Veronica Gonzalez-Pena Email & Phone Number

Stanford, Ca, Us

Stanford, Ca

Greater Memphis Area

Applies single-cell genomics and transcriptomics to characterize tissue and tumor development at a single-cell resolution.

Tushar Desai Laboratory, Pulmonary & Critical Care, Department Of Medicine.

• Studied lung cancer development by immunohistochemistry, multi-color flow cytometry, single cell genomics, and confocal microscopy.• Collected, cryopreserved, and processed tissues from several murine organs including: lung, thymus, liver, and spleen.• Operated FACS-sorters to purify various cell types from murine tissues including lung epithelial cells, HSC's, tissue resident macrophages and other hematopoietic cells for in vivo and in vitro studies.• Performed immunophenotyping experiments by analytical flow cytometry & fluorescence microscopy.• Assessed lung tumor development in mice by H&E and immunofluorescence tissue staining.• Routinely operated FACS Aria II cytometers, Cryotomes, Vibrotomes, Light, Fluorescence and Confocal Microscopes to process and analyze tissue samples.• Utilized FlowJo, ImageJ, Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word to perform data analysis and generate reports.• Collected, Interpreted and presented findings at lab meetings and conferences.• Trained students.• Initiated a study and collaboration with experts in microfluidics to examine the mutational spectrum of lung tumors at the single-cell level to map tumor clonal evolution in humans and mice.

Nina Holland Laboratory, Environmental Health Science Division, Sph

• Assessed the activity of several organophosphate-metabolizing enzymes in a large cohort of farmworkers.• Performed and optimized enzyme kinetic assays to determine the activity of several enzymes in human samples.• Collaborated with experts in public health and statistics to examine the relationship between the activity of various enzymes and host factors, such as obesity, age, and gender in a large cohort of women and children. • Co-managed a bio-repository containing thousands of biological samples.• Initiated a study to determine the expression profile of circulating microRNAs in fresh and frozen plasma samples.• Trained several undergraduate students to perform enzyme kinetics, ELISA, and mRNA expression analysis.• Interpreted data and summarized findings in a manuscript for publication in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

Laurence H. Hurley Laboratory, Department Of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Cop

• Conducted hypothesis-driven investigations on the transcriptional regulation of oncogenes.• Researched the scientific literature to create hypothesis and models of mechanism of action. • Designed molecular biology and biochemistry experiments to answer specific questions. • Gained extensive working experience in protein engineering (cloning, plasmid construction, recombinant protein expression) as well as in purification of mammalian and recombinant proteins.• Identified and characterized proteins of interest by using various types of column chromatography, electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry.• Performed gene expression analysis by cDNA microarray, siRNA, and real-time PCR.• Cultured a number of adherent and suspension cancer cell lines. • Performed dual-luciferase reporter assays to determine the effect of specific proteins on gene transcription.• Studied protein-DNA interactions by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and circular dichroism.• Contributed to the better understanding of the mechanism of action of CX-3543 (Quarfloxin) in cancer cells. • Presented findings in periodic laboratory meetings, department seminars, and scientific conferences.• Trained various undergraduate and graduate students on recombinant technology, as well as various radioactivity-based biochemistry techniques such as EMSA, filter-binding, polymerase stop assay, and in vitro transcription.• Wrote reports and manuscripts, and contributed significantly to the writing of a grant proposal.• Published three first-author scientific articles in high-quality peer-reviewed journals.

David T. Harris Laboratory, Department Of Immunobiology, College Of Medicine

• Studied the differential gene expression profile of hematopoietic stem cells in human cord blood.• Developed and optimized a protocol to purify human cord blood stem cells from cord blood mononuclear cells. • Purified stem cells from cord blood mononuclear cells.• Isolated, amplified, quantified, and reverse transcribed mRNA for cDNA microarray studies.• Maintained a small colony of mouse models of cancer• Collected and evaluated tumors in mice.• Co-authored two scientific publications in high-quality peer-reviewed science journals.

Yuesheng Zhang’S Laboratory, The University Of Arizona Cancer Center

• Studied the mechanisms of action by which several dietary isothiocyanates (ITCs) exert their anticancer activity.• Determined the IC50s of several ITCs in multiple cancer cell lines.• Demonstrated that Allyl-ITC and Benzyl-ITC block cell cycle progression and induce apoptosis. • Showed that both Ally-ITC and Benzyl-ITC are potent and time-independent chemopreventive agents.• Determined the expression of glutathione S-tranferases in various cell lines. • Gained proficiency in cell culture, protein expression analysis, and enzyme kinetics. • Used flow cytometry to study the effect of several ITCs on cell cycle and apoptosis.• Co-authored two scientific publications in high-quality peer-reviewed science journals.

Robert P. Erickson’S Laboratory, Pediatric Genetics, College Of Medicine

• Studied the effects that phenylalanine accumulation in the blood of mouse models of PKU have on brain cholesterol levels, which are required for neuron myelination.• Handled, weaned, genotyped, and collected brains from PKU transgenic mice.• Isolated, separated and quantified the levels of esterified and unesterified cholesterol, as well as protein, in mice brains across various age groups by thin layer chromatography and spectrophotometry.

Ph.D, Pharmacology And Toxicology

B.S., Chemistry/Molecular And Cellular Biology

Activities and Societies: 1) McNair Achievement Scholar, 2) Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar.