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Posts classified under: Integrative Biology & Physiology

Xinshu (Grace) Xiao, Ph.D.

Faculty Member

Professor
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles


Personal Statement

My laboratory investigates RNA-based gene regulation in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as cancer. We employ an integrated approach that combines molecular and cellular biology with high-throughput genomics and computational analysis. Our work focuses on RNA editing, double-stranded RNA biology, alternative splicing, and mRNA stability, using both experimental (wet-lab) and computational (dry-lab) strategies. We generate and analyze large-scale RNA-seq, CLIP-seq, and other omics datasets, and use human stem cells and iPSC-derived models to study post-transcriptional regulation in physiologically relevant systems. To support these efforts, we have developed computational tools for identifying RNA editing sites, predicting functional genetic variants, and analyzing CLIP-seq data, among others, enabling the interpretation of both public and in-house datasets. We also perform in-depth molecular studies to follow up on genomic and computational discoveries, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation in both disease and normal physiology.

Beau Alward, Ph.D.

Faculty Member

Professor
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology
College of Life Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles

 

Biography

Beau Alward got his associates degree at American River Community College before transferring to the University of California, Davis where he earned a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. After graduating, he worked as a behavioral therapist for children with Autism for a year and half before starting his PhD with Gregory Ball at Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation work was on the neuroendocrine regulation of birdsong in canaries. Beau did his postdoctoral research on the hormonal control of social dominance in cichlids in Russell Fernald’s lab at Stanford University, where he was an Arnold Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow. Research in his lab aims to understand how steroid hormones modulate social behaviors in the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni.

 

Research Interests

The Alward lab is interested in how steroid hormones generate social behaviors. Our chosen organism for answering this question is the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni. These fish exhibit dynamic social interactions that can be readily studied in the lab. We combine approaches using molecular genetics, transcriptomics, neurobiology, and behavioral paradigms in both sexes to yield fundamental insights into the hormonal control of behavior.

Stephanie Leal, Ph.D.

Research Interests

My laboratory performs basic and translational research to understand how our memory system works, how this system goes awry in memory and mood disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression, and how we might be able to modify mood, memory, and underlying neural dysfunction in these disorders. We utilize
interdisciplinary approaches toward understanding memory and factors that impact memory, including high-resolution imaging techniques, PET imaging of amyloid and tau pathology, neuroendocrine and salivary approaches, and novel experimental paradigms to understand brain-behavior relationships.

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