Director

Gino A. Cortopassi Professor | Principle Investigator Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) | Pharmacology and Toxicology (PTX) 📧 gcortopassi@ucdavis.edu 📍 3007 Vet Med 3B

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

Senior Scientists

Alexey Tomilov Project Scientist Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📞 (530) 754-9341 📧 atomilov@ucdavis.edu 📍 3007 Vet Med 3B

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.

Sandipan Datta Assistant Project Scientist Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📞 (530) 754-9341 📧 sddatta@ucdavis.edu 📍 3011 Vet Med 3B

Elena Dedkova Associate Professor Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) | Pharmacology and Toxicology (PTX) 📞 (530) 752-3758 📧 ededkova@ucdavis.edu 📍 3009 Vet Med 3B

Research: Dr. Dedkova’s research is focused on developing new therapeutics for lethal cardiomyopathy in Friedreich's Ataxia (FA). She uses most clinically relevant animal models of FA and pharmaceutical interventions in combination with the state-of-the-art in-vivo imaging techniques. Friedreich's ataxia is a monogenic recessive ataxia caused by reduction of a single mitochondrial protein, frataxin. Although the name of Friedreich's ataxia refers to the neurodegenerative ataxia, most patients with FA die in their 30s from cardiac failure, caused by deficient frataxin expression in the heart. Currently, there is only one FDA approved therapy (SKYCLARYS) available for the treatment of neurological symptoms but less is known how this treatment affects the heart. The ultimate goal of Dr. Dedkova’s work is to investigate the signaling mechanisms which lead to the progression of ataxia, neurodegeneration and cardiac failure in Friedreich's ataxia, identify potential drug treatments which can ameliorate the development of disease and extend the life of affected individuals. Moreover, Dr. Dedkova has a long-standing interest in examining effects of ketones and ketogenic diets on cardiovascular health. Dr. Dedkova has identified the role of 18-kDa outer mitochondrial membrane transporter (TSPO) protein in cardiovascular health and disease. She published her research data in high-impact journals such as Circulation Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Cardiovascular Research, Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), Frontiers in Mitochondrial Biology, and many others. Her work is supported by the National Institutes of Health and Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) grants. Research Interests: Drug development, Heart Failure, Cardiac Hypertrophy, Cardiac Metabolism, Cardiovascular Signaling, Mitochondrial Function, Type 2 Diabetes, Ketones, Ketogenic diets, TSPO In her free time, Elena enjoys walks along American River in Sacramento, cooking, and weekends trips to nowhere with her husband Jayson.

Joy Jiang Associate Professor Department of Internal Medicine 📧 joyjiang@ucdavis.edu 📍 3009 Vet Med 3B

Post Doc

Lili Salinas Post Doctorate Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 lrsalinas@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Lauren (Ren) 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.

Staffs

Claire Montgomery Head Animal Colony Manager & General Lab Manager Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 cbmontgomery@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

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.

Lauren Adcock Junior Specialist Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 leadcock@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Lauren (Ren) 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.

Nick Lin Lab IT Technician & Undergraduate Researcher Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) | Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) 📧 nsclin@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Nick is currently a 4th year Undergraduate studying Biomedical Engineering and Music Composition. He joined the Cortopassi lab in 2024 as the IT Technician while he also participated in the Computational Studies on the Shc Protein using Molecular Dynamics (AmberMD) His focuses includes the automation of the MD workflow with multiple molecule and exploring various analytical methods for MD. In addition to his work he likes to play the violin, piano and compose music for film in his free time.

PhD

Francisco Figueroa 5th Year PhD Candidate Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 ffigueroa@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Maria Lo Tufo 2nd Year PhD Student Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 mlotufo@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Maria Lo Tufo is a 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.

Harshini Anand 2nd Year PhD Student Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 hanand@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Harshini is a PhD 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.

Undergraduate

Alexander Errington 4th Year Undergraduate Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 awerrington@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Alexander is an undergraduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a current fourth-year at UC Davis. He is working with drugs that inhibit the mTORC1 pathway, and analyzing their efficacy using a protein quantification assay called SimpleWestern™. Alex is interested in drug discovery and development, and it is something he would like to do after working towards a Masters degree or PhD in the future. Alex grew up locally in the Bay Area, around San Francisco and San Mateo. He also met requirements for a Biotechnology CERT from College of San Mateo before transferring to UC Davis. Outside of the lab, Alex spends his free time exercising, playing the guitar, playing some computer games, and cooking. His favorite cuisine is French, and his favorite dish is potato gratin.

Ryan Sellers 3rd Year Undergraduate Department of Molecular Biosciences (VMB) 📧 resellers@ucdavis.edu 📍 3010 Vet Med 3B

Ryan is a third-year undergraduate Cell Biology major at UC Davis. He is currently researching Friedreich’s Ataxia, focusing on cardiomyopathy and heart pathology using cell culture and mouse models. He plans to pursue a PhD after graduation, with a focus on molecular and medical biology. Outside of work, he enjoys painting, playing board games, and unwinding with TV shows such as House MD.