Shashanka Murthy

Research Assistant

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Sebastian Canovas, DVM, PhD

Posdoctoral Fellow
(July 2008 – present)

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Sebastian is a postdoctoral fellow from the Program for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine of Andalucia, Foundation "Progreso y Salud", in Seville, Spain. Dr Canovas received his DVM in 2002 from the University of Murcia (Spain), where he worked for six years (2003-2008) in the research group, Physiology of Reproduction. in 2005 he completed his Master's degree in Biotechnology of Reproduction in Mammals, and in 2007 he earned his PhD from University of Murcia (Spain). During his PhD thesis research he studied gamete interaction in human, pig, and cow, and the role of oviduct-specific glycoprotein in polyspermic fertilization. Following completion of his PhD, Sebastian worked in the production of transgenic animals using sperm-mediated gene transfer technique until July 2008, at which time he joined Dr. Cibelli's laboratory. His research is now focused on understanding the mechanisms of nuclear reprogramming and differentiation. To elucidate these mechanisms, Sebastian uses in vitro fertilization in cattle and induced pluripotent (iPS) cells in human as models. Specifically, he studies the role of sperm RNA in cattle development. Also, he is developing methods for enhancing the efficiency in the production of safe iPS cells to use as disease models. Sebastian hopes these studies will help lead to cures of diseases such as diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and other rare disorders, which are specific objectives of the Andalusian Initiative for Advanced Therapies.

Tak Ko, MS

Graduate Research Assistant/Lab Manager
(March 2003 - present)

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Tak is the Laboratory Manager/Research Assistant of the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory (CRL). His main project is “Reprogramming of somatic cells to make stem cells”. In addition to running a laboratory Tak takes care of numerous lab maintenance duties as well as most of the molecular biology work including qRT-PCR, RT PCR/PCR, Southern/Northern/Western Hybridization and construction of expression vectors in mammalian system. He also performs other research duties involves animals and human Embryonic Stem Cell culture that are being processed in the CRL and differentiation.

Tak received his Masters of Science degree in Microbiology (in the field of molecular biology and Genetics) from Michigan State University. While at MSU, Tak worked in the area of cloning and characterization of the aod-2 alternative oxidase regulatory gene of Neurospora crassa. Physiological analyses of fungal mitochondrial respiration. Another project involved cloning and nucleotide sequence of the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase-gamma of Neurospora crassa. (Genebank Accession # AF111068).

His previous research experience was at the University of Michigan where his main research project was the investigation of the bone preosteoblast's requirement for an unidentified bone accessory cell, which allows us to culture purified populations of bone precursor cells in vitro, and microspicules forming on the bones.

Neli Ragina, PhD

Neli Ragina is a Ph.D. candidate in the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory. Neli first entered the Genetics Program at the Michigan State University in the fall of 2003 and was officially accepted as a PhD candidate in the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory in December 2003. Her project focuses in expanding differentiation potential of Cyno-1 cells. Cyno-1 cells are parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells derived from a non-fertilized Cynomolgus macaque egg.

The aims of her project are:

1. Downregulate the expression of H19 in Cyno-1 cells
2. Determine the extent of in vivo differentiation in H19 downregulated Cyno-1 cells.

Neli acquired her Master's degree in Molecular Biology with an emphasis of Clinical Chemistry from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria in 2002. During that time Neli worked at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria, where she further developed her interest in gene expression and regulation.

AWARDS:

2002 First award for oral presentation, International Congress of Medical Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

1. M. Abouzied; A. Horvath; P. Podlesny; N. Regina; V. Metodiev; R. Kamenova-Tozeva; N. Niagolova; A. Stein; E. Petropoulos; V. Ganev; 2002. Ochratoxin A concentrations in food and feed from a region with Balkan Endemic Nephropathy; Food Addit Contam Aug; 19(8): 755-64.

2. N. Ragina; A. Horvath; V. Ganev; I. Andonova; J. Genova; et al; Association of common genetic variants of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (CYPs, GSTs, NAT2) with the Balcan Endemic Nephropathy: A study in the Vratza’s district of Bulgaria (ongoing for publication in premedicus).