endothelium in embryonic hematopoiesis, translational applications can be made to allow for optimal hematopoietic stem cell growth and expansion for use in patient transfusions and transplants.

Carmen Warren - I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Arispe laboratory. My career in research began at the University of California, San Diego where I received my BS is Biochemistry and Cell Biology in 2001, and MS in Biology in 2002. At UCSD, I conducted research in the laboratory of Dr. Tama Hasson on the role of the motor protein myosin VIIa in cellular trafficking. I decided to pursue my PhD in Biological Chemistry here at UCLA, where I studied under the guidance of Dr. Ralf Landgraf. My dissertation research focused on signaling by the ERBB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Specifically, I studied the post-translation control of ERBB3 constitutive turnover and ligand-induced downregulation. In the Arispe laboratory, my project involves characterization of autocrine VEGF signaling in endothelial cells. In addition, I am studying the role of autocrine VEGF signaling pathways in resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy.