School of Medicine
Showing 571-580 of 1,584 Results
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Israel Juarez Contreras
Postdoctoral Scholar, Biochemistry
BioI am a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Rajat Rohatgi at Stanford University, where I study how membrane organization controls sterol accessibility and signaling. I earned my Ph.D. at UC San Diego with Itay Budin, where I uncovered how sterol structure and sphingolipid composition regulate membrane phase behavior in yeast and reconstituted systems. My current work translates these biophysical principles into disease-relevant contexts, with a focus on lysosomal lipid organization and sterol trafficking defects, including those associated with NPC1. Ultimately, I aim to establish an independent research program that defines how cells interpret membrane physical properties and how their dysregulation contributes to human disease.
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Vanessa W.Y. Kan
Postdoctoral Scholar, Neurosurgery
BioI am a second-year postdoctoral researcher in Irene Llorente’s laboratory at the Department of Neurosurgery. I completed my Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences GSN-LMU in Munich, Germany, where I was trained as a circuit neuroscientist. During my doctoral work, I focused on dissecting the circuit mechanisms underlying cortical hyperexcitability in ALS, uncovering the pathophysiological role of hyper-responsive layer 2⁄3 neurons (one of the main inputs to layer 5) in the disease course. Currently, my research bridges circuit neuroscience, stem cell biology, and bioinformatics to explore mechanisms of neural repair and regeneration. I utilize advanced experimental and computational tools, including in vivo calcium imaging in awake, freely behaving rodents; machine learning-based motion sequencing (MoSeq); anterograde and retrograde viral tracing techniques; and transplantation of iPSC-derived glial-enriched progenitors and cortical interneurons. In parallel, I apply spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA sequencing to map cell-type–specific interactions and molecular signatures during neural circuit remodeling.
My research focuses on understanding the circuit mechanisms underlying neurological conditions such as stroke and identifying how cell-based therapies mediate repair. The ultimate goal of my work is to uncover molecular and cellular processes that promote graft–host integration and functional recovery, paving the way for next-generation regenerative therapies for the injured brain.
In addition to translational research, I am also passionate about scientific education and outreach. I mentor community college students twice a year through the Stanford Science Small Group, in which I share my own experience in research and guide them through the research process. To expand my outreach efforts, in the past summer, I collaborated with Invent Your Own Future as well as The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and organized a summer camp on Neuroscience x AI research for over 20 high school students in Hong Kong. -
Vishnu Priya Kanakaveti
Postdoctoral Scholar, Oncology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am interested in elucidating molecular mechanisms of MYC-driven drug resistance and immune evasion in cancer using computational and experimental models.
