Mentor: Mikail Abbasov

Education:

University of California, Berkeley – B.A., Molecular and Cell Biology (2017)
University of California, Berkeley – B.S., Chemistry (2017)

Awards and Honors

• New Phytologist Poster Prize (2016)
• Cal Script Award (2017)
• American Collegiate Rowing Association National Champion (2017)
• Cornell University Graduate Fellowship (2021-2022)

Research Experience:

• Undergrad Research Apprentice (2015-16) – Paul Fine Lab (Chemical Ecology, UC Berkeley)
• Undergrad Student Researcher (2016-17) – Raul Andino Lab (Virology, UC San Francisco)
• Full-time Staff Research Associate (2018-2020) – Raul Andino Lab (Virology, UC San Francisco)

Current Research Activities:

Acquired mutations are the predominant drivers of cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Conventional cancer treatments are based on the upregulation of certain pathways in the tumor, but do not necessarily discriminate between the proteins expressed in healthy versus tumor cells. Arginine-to-cysteine and glutamate-to-lysine mutations are some of the most acquired amino acid substitutions, and thus may play a key role in tumorigenesis. The unique chemistry of cysteine and lysine residues makes them suitable for direct binding to small molecules. My interdisciplinary research leverages innovative mass spectrometry-based chemical proteomics technologies to expedite the discovery of cysteine- and lysine-reactive small molecules and assign the functional state of protein activities for a range of pathophysiological processes.  My research aims to identify mutant proteins harboring druggable cysteines and lysines acquired by mutations, determine whether binding of these amino acids perturbs biochemical and cellular functions of proteins that support cancer progression, and optimize selective small-molecules that elicit mutation-specific cancer cell inhibition. This research will enrich our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that support tumorigenesis and identify novel protein targets for next-generation, individualized cancer therapies.