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The Escorcia Laboratory

Escorcia Lab Alumni

Kennedy Kuchinski

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

Class: 2023

Career Path: Ph.D. in Pharmacology

Xavier Award(s): 2023 Biology Department Award

Lab Project(s):

  1. Contribution of ribosome stalling to early cancer onset (bioinformatics)
  2. Mutational analysis of driver and pathogenic muations in diagnostic liver enzymes (bioinformatics)
  3. Neurodegeneration through accelerated aging in C. elegans (genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)
  4. Role of creatine HCl in C. elegans animal size and locomotion (genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)
  5. Examination of mutational disruptions in cancer of two CYP450-related enzymes important for metabolizing anti-pain, anti-depression, and anti-Covid drugs (bioinformatics/pharmacology)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • Mutations in cancer contribute to accelerated aging through RQC pathway instability 

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Early-Life Caffeine Exposure Induces Morphological Changes and Altered Physiology in Caenorhabditis elegans (2023). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 

In Preparation:

  • First author of Mutations in cancer contribute to accelerated aging through RQC pathway instability 
  • First author of Mutational deregulation of CYP2D6 and CYP34A in human cancers

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s):

 

Tommy Scandura

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

Class: 2023

Career Path: M.D.; currently completing an M.S. in Physiology at University of Cincinnati

Lab Project(s):

  1. Role of creatine HCl in C. elegans animal size and locomotion (genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)
  2. Contribution of ribosome stalling to early cancer onset (bioinformatics)
  3. Mutational analysis of driver and pathogenic muations in diagnostic liver enzymes (bioinformatics)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • Genetic Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Human Cancers of Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) 

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Early-Life Caffeine Exposure Induces Morphological Changes and Altered Physiology in Caenorhabditis elegans (2023). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 

In preparation:

  • Contributing author of Genetic Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Human Cancers of Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2)

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)

 

Ramon Chen

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

Class: 2023

Career Path: M.S. in Genetic Counseling

Lab Project(s):

  1. Role of creatine HCl in C. elegans animal size and locomotion (genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)
  2. The effect of muscle integrity on chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans (genetics, physiology, microscopy)
  3. Contribution of ribosome stalling to early cancer onset (bioinformatics)
  4. Mutational analysis of driver and pathogenic muations in diagnostic liver enzymes (bioinformatics)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • Mutations in Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) in Relation to Cancer Onsert During Aging

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Early-Life Caffeine Exposure Induces Morphological Changes and Altered Physiology in Caenorhabditis elegans (2023). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 

In preparation:

  • Contributing author in Genetic Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Human Cancers of Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)

 

Heidi Arth

Degree: B.S. in Biological Sciences for Business

Class: 2023

Career Path: M.D.

Lab Project(s):

  1. Mutational analysis of driver and pathogenic muations in diagnostic liver enzymes (bioinformatics)
  2. The effect of muscle integrity on chemotaxis behavior in C. elegans (genetics, physiology, microscopy)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • In silico examination of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) mutational deregulation in cancer

Lab Publication(s): 

In preparation:

  • Contributing author in Genetic Analysis of Somatic Mutations in Human Cancers of Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) 

 

Martin Vo

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

Class: 2022

Career Path: Completing a D.O. at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie (LECOM)

Lab Project(s):

  1. Automated cell segmentation to measure S. pombe cell dimensions (bioinformatics, genetics, microscopy)
  2. Contribution of ribosome stalling to early cancer onset (bioinformatics)
  3. Examination of cancer mutations in medically-relevant liver enzymes (bioinformatics)
  4. Genetic analysis of DGAT2 mutations in human cancers (bioinformatics)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • A rapid machine learning-based method to analyze cell dimensions in fission yeast microscope images

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Early-Life Caffeine Exposure Induces Morphological Changes and Altered Physiology in Caenorhabditis elegans (2023). Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 
  • First author of Photo Phenosizer, a rapid machine learning-based method to measure cell dimensions in fission yeast. 2022. microPublication Biology. 
  • Contributing author in Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of DGAT2 Mutations and Gene Expression Patterns in Human Cancers. 2021. Biology.

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)

 

Meghan Graber

Degree: B.S. in Biology

Class: 2022

Career Path: Completing a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology & Immunology at Vanderbilt University 

Xavier Award(s): 2022 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year

Lab Project(s):

  1. Genetic analysis of DGAT1 and DGAT2 mutations in human cancers (bioinformatics)
  2. Automated cell segmentation to measure S. pombe cell dimensions (bioinformatics, genetics, microscopy)
  3. Contribution of the fission yeast lipid droplet regulator Dga1 in responding to genotoxic stress (bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • Analysis of DGAT Mutations Reveals Contributions to Cancer Progression

Lab Publication(s):

  • First author of Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of DGAT2 Mutations and Gene Expression Patterns in Human Cancers. 2021. Biology. 
  • Contribting author in Photo Phenosizer, a rapid machine learning-based method to measure cell dimensions in fission yeast. 2022. microPublication Biology. 

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)

  • Presented at Analysis of DGAT2 mutations reveals potential links between cancer and lipid droplet deregulation. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting. November 10-14, Phoenix, Arizona. 

 

Hayley Barta

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences 

Class: 2022

Career Path: Completing a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at The Ohio State University 

Lab Project(s):

  1. Genetic analysis of SREBF1 in human cancers (bioinformatics)
  2. Automated cell segmentation to measure S. pombe cell dimensions (bioinformatics, genetics, microscopy)
  3. Contribution of the fission yeast lipid-associated transcrition factor Sre1 in responding to genotoxic stress (bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • SREBF1 Promotes Homeostatic Control of Lipids in Response to DNA Damage

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of DGAT2 Mutations and Gene Expression Patterns in Human Cancers. 2021. Biology. 
  • Contributing author in Photo Phenosizer, a rapid machine learning-based method to measure cell dimensions in fission yeast. 2022. microPublication Biology. 

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)

 

Alex Rausenberger 

Degree: B.S. in Biomedical Sciences

Class: 2022

Career Goal: M.D. 

Lab Project(s):

  1. Genetic analysis of ACC2 mutations in human cancers (bioinformatics)
  2. Automated cell segmentation to measure S. pombe cell dimensions (bioinformatics, genetics, microscopy)
  3. Contribution of the fission yeast lipid-associated enzyme Cut6 in responding to genotoxic stress (bioinformatics, genetics, molecular biology, microscopy)

Senior Thesis Title: 

  • Analysis of ACC2 mutations in human cancers and examination of cell phenotypes in a mutated homologue (cut6) in fission yeast.

Lab Publication(s):

  • Contributing author in Photo Phenosizer, a rapid machine learning-based method to measure cell dimensions in fission yeast. 2022. microPublication Biology. 

Scientific Meeting Presentation(s)