Maria-Jose Martinez-Lopez, Phd Email & Phone Number

• Scientific expertise in the areas of Oncology, Immunology, and Neuroscience.• Successfully conceived, researched, and generated reports on R&D processes for grant applications.• Duties include development of research plans, data analysis and documenting lab technical solutions.• Conceive, research, plan, and write reports that operationalize and interpret scientific experiments.• Communicate actionable insights to stakeholders in the organization.• Interpret technical findings to non-technical stakeholders.

Afraxis Inc. is a contract research organization specializing in CNS preclinical efficacy evaluations (in vivo & in vitro), neurotoxicity evaluations, and Structure-Efficacy Relationship (SER)-driven medicinal chemistry.The platform process incorporates specialized labeling of individual neurons; high-resolution imaging; rapid high-detail morphometry of individual cells, processes, and synapses; and powerful statistical methods and analytical displays tailored for efficient interpretation of large data sets.Afraxis contributed preclinical analysis to more than 5 drug candidates that were ultimately tested in clinical trials.• Contributed to planning, organizing and writing a successful National Institute on Aging Small business (SBIR) grant application. Afraxis was awarded the SBIR grant in Sept. 2017.• Conceived, planned, and executed preclinical neuroscience research to evaluate critical path lead drug candidates in preclinical R&D discovery program.• Developed preclinical laboratory protocols used by scientists and staff at Afraxis in core platform programs.• Developed, tested, and validated novel neuroscience laboratory protocols used by scientists and staff at Afraxis in custom, cutting-edge partnership programs.• Prepared and presented written reports of program data analysis to internal teams. Data analysis contributed to multiple programs which resulted in scientific publications.

• Strategic planning: result driven as demonstrated by leading an internal and external collaborations that provided 2 key pieces of functional data that resulted in a completion of a submitted manuscript. • Adaptability and flexibility: Planned and executed laboratory studies using a variety of molecular biology methods, including in utero shRNA knockdown, laser-scanning and spinning disk microscopy, digital video tracking analysis and others. • Data Management/Analysis: Used an automated detection, tracking system and advanced statistical methods to quantify protein dynamics and localization in life/fixed cells by implementing various research designs and analysis plans depending on the research questions. That resulted in elucidating new regulatory functions for cytoskeletal proteins. • Collaboration: Demonstrated superior collaborative skills by managing monthly seminars for 20 research groups from the UCSD/Salk to facilitate networking and collaboration opportunities between the institutions in the Neurobiology field.• Mentorship: undergraduate/graduate students, developed training procedures, managed operational protocols with collaborating teams. • Oral communications: Presented novel research findings as part of weekly team meetings.• Leadership: Complied with professional rules and regulations to ensure the timely submission and acceptance of animal protocols and grant reviews. Supervised Health & Safety compliance and biotech representative liaising.

• Spearheaded collaboration with KOL that identified 100+ direct and indirect protein targets, opening whole new areas of research focus and directions for the project• Effectively designed timelines and identified priorities that ensured the timely completion of the project's objectives, that were presented in different venues and were drafted in 2 manuscripts. The following is a non-comprehensive summary: ➤ Development of 2 novel polyclonal antibodies for endogenous protein localization and proof of concept of gene silencing tools ➤ shRNA (2 novel ) and siRNA technologies for in vitro gene silencing ➤ High-content phenotypic small molecule profiling in stem cell (iPSC) disease model ➤ Fluorescence microscopy, morphometric quantification, and life imaging to evaluate drugs-protein interactions and protein function ➤ Biochemical assays to characterize protein-protein interactions. Led to novel discovery of new protein complex and domains mediating its formation• Led safety officer duties working with staff and campus stakeholders to implement, document and review equipment and training to comply with the institution standards and audits• Provided critical training and advanced subject matter knowledge to two graduate students toward their graduate theses• Supervised daily performance of 10+ undergraduate students including development of training modules, hands-on training and constructive feedback to meet the objectives (academic credit for independent research and critical support of the whole team) • Written Communications: Identified critical KO collaboration and assisted in the grant application (ARRA awarded $200K) proposing high-content screening in stem cell (iPSC) disease model• Effectively communicated complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences that included students, and scientific experts at various venues including department retreats, institutional interest groups, and international conferences.

•Data Management/Analisis: Conceived, planned, executed a quantitative analysis of protein expression and subcellular colocalization in primary cultures of neurons. •Strategic Planning: Project lead to develop a strategy to identify new complexes of microtubule associated proteins using tandem affinity purification, and lentiviral vector transfection and its effects in morphology.•Written Communication: Demonstrated excellence in communication and grant-writing by winning a postdoctoral fellowship (>$50K).

La Jolla

• Oral communication: Reported on advanced scientific studies in heart failure models in cross-functional weekly meetings.• Data Management/Analysis: Plan, executed and analyzed pre-clinical research studies in the field epicardial biology and heart disease that contributed to data for grant application.• Adaptability and flexibility: Application and mastering of multiple techniques (Echocardiography, cardiac hypertrophy in vivo phenotyping studies, radioactive in situ hybridization, histology techniques).• Organizational skills: Established and managed simultaneously +5 transgenic mouse lines (conventional & conditional KOs), resulting in increased value and productivity of the team’s research efforts.• Written Communication: Demonstrated excellence in grant writing by winning a postdoctoral fellowships (>$50K).

•Collaboration: Conducted multidisciplinary work in collaboration with international and national KOLs that resulted in a published seminal peer-reviewed scientific article (featured on cover and in F1000).•Written Communication: Demonstrated grant writing excellence by winning a teaching and a research predoctoral fellowship, a research award and 3 travel grants (>$50K).

Faculty Of Pharmacy, Department Of Biochemistry And Molecular Biology

• Undergrad course instructor (>370 hrs): Molecular Pathology & Clinical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology of Cancer, Biochemistry & Genetic Engineering, Advanced Immunology.• Focus on analyzing and synthesizing evidence to form original arguments applied to diverse disciplines.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd). Summa Cum Laude. Biomedicine Program, Biochemistry And Molecular Biology, Summa Cum Laude

Bachelor'S Degree, Biology/Biotechnology