Harshini is a graduate student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology graduate group. Her current research is focused on how the inhibition of mTORC1 can lead to decreased activation of pro-inflammatory microglia.
Originally from Bangalore, India, she obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences. During her undergraduate degree and post-graduation, she worked on projects primarily involving computational chemistry.
Outside of work, she enjoys going on long walks, cooking while jamming to her favorite music, and playing with her cat.
Alexey Tomilov
Elena Dedkova
Garrett is a undergraduate student studying Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. He is the mouse husbandry expert and our assistant colony manager, as He mainly works in Meyer hall with the colony.
His interests includes traveling, hiking, and trying out new technology.
Ariana Banerjee
Joy Jiang
Jordan Shore
Maria Lo Tufo
Harshini Anand
Lili is a fifth year PhD student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology (PTX) graduate program. She's studying Friedreich's ataxia, specifically the effect of drugs on cardiomyopathy in various mouse models of Friedreich's ataxia. She received her bachelor's degree in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Willamette University.
In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking as well as camping and hiking.
Garrett Cox
Chase Garcia
Sandipan Datta
Lauren Adcock is a junior specialist in the Cortopassi lab. She has been with the lab since 2022 when she worked as a student researcher while getting her bachelors in biotechnology at UC Davis. She started in the lab working in drug discovery for Shc inhibitors and treatments for Fredrich's Ataxia. She is now working in toxicology on mitochondrial toxins (Quaternary Ammonium Cations) in both tissue culture and mouse models. Her favorite assay is Western Blot!
In addition to her research, she enjoys training labmates and organizing the lab. In her free time, she likes playing video games, hiking through redwood forests, and taking her cat on walks.
Jordan is currently researching Shc inhibitors using Q-RT-PCR to measure the change in Shc mRNA expression in HEK cells dosed with various drugs. His main research interest is aging, with his primary project in the lab focusing on the Ketogenic Diet. He also specializes in the automation of biological protocols, such as cDNA synthesis, using the Opentrons OT-2 liquid handler robot.
As of June 2024, Jordan is an NPB graduate from UC Davis with a minor in Spanish. Outside of work, he enjoys rock climbing and participating in triathlons.
Alexey studied targeted drug discovery for aging and metabolic disease, precision medicine, precision polypharmacology by real time target engagement.
Alexey likes to practice Karate, and play classical music.
Lauren Adcock
updated on 07/18/24
Director: G.A. Cortopassi
Professor of Molecular Biosciences
Maria Lo Tufo is a first-year PhD student in the Pharmacology and Toxicology program. Her current research focuses on the application of Shc inhibitors to reduce brain inflammation, an area that holds significant potential for advancing treatments for neuroinflammatory conditions.
She earned her Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Pisa in Italy. Her thesis, titled “Synthesis and Computational Studies for the Development of New Potential Inhibitors of ERp57 Protein,” explored innovative approaches in drug development and computational chemistry.
She was born and raised in the picturesque town of Lucca, located in the beautiful region of Tuscany, Italy, where her family still resides. Outside of her academic pursuits, She enjoys boxing as it helps her stay fit and relieve stress. The discipline and focus required in boxing complement her dedication to research. Additionally, She loves going to the movie theatre to watch the latest releases.
Gino studies Mitochondrial pathophysiology and therapeutics in Neurodegeneration, Mitochondrial pathophyisology and therapeutics for Liver Injury, Shc mechanism of neuro- and hepato-protection, and mTORC1 inhibition in cancer and age-related disease
Lili Salinas
Claire has been with the Cortopassi lab for 6 years functioning as the Animal Colony Manager in addition to helping manage day-to-day lab function, purchasing, and trainings.
Claire is involved in many projects spanning from Friedreich’s ataxia to Alzheimer’s disease, with extensive expertise in rodent behavioral testing, specialized dissections, and in vivo experimental design. Additionally, she is involved in wet lab analysis of both cell and tissue samples to identify inflammatory outcomes of known (e.g. LPS-induced) or unidentified toxins (such as QACs). She has most enjoyed her time working on orphan mitochondrial diseases such as Friedreich’s ataxia or Leigh Syndrome using their mouse models.
Claire enjoys attending sporting events, especially soccer and baseball, as well as concerts of all types. She often spends her downtime working on fabric crafts, such as knitting or cross-stitch.
Claire Montgomery
Ariana is a recent UC Davis graduate with a B.S in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior with a minor in Psychology. She has been a part of the Cortopassi lab since 2023 working as an Undergraduate research assistant funded by the NIH Advancing Diversity in Aging related Research (ADAR) program. Her research focuses on the effects of Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) modulation of aging-related markers in mouse and human microglia!
Outside of the lab, Ariana enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and volunteering in the community!
Chase Garcia is a 5th year PhD student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology (MCIP) Graduate Group. Chase is also a veterinary student and a member of the Veterinary Scientist Training Program (VSTP) at UC Davis. Chase is finishing his PhD and returns to veterinary school in Fall 2024. Chase has been studying metabolic hypotheses for Alzheimer's disease during his PhD ranging from the interaction of Apolipoprotein E genotype and insulin signaling, to the effect of beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) on microglia, whose dysregulation is heavily implicated in Alzheimer's pathophysiology. In the past, most recently, Chase has investigated the physiology of pancreatic islet endo- and paracrine cell types in dogs, cats, and mice using confocal microscopy in Mark Huising's lab at UC Davis. Chase also investigated the efficacy of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors in the UC Davis type 2 diabetes rat model in Dr. Peter Havel's lab in collaboration with Dr. Bruce Hammock's lab. Chase also studied the mechanisms behind the life-extension effect from caloric restriction using a novel tandem mass spectrometric method in Dr. Mark Hellerstein's lab at UC Berkeley, which culminated in his honors thesis there. In his free time, Chase likes to get outdoors and hang out with friends and family. During long weekends or breaks he will often plan trips to travel, backpack, hike, camp, get in the water in summer, or hit the slopes in winter.