Members
Philip Beachy, Ph.D. The Ernest and Amelia Gallo Professor, Professor of Urology, of Developmental Biology and, by courtesy, of Chemical and Systems Biology
Hedgehog pathway: mechanism of signal transduction and diverse roles in health, injury and disease
Ke Ding, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow (School of Medicine Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship and DiGenova Postdoc Seed Grant)
Ke received his Ph.D. degree from University of California, Los Angeles, where he resolved several in situ structures of infectious viruses to atomic resolution. He is currently interested in how natural complexes of the hedgehog molecule regulate tissue development and regeneration. In his free time, Ke writes wild science fictions and popular science articles.
Hua Dong, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow
Hua obtained her PhD. from ETH Zurich. During her PhD. study, she worked on revealing the heterogeneity of adipocyte progenitor cells in Wolfrum lab. She is working on the regulation of hedgehog pathway in regulation of adipose tissue function. Hua is supported by postdoc. Mobility fellowship from Swiss National Science Foundation.
Christopher Kim Research Assistant
Chris is a research assistant who likes to transform data into cool graphs and charts and is interested in the development of nanobody constructs that can activate the Hedgehog signaling pathway in brain cells. With a keen interest in the intersection of biology and computer science, he is working toward a B.S. in Computational Biology at Stanford University. Outside of the lab, Chris is passionate about music, often playing guitar and singing along to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. He also enjoys comedy of all types and loves to delve into books on U.S. presidential history.
William Kong, Ph.D. Research Scientist (Department of Defense Postdoctoral Fellowship)
A critical role for Hedgehog signaling in the regeneration of trachea and lung
Mallory Laboulaye, Ph.D. Student
Mallory is interested in the reciprocal interaction between the nervous system and stem cell populations, the effect of sex-hormones on innervation, the role of Hedgehog signaling in these processes, and how these processes affect tissue regeneration and homeostasis, particularly in the bladder. Mallory obtained her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Rochester and previously worked on mechanisms of synaptic specificity in retina with Professor Joshua Sanes at Harvard University. Outside the lab, Mallory enjoys impressionist art, finding new hiking trails, and eating croissants.
Wan-Jin Lu, Ph.D. Research Scientist (Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellowship)
Wan-Jin grew up in Taiwan, obtained her B.S. in Zoology at National Taiwan University and completed her PhD in Genetics and Development at UT Southwestern. Her Ph.D. research involved the identification of an ancestral function of tumor suppressor gene p53 in protecting germ cells during meiosis. In the Beachy lab she studies the effect of Hedgehog pathway inhibitor on taste loss and regulation of taste receptor stem cells. See Stanford Profile for her detailed resume.
In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, binge watching good shows, and walking rescued senior German Shepherds at Thulani.
Randy Mann, Ph.D. Research Professional
Randall is interested in embryonic pattern formation and mechanisms of morphogen biogenesis and transmission.
Thiago De Almeida Pereira, Ph.D. Instructor
Thiago is interested in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, in which Hedgehog pathway activity plays a major role. Originally from Brazil, Thiago has a unique passion for understanding the mechanisms involved in the liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma mansoni infection. He is also interested in dissecting the mechanisms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-induced fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Outside of the lab, Thiago enjoys scuba diving and exploring the marine diversity of tropical waters, traveling, going to the opera and to jazz concerts, and visiting art museums and galleries.
Kris Prado, M.D. Instructor
Wholesale replacement of bladder epithelium to definitively cure bladder cancer
Ye Tian, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow
Ye Tian got his Ph.D. from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2023. In his doctoral research, he investigated how phospholipid remodeling in the liver participates in systemic lipid metabolism and pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. He is currently working on the role of Hedgehog pathway in invasive bladder cancer. Outside of the lab, he likes photography, reading and hiking.
Siva Vijayakumar, Ph.D. Instructor
Siva obtained her Ph.D. from National University of Singapore where she studied the role of developmental transcription factors in vertebral column development and disc degeneration. During postdoctoral work on stem cell differentiation and cancer, she developed extensive expertise in single cell transcriptomics and data analysis. Her current research focuses on the role of the Hedgehog pathway in salivary gland homeostasis and regeneration after radiation injury. In her free time, Siva dabbles with oil painting, Chinese ink painting, pencil sketches and Adobe sketch on her iPad. She is currently building her skills on hyper realistic paintings on Adobe sketch.
Qianqian "Crissy" Wang, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow
Qianqian Wang is a postdoctoral scholar at the Beachy Lab. She completed her Ph.D. degree at UCLA. She is interested in the mechanism of Hedgehog signal transduction. While her one-year-old daughter enjoys ingesting and digesting proteins, she is interested in purifying proteins and solving protein structures. Outside of the lab, she enjoys dancing, reading, and singing nursery rhymes.
Alumni (and where they went next)
Shuo Han, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Özgü Aydogdu, M.D., Ph.D.
Urologist, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden