Our Members
Current Members
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Karl Willert, PhD
Principal Investigator
kwillert@ucsd.health.edu
Karl received his PhD from UCSF, did his post-doctoral research at Stanford, and joined UCSD as an Assistant Professor in 2008. He is currently a professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. More info is available at https://profiles.ucsd.edu/karl.willert
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Christina C.N. Wu, PhD
Project Scientist
c5wu@health.ucsd.edu
Tina received her Ph.D. from University of Minnesota, did postdoctoral research at Tufts University/Immune Response Corp./UCSD and joined Moores Cancer Center as an Assistant Project Scientist in 2004. She is currently a Project Scientist at the Willert lab. More info is available at https://profiles.ucsd.edu/
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Naycari De Luna
Lab Manager
n1deluna@health.ucsd.edu
Naycari De Luna graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a biology degree. She was a CIRM intern in 2019 with the Willert Lab and has since joined as a Staff Research Associate. Naycari’s research investigates the role of Wnt signaling in hematopoietic stem cell development in collaboration with the Traver Lab at Cedars Sinai. Additionally, she assists with current breast cancer studies in a murine model. Outside of lab, Naycari enjoys ceramics, running and music.
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Erin Hairston
Lab Assistant
erhairston@ucsd.edu
Erin was a CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research intern who has since joined the lab as a lab assistant. Her project primarily focuses on evaluating the effect of a Fzd7 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) on breast cancer cells. Outside of the lab, Erin can be found hiking, reading a good mystery novel, or exploring San Diego.
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Meghana Krishnan
Undergraduate Student
mkrishnan@ucsd.edu
Meghana is an undergraduate student at UC San Diego pursuing a degree in general biology. In the lab, her project involves the biochemical characterization of a mutant Wnt5a protein correlated with the autosomal dominant form of the genetic disorder Robinow Syndrome. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, watching cult classic comedy films, and going out for ice cream with friends.
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Steve Pham
Undergraduate Student
s3pham@ucsd.edu
Steve is currently studying to get his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at UC San Diego. As an undergraduate volunteer in the lab, he is interested in studying cancer development and Wnt-related proteins that may be associated with tumor growth. He’s excited to gain exposure to new topics and techniques relevant to the field of biotechnology. Outside of the lab, Steve’s hobbies include listening to hip hop and R&B music, working out at the gym, and watching anime and sports with his friends.
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Dareana Cabada Gonzalez
CIRM Masters Student
dcabadagonzale1443@sdsu.edu
Dareana is a Master’s student in Microbiology at San Diego State University and a CIRM Bridges intern in the Willert Lab. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology Engineering with concentrations in Biocatalysis & Enzymology and Food Science from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Her research focuses on protein purification and studying WNT9A/FZD9 signaling in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development. She is passionate about understanding how Wnt signaling pathways regulate stem cell fate and contribute to developmental processes. Outside of the lab, Dareana enjoys cooking new recipes, staying active through weightlifting and cardio, and unwinding with a good book.
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Mia Feuer
CIRM Undergraduate Student
mfeuer1626@sdsu.edu
Mia is an undergraduate student in Nutrition at San Diego State University, and she’s thrilled to be part of the Willert Lab as a CIRM intern. In lab, she is developing an inducible Fzd7 knockout cell line to investigate the role of Fzd7 in promoting ovarian tumor cell proliferation and assess its viability as a target for therapeutic intervention. In her free time, Mia loves going surfing, traveling, and hanging out with her friends and family.
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Lab Alumni:
Post Docs
Matthieu Bauer
David Brafman
Stephanie Grainger
Jason Ross
Stephanie Soltero
Pooja Sonavane
Sameena Wani
PhD Students
David Brafman
Myan Do
Ian Huggins
Nathan Kumar
Jenna Richter
Kelly Ross
Medical Students
Damian Ng
Masters Students
Neha Balaji
Eric Chu
Natalie Kardos
Nikki Nguyen
Sakshi Pradhan
Kevan Shah
Tyler Sloan
Neya Suresh-Kumar
Undergraduates
Holly Aur
Grober Baltazar
Rocio Barahona
Olivia Gaylord
Max Herrerias
Jiahao Huang
Sneha Lakshmanan
Brianna Lonquich
Albert Lowe
Riley Mills
Hannah Morris-Little
Nikki Nguyen
Krystal Oon
Amelia Prada
Hailey Rowe
Jordan Setayesh
Nikita Shah
Alexandra Stanley
Rylee Start
Neya Suresh-Kumar
Alyssa Vukcevich
Sara Wirth
Kelsey Yang
Staff Research Associates/Lab Assistants
Olivia Gaylord
Diana Gumber
Erin D. Jeffs
Ashley Key
Jon Okubo
Christine Phung
Lab Technicians
Antonio Fernandez
Noel Moya
CIRM Bridges Interns
David Anjakos
Emily Carnahan
Sarah George
Diana Gumber
Brett Henninger
Erin D. Jeffs
Nathaniel Kenner
Ashley Key
Daniel McCoy
Ellen Mintz
Sakshi Pradhan
Angeline Puranen
Alessandra Rodriguez
Xuefan Shi
Aubrey Stiers
Tanisha Takhar
Julia Thulin
Visiting Scholars
Julia Busch
Daisy Canepa
Ivana Djurica
Janina Hattemer
Christina Jessen
Tamás Kovács
Aline Mika Matsuguma
Luca Perna
Charlotte Rossdam