Alexander Barton
Xander Barton is a rising senior at UMBC studying bioinformatics with an ultimate goal to work in the field of life extension. He has worked in Dr. Daniel Lobo’s systems biology laboratory studying planarian regeneration for the past year, optimizing a mechanistic model of the process. Over the course of the SenNet CUSP internship, Xander will work at the Masonic Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism at the University of Minnesota studying how to reduce the effects of aging as a risk factor for chronic diseases, where the secretions of senescent cells are a major contributing factor. In this lab,
Xander will learn more about the aging process by utilizing molecular techniques to interpret data on the presence and effects of senescent cells.

Tesko Chaganti
Tesko Chaganti is a rising freshman at Johns Hopkins University studying Molecular and Cellular Biology. Tesko is deeply interested in drug discovery and has profound interests in the fields of aging, cellular senescence, and conservation medicine. Through SenNet CUSP, Tesko will join the Roper Lab at Duke University to explore the age-based heterogeneity of cellular senescence in patient-derived colon organoids. Previously, Tesko has received recognition from both the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and the Regeneron Science Talent Search for his research on novel senolytic drugs. Through CUSP, Tesko hopes to expand his wet-lab and bioinformatics capabilities via organoid-based assays in tandem with RNAseq and spatial transcriptomics. Tesko aspires to become a physician-scientist leading a cutting-edge drug discovery lab while delivering world-class clinical treatments.

Jeremiah Donahoe
Jeremiah Donahoe is a Human Biology and Biotechnology double major at South Dakota State University with plans to pursue an MD-PhD followed by a career in Aerospace Medicine—ideally at NASA. He has previously performed research on murine macrophages in the Thiex Lab at SDSU. He will be working in the Schafer Lab at Mayo Clinic, which is interested in cellular senescence of brain cells. This research has many applications, one of which includes the therapeutic treatment of age-related cognitive difficulties. He is eager to use his previous laboratory skills in this novel field of neuroscience and expand both his knowledge base and skillset. He is very grateful and excited for this opportunity!

Damisi Kayode
Damisi Kayode is a recent graduate of Towson University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Allied Health. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in a literature review for a Penn State program and contributed to the Dekker Lab’s 4D nucleome project last summer. She will be working at the University of Minnesota under Dr. Laura Niedernhofer, MD, Ph.D, focusing on senescence research within the SenNet program, which explores cellular aging and its health implications. Damisi aims to deepen her understanding of senescence and gain more practical experience in a prestigious research environment. Her long-term goal is to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician, driven by her passion for advancing healthcare through scientific discovery.

Evan Loe
Evan Loe is a freshman studying Biomedical Engineering at The University of Wisconsin
Madison. He is passionate about medicine and public health, especially improving access to
cardiovascular care. He has organized free ECG and echocardiogram screenings in his
hometown in rural Minnesota and Madison. His interest in Senescent cell research began while shadowing at Dr. Niedernhofer’s SenNet site, where he learned techniques such as qPCR and Immunoblotting. He is beyond excited to join the Rong Fan Lab at Yale University to study spatial omics and epigenetics, such as spatial epigenome sequencing. Evan’s project focuses on mapping human and mouse liver cellular senescence, and its role in liver disease. Evan plans to continue undergraduate research and continue in academia.

Rohit Malavathu
Rohit Malavathu is a rising sophomore majoring in Computational Neuroscience at Virginia Tech, where he researches at the Yan Lab and builds assistive technology with e-NABLE. He will intern at the Roper Lab at Duke University School of Medicine, where he will investigate the effects of senolytic agents on patient-derived colon organoids to reverse aging-related senescence. During the ten-week program, he aims to learn advanced techniques and apply them to future work while refining his career path as he plans to pursue an MD and is considering the MD/PhD path.

Ke’Lena Thomas