2025 SCEP Symposium
SCEP Morning Speaker
Elizabeth Winzeler, Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Host Microbe Systems and Therapeutics
Professor, Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director of Translational Research, UC Health Sciences Center for Immunology, Infection, and Inflammation
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
"Adventures in Malaria Drug Discovery"
Professor, Division of Host Microbe Systems and Therapeutics
Professor, Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Director of Translational Research, UC Health Sciences Center for Immunology, Infection, and Inflammation
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
"Adventures in Malaria Drug Discovery"
Elizabeth Winzeler, PhD., professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and associate dean for Research and linnovation at UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, is an expert in drug development. Her lab studies how diseases interact with the human body, using data-intensive methods to find solutions, often by looking at how different chemical affect infections and by analyzing the complete DNA of organisms. Author of more than 250 publications, Winzeler is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine and fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. She received numerous recognitions for her research including the Keck New Investigator Award and Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholars Award, Bailey K. Ashford Medal for distinguished achievements in tropical medicine. Alice and C.C. Wang Award in Molecular Parasitology, and Project of the Year from the Medicines for Malaria Venture. For more than 20 years, the main focus of her research has centered on developing better medications for the treatment and eradication of malaria. She worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish and direct what has become the Malaria Drug Accelerator (MalariaDA.org), a consortium of 18 laboratories in the United States, Africa, Europe, and Asia working to improve and accelerate antimalarial drug discovery processes.
Afternoon Keynote Speaker
Peter Bradley, PhD.
Professor, Microbiology Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
University of California, Los Angeles
"Unraveling the composition and function of the Toxoplasma gondii inner membrane complex"
The research in the Bradley lab is focused on invasion, host-pathogen interaction, and replication in the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In immune competent individuals, T. gondii is controlled by the immune system, and infections are typically mild or asymptomatic. The parasite establishes a chronic infection, however, which persists in various tissues in the body, including the brain, heart, and eye. The goal of our research is to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of T. gondii survival, enhancing our grasp of disease progression and aiding in the creation of improved anti-parasitic treatments.
| 8:30-9am | Breakfast. Registration. Poster Set-up. |
| 9-9:05am |
Welcome to the 15th Annual SCEP Symposium
Karine Le Roch, PhD., Director, Center for Infectious Disease and Vector Research
UC Riverside
|
| 9:10-9:45am |
"Adventures in Malaria Drug Discovery"
SCEP Morning Speaker, Elizabeth Winzeler, PhD., Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Professor of Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, UC Diego
|
| 9:45-10am |
"Neutrophil degranulation and lysosomal mobilization during trogocytosis of Trichomonas vaginalis "
Ngoc Thuy Nguyen, Mercer Lab, Cal Poly Pomona |
| 10-10:15am |
"Investigating the interaction between Trichomonas vaginalis and Lactobacillus iners"
Samantha Smedshammer, Riestra lab, San Diego State University |
| 10:15-10:30am |
"Shared binding site but divergent resistance profiles uncover novel resistance mechanisms in Plasmodium HSP90 inhibitors"
Fu-Hsuan Ko, Winzeler lab, UC San Diego |
| 10:30-10:45am |
"Molecular mimicry enables mitochondria-Toxoplasma contact sites (MiToCs)"
Sebastian Kreimendahl, Pernas lab, UC Los Angeles |
| 10:45-11am |
"Sex bias in the resistance to systemic Candida albicans infection in different strain mice"
Edgar Perez Valdes, Buckley lab, Cal Poly Pomona |
| 5-MINUTE STRETCH BREAK | |
| 11:05-11:20am |
"Spatial control of NLRP3 inflammasome assembly defined by a Toxoplasma gondii non-lytic infection model in human monocytes"
Ji-Hun Shin, Lodoen lab, UC Irvine |
| 11:20-11:35am |
"Utilizing a CRISPR dCas9 tethering system to demonstrate that the chromatin interacting protein Bdf3 is sufficient to activate transcription at the EP1 locus in African trypanosomes"
Evan Kim, Schulz lab, Harvey Mudd College |
| 11:35-11:50am |
"The role of neutrophil reactive oxygen species in controlling acute Toxoplasma gondii infection"
Anthony Temm, Lima lab, Cal Poly Pomona |
| 11:50am-2pm | BREAK and SQUEEZE UP! |
| 12-1pm |
“Unraveling the composition and function of the Toxoplasma gondii inner membrane complex”
Afternoon Keynote Speaker
Peter Bradley, PhD. Professor of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics University of California, Los Angeles |
| 1-2:15pm | Lunch and Poster Viewing |
| Afternoon Session | Chairs: Jennell Jennett and Jose Martin, UC Riverside (Nair Lab) |
| 2:15-2:30pm |
"Myeloid-intrinsic PTPN2 regulates inflammatory monocyte differentiation and immunity to intestinal helminths"
Samuel Asiedu, Nair lab, UC Riverside |
| 2:30-2:45pm |
"The role of sex and androgen receptors on the expression of the CB1R and CB2R in the brain and spleen of mice systemically infected with Candida albicans"
Alex Royas, Ph.D., Buckley lab, Cal Poly Pomona |
| 2:45-3pm |
"Parasite-driven epigenetic reprogramming: How Toxoplasma gondii reshapes host chromatin"
Loic Ciampossin, Ph.D. Le Roch lab, UC Riverside |
| 3-3:15pm |
"Long-acting antimalarial prophylaxis via antisense oligonucleotides"
Jason Hsiao, Winzeler lab, UC San Diego |
| 3:15-3:30pm |
"Investigating the trogocytic killing of Trichomonas vaginalis: Neutrophil degranulation and macrophage resolution"
Ximena Corona, Mercer lab, Cal Poly Pomona |
| 3:30-3:45pm |
"Rhoptry protein 42: A novel marker of bradyzoite formation"
Nala Kachour, Wilson lab, UC Riverside |
| 3:45-6pm |
Drinks and Nibbles
Poster presentations (odd numbers 3:45-4:30pm; even numbers 4:30-5:15pm) Announcement of abstract awards and networking (5:15-6:00pm) |