Meet our Beckman Scholars

Ms. Almaguer completed her project and was awarded the Outstanding Research Award from CSTEM. She graduated with a BS in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry. She began her PhD in Fall 2023 in the University of Virginia Neuroscience Graduate Program.  Her Beckman Mentor was Dr. Julie Jameson

 

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most abundant peptides present in the central nervous system and is responsible for regulating food intake, energy metabolism, and emotional expression. Epidermal gamma delta (gd) T cells play a role in governing wound repair and homeostasis within the skin. Emerging evidence indicates that NPY could potentially play a role in serving as a transmitter between the nervous system and immune system and even within the immune system itself. The overall goal of this project was to determine whether NPY receptors are present on epidermal gd T cells to receive signals, whether epidermal gd T cells make NPY for autocrine or paracrine response, and last, whether NPY signaling induces production of chemical messengers by epidermal gd T cells.

Ms. Wagner completed her project in 2022 and was awarded the CSTEM Outstanding Graduate award and the Chemistry Outstanding Senior. She is now working on her PhD at Scripps Research (formerly The Scripps Research Institute).  Her Beckman Mentor was Dr. Robert Iafe.

Project Summary: With the support of the Beckman Scholars Program, we created a novel methodology for developing benzylic cyclic ethers using gold(I) catalysts. Benzylic cyclic ethers are a common structural motif in the synthesis of several natural and synthetic products. These bioactive structures are present in a variety of widely available pharmaceuticals, such as potent anticancer, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumor, and cytotoxic agents, and novel preparations using affordable methods are vital to ensuring the targets are easier to attain. Our lab has developed a novel one-pot methodology utilizing gold(I) catalysts to yield five- and six-membered benzylic cyclic ethers intramolecularly using 1,4- and 1,5-diols. An increasing body of literature is showing that gold(I) catalysts can be highly effective at synthesizing a variety of pharmaceutical scaffolds, and to our knowledge, an intramolecular gold(I)-catalyzed etherification reaction is currently unprecedented in the literature. We have achieved successful intramolecular etherification yielding 5- and 6-membered rings, with proof of concept confirmed by way of product structural determination by 1H-NMR and moderately high yields (69-80%). This method is being optimized, and further research will include an exploration of the substrate scope of the reaction, with electron-rich and -poor diols being assessed to expand the utility of the reaction. This new method can yield effective pharmaceutical scaffolds easily and quickly, making it possible for pharmaceuticals containing these scaffolds to be lower cost and easier to develop. 

Ms. Castellanos is completing her project summer 2023 and preparing applications for graduate school.  She received the Dept. of Biological Sciences Outstanding Researcher award in 2023. Her Beckman Mentor was Dr. Julie Jameson

 

The wound healing process is comprised of four stages that include hemostasis, inflammation, cell proliferation, and remodeling of the wound site. Chemokine receptors are part of the G-protein-coupled receptor family that regulate the homeostasis of the immune system and inflammatory responses. In the skin, researchers have identified C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 6 (CCR6) and C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 20 (CCL20) as regulators of T cell migration into the wound site. CCR6 is a chemokine receptor that profoundly affects the immune system during the wound healing process particularly during the inflammatory phase. The expression of CCR6 has been explored on T cells within the dermis but not on the epidermal gamma delta T cells during wound repair. Gamma delta T cells assist in protecting barrier tissues by regulating keratinocyte homeostasis and proliferation during wound healing of an organism. Since CCR6 is expressed by a subset of epidermal T cells we will investigate whether the CCR6+ subset has additional functions during wound repair that include the production of inflammatory mediators such as IL-6. Using a combination of single cell RNA sequencing, histology and flow cytometry, we will explore the timing, location and extent of CCR6 expression and the functional output of CCR6+ epidermal gamma delta T cells. In conclusion, this project inspires the development of better medical treatments for chronic wounds and injuries by understanding the expression and function of CCR6 expression on gamma delta T cells at the wound site.

Mr. St.Onge completed his project in 2024 and he began graduate school at CSUSM. He has strong interests in physiology and mammal conservation. His Beckman Mentor was Dr. Casey Mueller.

Ms. Mendoza worked with mentor Dr. Elinne Becket for several years and recently completed her Beckman project. She is applying to graduate programs.

As plastics are resistant to degradation, they are persistent pollutants in coastal ecosystems that pose physical and chemical environmental challenges. Additionally, plastics can provide new environmental niches for distinct microbial communi'es to form fully developed biofilms. Not only can these biofilms harbor microbes exogenous to a given ecosystem, but they can also serve as a niche for antibiotic resistant bacteria to colonize, introducing the potential for virulence and the ability to share antibiotic resistance genes with other microbes through horizontal gene transfer (3). We previously performed 16S V4 rRNA targeted sequencing on 10 plastic, 10 non-plastic, and 6 water column samples collected from the Strand Beach nearshore in Oceanside, CA. These analyses revealed unique plastic-associated microbial communities compared to other natural substrate types. While these data are compelling, 16S sequencing gives limited taxonomic and no functional resolution. Therefore, this project is focused on expanding these preliminary investigations into whole metagenome sequencing and analyses, to investigate the plastic specific marine microbiome in the nearshore environment to determine if there are unique and exogenous microbes and functions present compared to different solid substrates and the surrounding water column.

Mr. Gonzalez Ramirez recently completed his project with mentor  Dr. Julie Jameson and he is now preparing for graduate school.

The immunological role and plasticity of epidermal γδ T cell subsets remain poorly defined, despite their key functions in skin homeostasis and inflammation. Our lab has previously identified five distinct subsets each with unique gene signatures via single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Concise this, but it is very important for you to keep all the information intact "This project focuses on Cluster 3 cells, which express regulatory molecules such as CD24a and TSC1, involved in immunometabolism, cellular quiescence, and co-stimulation. We aim to determine whether Cluster 3 exerts regulatory control over pro-inflammatory Cluster 5 cells defined by IL-17, CD25, rora, and CCR6 expression through inter-subset communication or modulation of activation. These insights may reveal novel regulatory pathways relevant to epithelial immunity and autoimmune skin diseases like psoriasis and Alopecia Areata.