IDI PhD program current student research projects and lab rotation as of Spring 2014
IDI PhD Student passed their QE and Advanced to Candidacy
Isa Arias
PI: Warner Greene (UCSF)
Research Interests: My project(s) center around the mechanisms of HIV CD4 T cell depletion.
Will file dissertation and graduate in Spring 2014.
Danica Helb
PI: Phil Rosenthal (UCSF)
I am studying the relationship between infection with Plasmodium falciparum and the resulting immune
response in humans in order to determine which antibodies are required for protection against malaria
disease. I am also working to identify biomarkers that can be used to assess population-level dynamics of
exposure to P. falciparum, with the goal of developing a public health tool for malaria surveillance and
assessment of control interventions.
Liana Chan
PI: Henry Chambers (UCSF)
Research Interests: I am interested in mecA-independent mechanisms of beta-lactam resistance in
Staphylococcus aureus as well as bacterial stress responses to antibiotic exposure.
On filing fee Spring 2014, will file dissertation and graduate in Spring 2014
Ebere Sonoiki
PI: Philip Rosenthal (UCSF)
Research Interests: I am investigating the mechanism of action of two novel benzoxaboroles against
plasmodium falciparum.
Will file dissertation and graduate in Spring 2014
Mao Taketani
PI: Michael Fischbach (UCSF)
Research Interests: I am studying a cryptic surface structure produced by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron,
an abundant gut bacteria found inhumans. I am interested in understanding the role of this structure
during colonization of the human host and its potential interaction with the mucosal immune system.
Zoe Davis
PI: Britt Glaunsinger (UCB)
Research Interests: My interests are in host-pathogen interactions, specifically exploring how viruses
hijack cellular machinery as a necessary part of their lifecycle. I am studying the relationship between
host and viral proteins in the AIDS-related pathogen Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)
Michael Schump
PI: Lee Riley (UCB)
Research Interests: I am focused on host-directed immunotherapies for tuberculosis (TB). The
goal of my project is to identify immune modulators which beneficially alter the host-pathogen
interaction to be combined with standard antibiotics for improved treatment of TB.
Aaron Whiteley
PI: Daniel Portnoy (UCB)
Research Interests: My interests are in host-microbe interactions of intracellular pathogens. I
work on the conserved bacterial secondary messenger cyclic-di-AMP, which is essential for
growth in a wide variety of bacteria and a ligand for the mammalian innate immune system. My
project seeks to understand bacterial processes coordinated by cyclic-di-AMP in Listeria
monocytogenes.
Jonathan Portman
PI: Daniel Portnoy (UCB)
Research Interests: The goal of my research is to elucidate molecular mechanisms employed by Listeria
monocytogenes that restrict the cytotoxic activity of the secreted pore-forming toxin, Listeriolysin O
(LLO), during infection. One project involves a unique form of post-transcriptional regulation that when
perturbed, leads to elevated levels of LLO secretion, and a drastic loss of virulence.
Sheila Adams-Sapper
PI: Lee Riley (UCB)
Research Interests: My current project focuses on bacterial factors mediating carbapenem
heteroresistance in KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae.
Second year students who will take their QE in Spring 2014:
Matthew Gardner
PI: Britt Glaunsinger
Research Interests: I am interested in how viruses (particularly KSHV) modulate cellular
machinery. It is possible to learn a great deal about both viral life cycles and mammalian cellular
biology by examining what viruses target in their hosts and how they alter those targets. Of
particular interest to me is the proteasome and the various roles it plays in infected and
uninfected cells.
Nicole Tarlton
PI: Lee Riley
Research Interests: I am very interested in antimicrobial resistance in gram-negative bacteria. My
current project focuses on NDM-1 carbapenemase mediated β-lactam resistance, and methods to
neutralize the activity of this enzyme in the gram-negative bacteria that produce it.
Meghan Zuck
PI: Richard Stephens
Research Interests: I am interested in host-pathogen interactions, specifically exit and immune
evasion mechanisms of Chlamydia trachomatis.
First year students who are doing their second lab rotations:
Dustin Glasner-Eva Harris lab
Research Interests: mosquito factors that impact early entry and infection of Dengue Virus;
factors that lead to capillary leakage in Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever; Hantavirus ecology and
quasispecies dynamics; viral ecology, emergence, and evolution; viral metagenomics
Daniela Andrade – Harris Lab
I am interested in understanding how the host immune response to dengue infection provides
either protection or enhancement in secondary infection. My current project focuses on
investigating if antibodies from a primary dengue infection confer protection by means of
antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in a heterotypic secondary infection.
Danielle Pedersen- Stanley lab
Research Interests: In my current lab rotation I am beginning to explore molecules important for
metabolism in macrophages under stress conditions. I am interested in understanding the role of
nitric oxide on the regulation of glycolytic factors upon macrophage activation. This change in
glycolytic regulation can occur through stress signals and also through infection with the
intracellular pathogen Tuberculosis. I hope to study the metabolic changes to host cell
metabolism induced by infection with this pathogen.