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Joel Sandler:
My research involves the isolation and characterization of bioactive secondary metabolites from marine
organisms. As a graduate student in marine natural products chemistry, I have learned how to handle small
molecules, from purification (HPLC) to structural elucidation (MS, NMR) and determination of absolute
configuration. I have adapted and implemented a cell-based assay using budding yeast (Saccharomyce cerevisiae)
mutants deficient in various cell-cycle checkpoint and damage repair mechanisms.
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Erin Gontang:
As a third year graduate student in Dr. William Fenical's lab, I am studying the diversity of Gram-positive
bacteria in marine sediments. My current research is focused on describing the diversity of Gram-positive bacteria
isolated from sediments collected during our 2004 research expedition to Palau. I am particularly interested in
identifying unicellular members of the order Actinomycetales. Gram-positive bacteria, and actinomycetes in particular,
are well known producers of antibiotics. The phylogenetics and the ability of these recently isolated, marine derived
strains to produce unique secondary metabolites are under investigation.
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Sebastian Sudek:
Before SIO I studied Zoology and Physiological Chemistry at Johannes-Gutenberg-University in Mainz Germany,
my research thesis focused on mammalian-like receptor tyrosine kinases in marine sponges . I came here to work
with Margo Haygood on the biosynthesis of natural products in bacterial symbionts of marine invertebrates.
Bryostatin is one example of a compound which very likely originates from an unculturable bacterium that
is found within the animal the compound was originally isolated from. Using molecular biology techniques
I have isolated and characterized some promising biosynthetic candidate genes. Currently I am trying to
heterologously express parts of these genes in Bacillus subtilis. This will allow proof of function and
could also form the basis for biotechnological production of Bryostatin.
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Kim Thamatrakoln:
I am a Marine Biology graduate student studying diatom silicon transporters.
Diatoms are eukaryotic phytoplankton that form silica-based cell walls with
precisely formed, species-specific, nanoscale structures. The silicon
transporters are a novel family of proteins responsible for the uptake of
silicon. My research is focused on understanding the mechanism by which
these transporter recognize, bind, and transport silicon. Nanotechnologists
are interested in the use of diatoms because of their ability to make
complex three-dimensional nanostructures out of silicon, an element that has
tremendous commercial importance as a principal component of glass,
computers chips, and coatings. Silicon is also important for optically-based
technologies used in the global information industry. Because of the unique
ability of the silicon transporters to directly interact with soluble
silicon, understanding the functional details of their transport mechanism
may prove useful for industrial applications.
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Dong-Chan Oh:
I am interested in discovery of new antibiotic compounds from marine
microorganisms. My research projects focus on induction or enhancement
of new secondary metabolite production by culturing two different marine
microbial strains together and investigation of structurally novel
antibacterial natural products from marine actinomycetes.
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Nicole Turkson:
Nicole Turkson received her undergraduate education at The College of
Wooster, Ohio where she majored in Biology. After graduation, she went on
to the University of South Florida and obtained her Master's Degree in
Marine Science under the supervision of Dr. Pamela Hallock-Muller and
co-advisor Dr. Ross Longley of the Habor Branch Oceanographic Institution.
Her thesis was entitled: "Mechanisms of Multidrug Resistance in a Human
Uterine Sarcoma Cell Line Following Exposure to Discodermolide, a New
Microtubule-stabilizing Compound from a Marine Sponge "
Nicole's current research is supervised by her doctoral advisor William
Fenical at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD Center for Marine
Biotechnology and Biomedicine, and conducted in collaboration with the
Nizet Lab at the UCSD School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases.
Her project focuses on the identification of novel antibiotics and
membrane pump inhibitors from marine sources which may be effective in
combating antibiotic resistance.
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Julie C.Robidart:
I study the heat tolerance of the bacterial symbionts of the hydrothermal
vent polychaete Alvinella pompejana. This worm is thought to be the most
heat-tolerant animal on Earth and has been found to live in temperatures
as high as 80°C (176°F) It builds its home on actively venting chimneys,
where temperatures are among the most variable and extreme on the planet.
Alvinella's symbionts live on hairs that cover the worm's dorsal side, and
studies of their heat tolerance will provide insight into the physiological
mechanisms that these organisms employ in order to live and grow at such extremes.
Because the worms and their associated bacteria cannot be maintained for long
after they emerge from depth, direct temperature studies cannot be performed
in the lab. Therefore, the means by which I am studying their capacity to tolerate
temperature fluctuations involves testing the activities of their enzymes. This system
is an ideal one in which to find heat-tolerant enzymes, which are useful in bioindustry.
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Eric Miller:
I am a fourth year graduate student in the Fenical laboratory. After receiving my baccalaureate
degree in aquatic biology from UCSB I gained employment within the San Diego biotech industry.
I worked therein for four years where I focused mainly on the development and subsequent
production of antibody based immunoassays. Near the end of my time in the biotech industry
I became very interested in cancer biology and had always desired to return to studying the
marine environment. After attending a seminar given by Dr. Fenical I pursued and was ultimately
granted admission to his laboratory. I have since been focused towards the discovery of cytotoxic
compounds from novel marine Actinomycete sources.
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Wendy Strangman:
I am a 3rd year grad student in the Fenical laboratory. I am studying natural products chemistry
of marine microbes. In a collaboration between SIO and then UCSD Medical School, I am using molecules
produced by marine bacteria to probe the interactions between immune system cells in an attempt to find
novel compounds which have potential anti-asthma activity. I am also working on the isolation and
structural elucidation of the molecules that are active in my asthma assay.
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Alejandra Preito-Davo:
I am a third year student in professor Fenical's laboratory. My main interest is finding new sources
for novel natural products. At the moment I am working on the diversity of marine actinomycetes in
near shore sediments. My work is directed towards finding novel phylogenetic groups that produce
novel chemical compounds. I am also interested in studying the molecular biology and genetics of
these organisms in order to develop them as producers of secondary metabolites.
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Christine Anderson:
I was introduced to biological research by working in four different medical molecular biology labs
in college - during the school year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and during the summers in my hometown
of Madison, Wisconsin. The summer before my senior year of college I had my first opportunity to combine
my interests in molecular biology and marine biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. After graduating
from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000 with a B.S. in Biology I returned to SIO for
my graduate work. I am currently in my 5th year as graduate student in marine biology with Margo Haygood.
I am interested in symbioses between bacteria and marine invertebrates in which it is known or hypothesized
that the bacteria produce bioactive compounds that chemically defend their host. My thesis research focuses
on two marine bryozoans, Bugula neritina and Watersipora arcuata, and their bacterial symbionts. Understanding
symbioses like these, which give invertebrates access to the varied metabolic capabilities of bacteria, will
give us the potential to tap into bacterial resources more effectively.
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