Graduate Student
University of Miami
I am a biochemistry and molecular biology PhD student in Dr. David B. Lombard's lab at the University of Miami. Before coming to Miami, I completed my undergraduate bachelors of science degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara in cell and developmental biology. After graduating, I became a staff research associate in Dr. Mana Parast's lab and a technician at the Stem Cell Genomics Core at the Sanford Consortium, a research group affiliated with the University of California, San Diego.
My current research at the University of Miami focuses on addressing the involvement of sirtuin 5 (SIRT5) in promoting cell persistence in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (MPNST). MPNST is a rare sarcoma, most commonly seen in individuals with a genetic mutation in the neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) gene. Data generated in the lab has shown that SIRT5, a desuccinylace found in the mitochondria, when knocked down promotes cell death in MPNST cells. We have found that SIRT5 interacts with enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of acetyl-CoA from vitamin B (panthothenate) and are now defining the interaction between SIRT5 and the enzymes to better understand the overall role of the protein in MPNST.