Paul Muchowski Ph.D. pmuchowski@gladstone.ucsf.edu I was born in Montreal, Canada. I obtained my Ph.D. in Biological Structure at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1998, where my thesis focused on protein folding and molecular chaperones. Subsequently I moved to Martinsried, Germany where I was a post-doctoral fellow with Ulrich Hartl at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry. In the Hartl lab I began to characterize the role of molecular chaperones in Huntington's disease, and developed a yeast model to study polyglutamine aggregation. I next returned to Seattle for a second post-doctoral stint with Stanley Fields in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington. My research in the Fields' lab was centered on understanding basic cellular mechanisms that regulate polyglutamine aggregation. In 2001 I was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, also at the University of Washington. In 2005 I moved my laboratory to the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, where I was appointed as an Associate Investigator. I also hold an appointment as an Associate Professor in the departments of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and Neurology, at the University of California, San Francisco.

Monica Gutierrez, B.A., Administrative Assistant mgutierrez@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from San Francisco State University.  I support Dr. Paul Muchowski and Dr. Fen-Biao Gao here at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), and I am responsible for coordinating the GIND Weekly Seminars.  I have always had a strong interest in the biological sciences, so supporting two research labs has been a good fit for me. When I’m not at Gladstone, I’m busy singing, traveling, shopping, or trying new places to eat among the thousands of good restaurants in San Francisco.  Also, most of my time is devoted to my family—my fiancé, Phil, and our five year-old daughter, Jaden.  One last thing I have to mention is that I’m a sucker for the shows “24,” “Heroes,” and “Lost,” and I can spend hours, even entire days, watching them on DVD (Couch potato, I know).

Graduate Students

Ching-Fern (Sue-Ann) Lee slee@gladstone.ucsf.edu I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.Sc in Microbiology. I'm currently a graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSF. My project involves studying the role of alpha-synuclein in protein trafficking in the context of Parkinson's Disease. I'm interested in languages and I try to learn new ones or improve on the ones I currently speak whenever I can.

Wanda Kwan, B.Sc. Wanda.Kwan@ucsf.edu I received a B.Sc in Pharmacology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. I'm currently a graduate student in the Biomedical Sciences Program at UCSF. I like to cook, eat, and shop! I also love animals, so I volunteer at the SPCA every weekend. My project studies the effects of mutant huntingtin (the protein mutated in HD) in microglia in vitroro and in vivo.

Jill Larimore, B.Sc. Jill.Larimore@ucsf.edu I graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry: Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 2005. I am currently a graduate student in the Neuroscience program at UCSF.  When I'm not busy in lab I like to play the piano, go running, cook elaborate dinners (my dad is a chef), and going to jazz clubs. The goal of my project is to better understand the transcriptional regulation of genes in the Kynurenine pathway and Alzheimer's disease in microglia.

Paul Larkin, B.Sc. Paul.Larkin@ucsf.edu I grew up in North Carolina and when I go home I always stop by Bojangles for the sweet tea that I can't get elsewhere. I was there recently and noticed the caption on a sign advertising their Famous Fried Chicken as, “Southern born and breaded.” I thought, “mmmm just like me!” (If puns were deli meat, I'd like the wurst.) After high school I decided to experience winter, so I went to Amherst College and studied Chemistry and Ultimate Frisbee. After graduating I worked at the NIH,NIMH (yes, I got to work with the Rats of NIMH!) and then at a small biotech in Washington, DC. Those experiences convinced me that I wanted to go to grad school for Neuroscience, so now I'm happy to be here at UCSF studying the role of microglia,and especially the kynurenine pathway,in neurodegeneration.

Angela Sia, B.S. Angela.Sia@ucsf.edu I graduated from the University of Tampa (FL) in 2005 with a B.S. in Biology. I am currently a Biomedical Sciences graduate student at UCSF. I grew up in Northern Kentucky, the home for Cincinnatians who live on the southern banks of the Ohio River. For this reason, I am not only a UK Wildcats fan, but also a fan of the Bengals, the Reds, and Skyline Chili. I love to travel, hike, play sports, soak up the sun when it's not foggy, and watch bad TV. Also, it must be said that I have an obsession with pandas. My project is to develop and study yeast models for misfolded proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Post-doctoral Fellows

Rebecca Aron, Ph.D. raron@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a Ph.D. in Biomolecular Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and joined the Muchowski lab in March '07. My research interests involve studying the contribution of protein misfolding to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease.  When not in the lab, I enjoy spending time outdoors.  Some of my interests include cycling, rock climbing, skiing, and playing team sports, especially ultimate frisbee.

Justin Legleiter, Ph.D. jlegleiter@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. My research interests are focused on elucidating the physicochemical aspects and molecular mechanisms of nanoscale self-assembly of biological macromolecules that lead to toxicity. Atomic force microscopy is the primary tool I use in these studies, and I am currently focused studying the aggregation of huntingtin, which is involved in Huntington's disease. In my leisure time, I enjoy playing classic video games, reading, trying new wines, watching college athletics, and playing prison rules basketball.

Gregor Lotz, Ph.D. glotz@gladstone.ucsf.edu I joined the Muchowski lab as a postdoc in November 2005 after completing my Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Tübingen, Germany. My current project focuses on the oligomerization of amyloidogenic proteins, especially huntingtin, and how molecular chaperones influence oligomerization. When not conducting experiments at the bench, I like to watch movies, travel with my wife, dine out, spend time with friends (family), and of course…eat chocolate. I also love playing and watching most sports, especially soccer… But at this moment I am most exited about recently becoming a father to a baby boy, named Alexander.

Jean Savare, Ph.D. jsavare@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and a PharmD from the University of Montpellier, in France. During my spare time, I can be pretty active (I like running, playing squash and hiking), but I also don't dislike having some rest on my couch, reading or watching a movie. I am interested in the basic cellular function(s) of full-ength Huntingtin, and particularly in its role in intracellular transport. I use biochemical and genetic approaches in yeast, and RNAi techniques in mammalian neuronal models of Huntington's disease.

Vicente Sancenon-Galarza, Ph.D. sgalarza@gladstone.ucsf.edu I graduated with a B.S. and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Valencia in Spain. I like photography and outdoor activities, but also experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. My primary research interest in the lab is to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of a small mammalian protein, α-synuclein, implicated in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Daniel Zwilling, Ph.D. dzwilling@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a MSc degree and PhD from the University of Goettingen at the International Max Planck School for Molecular Biology. I am a rock guitarist and an instructor for Wing Chun Kung Fu. I also teach my 1 1/2 year old son how to head bang and dance to heavy metal and I enjoy learning from my wife how to cook authentic cuisine from Trinidad and Tobago. Some people say I look like Adrien Brody in “Summer of Sam”. I am investigating the role of the kynurenine pathway in Alzheimer's disease.

Research Associates

Jennifer Troung, B.S. jtroung@gladstone.ucsf.edu I recently joined the Muchowski lab after graduating from UC Davis majoring in NPB (Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior) and psychology. I assist the other RAs, graduate students, and post-docs with genotyping and breeding mice. On my free time I like to shop, play the piano, and trying new restaurants.

Jason Lee, B.S. jplee@gladstone.ucsf.edu I joined the Muchowski lab as a research associate in October 2006 after having received a BA from Swarthmore College. I utilize gene knock-in and knock-out mouse models to examine the role of kynurenine aminotransferase, an enzyme in the kynurenine pathway that synthesizes a neuroprotective metabolite, in Huntington's Disease. Outside of lab, I enjoy going to concerts, playing basketball, building and riding bikes, and hanging out with my friends.

Che-Ping Ng, B.S. cng@gladstone.ucsf.edu I received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Iowa State University in May 2006. I like going out with friends and doing some outdoor sports such as hiking, camping and cycling. I love to eat and I am adventurous, so I like to try out new restaurants in SF. I study the roles of molecular chaperones in neurodegenerative diseases.

Shao-Yi (Lily) Huang shuang@gladstone.ucsf.edu I grew up in Taiwan, but went all the way to Iowa State University for my MSc in Genetics. Upon finishing my degree, I moved to CA and joined Muchowski lab at the Gladstone Institutes. So, as you can see, I love traveling and appreciate cultural variety. I really like watching movies, but have only been in a movie theater once….twice….oh, well, maybe three times per year, so I am currently investigating the possibility of subscribing to Netflix. Also, few people have noticed that Karaoke is actually my favorite hobby. Oh, yes, right, project assignments….I am the mouse-keeper in the lab and actively involved in making and analyzing mutant mice. By the way, I am a heavy chocoholic.