Honors & Awards

  • Fellow, Summer Opportunities in Engineering Research and Leadership, Stanford University (2023)
  • Tau Beta Pi Fellowship, The Engineering Honor Society (2023-2024)
  • Graduate Research Fellowship Program, National Science Foundation (2023-2027)
  • Graduate Fellowship in Science & Engineering, Stanford University (2023-2028)

Education & Certifications

  • BS, Cornell University, Mechanical Engineering, Biological Engineering (2023)

Contact

  • Academic
    rockyan@stanford.edu
    University - Student Department: Bioengineering Position: Graduate

Additional Info

All Publications

  • Novel requirements for HAP2-mediated gamete fusion in Tetrahymena. Research square Pinello, J., Loidl, J., Seltz, E., Cassidy-Hanley, D., Kolbin, D., Abdelatif, A., Rey, F., An, R., Newberger, N., Bisharyan, Y., Papoyan, H., Byun, H., Aguilar, H., Cole, E., Clark, T. 2023

    Abstract

    The ancestral gamete fusion protein, HAP2/GCS1 catalyzes sperm-egg fusion in a broad range of taxa dating to the last eukaryotic common ancestor. Remarkably, HAP2/GCS1 orthologs are structurally related to the class II fusogens of modern-day viruses, and recent studies make clear that these proteins utilize similar mechanisms to achieve membrane merger. To identify factors that may regulate HAP2/GCS1 activity, we screened mutants of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila for behaviors that mimic Δhap2/gcs1 knockout phenotypes in this species. Using this approach, we identified two new genes, GFU1 and GFU2, whose products are necessary for the formation of membrane pores during fertilization and show that the product of a third gene, namely ZFR1, may be involved in pore maintenance and/or expansion. Finally, we propose a model that explains cooperativity between the fusion machinery on apposed membranes of mating cells and accounts for successful fertilization in T. thermophila's multiple mating type system.

    View details for DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2928984/v1

    View details for PubMedID 37292678

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10246275

  • MRTF may be the missing link in a multiscale mechanobiology approach toward macrophage dysfunction in space FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY An, R. 2022; 10

    View details for DOI 10.3389/fcell.2022.997365

    View details for Web of Science ID 000860781800001

    View details for PubMedID 36172272

  • CAMDLES: CFD-DEM Simulation of Microbial Communities in Spaceflight and Artificial Microgravity LIFE-BASEL An, R., Lee, J. 2022; 12 (5)

    View details for DOI 10.3390/life12050660

    View details for Web of Science ID 000804910100001

    View details for PubMedID 35629329

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0944-1358