CIRM
UCI - CIRM SRL Program
People
Pluripotent Stem Cells
Core Leadership and Personnel
Anita Lakatos Director, CRISPR Core alakatos@hs.uci.edu
Anita Lakatos has been the CRISPR Core manager since November 2021. She has over 10 years of experience in the application of bioinformatics and biostatistics to multi-dimensional OMICS data, and in providing support and training to students and faculty.
Mathew Blurton-Jones, PhD Faculty Advisor mblurton@uci.edu
Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones' research on the molecular mechanisms that drive the development of neurodegenerative diseases includes testing CRISPR-mediated correction of mutant microglial genes coupled with iPSC-microglial transplantation for therapeutic benefits in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and primary microgliopathies.
3D Bioengineering and Organoid Core (3BOC)
Core Leadership and Personnel
Medha Pathak, PhD Director medhap@uci.edu
Dr. Medha Pathak uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand how mechanical forces regulate neural stem cell fate during development and repair. Her lab discovered that piconewton-scale cell-generated forces activate the mechanically-gated ion channel Piezo1, and that this activity modulates multiple physiological processes.
Quinton Smith, PhD Associate Director quintons@uci.edu
Dr. Quinton Smith's research focuses on bridging the gap between fundamental stem cell biology and the clinical application of stem cell derivatives, leveraging organ-on-chip platforms and 3D bioprinting.
Herdeline Ardoña, PhD Faculty Advisor hardona@uci.edu
Dr. Herdeline Ardoña's lab employs transformative molecular engineering approaches to seamlessly control or probe biological phenomena involving excitable cells using engineered biomolecules.
Momoko Watanabe, PhD Faculty Advisor momokow@uci.edu
Dr. Momoko Watanabe's research focuses on assessing human-specific brain development and diseases using brain organoids derived from human embryonic stem cells (hES cells) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).
Tayloria Adams, PhD Faculty Advisor tayloria@uci.edu
Dr. Tayloria Adams' lab utilizes electrokinetic techniques and microfluidic platforms to understand the heterogeneity of cancer and stem cell populations. "We push cells around for therapeutics."
Flow & Mass Cytometry Core at the Stem Cell Research Center
Core Leadership and Personnel
Pauline Nguyen Core Technician nguyenpu@hs.uci.edu
Pauline Nguyen has over 5 years of experience in flow cytometry and cell sorting. She supports daily operations, training, and technical assistance, ensuring optimal use of the facility's technologies and smooth coordination of experiments.
Vanessa Scarfone, MSc Director vscarfon@uci.edu
Vanessa Scarfone has managed the Flow Cytometry Core facility since its inception in 2010 and brings nearly 20 years of experience in flow cytometry and cell sorting. She has extensive expertise in CyTOF experimental design, instrumentation operations, and high-dimensional data analysis, and has trained hundreds of researchers in advanced flow and mass cytometry techniques.
Matt Inlay, PhD Faculty Advisor minlay@uci.edu
Dr. Matt Inlay brings over 25 years of experience using flow cytometry to study hematopoietic stem cells, embryonic development, and immune system interactions. His research employs transplantation and lineage tracing approaches, and he has served as the Core's faculty advisor for more than a decade.
iPSC Culturing Core
Core Leadership and Personnel
Christina Tu Director/Instructor htu@uci.edu
Christina Tu brings over 19 years of expertise to the forefront of induced pluripotent stem cell research and education. As the Director of the iPSC Culturing Core facility, she combines technical mastery with leadership in advancing stem cell technologies and training the next generation of researchers. Her innovative teaching has trained over 600 participants in cutting-edge iPSC techniques.
Microscope Imaging Core
Core Leadership and Personnel
Allia Fawaz, M.S. Microscopy/Imaging Core Manager, fawaza@uci.edu
Allia Fawaz offers expertise, training, and support for a variety of imaging equipment, including dissection, widefield, and confocal microscopes such as the Zeiss LSM 900 Airyscan 2 and Olympus FV3000. She also assists with non-imaging equipment such as molecular imagers, plate readers, quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) systems, multi-electrode array (MEA) systems, X-ray irradiation systems, spectrophotometers, fluorometers, tissue processing equipment, centrifuges, and hypoxia workstations. Allia has developed comprehensive training materials including videos and detailed protocols, and has created competency assessment tools to verify proficiency before granting equipment access.
Leadership
Brian Cummings, PhD SCRC Co-Director cummings@uci.edu
Craig Walsh, PhD SRL Program Director cwalsh@uci.edu
Randal Berg, PhD SRL Co-Director rberg@uci.edu