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Alessandra Beelen

Alessandra Beelen

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Education: B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California-Davis, 2022

From: Hangzhou, China

Joined David Lab: June 2022

Outside of lab: I enjoy watching sports, such as F1 and basketball, and travelling!

Research in the lab: Although much of the research in the David lab focuses on MUTYH and its ability to recognize and repair OG:A mismatches, we are also curious in its role beyond identifying such lesions. MUTYH has shown to mediate cytotoxicity with various chemotherapeutics and UV light. These MUTYH-dependent sensitivities in the cell may also vary depending on the mutant variants of MUTYH. My project involves using both in vitro and cell-based assays to better understand the molecular basis behind this process.

Previous Research Experience: During my time at Davis, I worked in the Niño Lab studying honey bees. I was involved in three different projects involving a mixture of lab and field work. The main goals of these projects were to see if we could increase honey bee health and longevity to better support beekeeper’s needs or determine bee stocks that are more suitable in California’s Central Valley Mediterranean climate. I also joined the David Lab and worked with Melody on synthesizing transition state that are incorporated in oligonucleotides to serve as inhibitors of base excision repair glycosylases.

RSS Science Daily News

  • Down goes antimatter! Gravity's effect on matter's elusive twin is revealed September 27, 2023
    For the first time, in a unique laboratory experiment at CERN, researchers have observed individual atoms of antihydrogen fall under the effects of gravity. In confirming antimatter and regular matter are gravitationally attracted, the finding rules out gravitational repulsion as the reason why antimatter is largely missing from the observable universe.
  • Decreasing biodiversity may promote spread of viruses September 27, 2023
    How are environmental changes, loss of biodiversity, and the spread of pathogens connected? The answer is a puzzle. Researchers have now described one piece of that puzzle, showing that the destruction of tropical rainforests harms the diversity of mosquito species. At the same time, more resilient species of mosquitoes become more prevalent -- which also […]
  • Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds September 27, 2023
    In a new study, scientists have shown that sweeping molten oceans have a large influence on the observed properties of hot rocky Super-Earths, such as their size and evolutionary path.
  • New insights into the atmosphere and star of an exoplanet September 25, 2023
    A new study of the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system has demonstrated the complex interaction between the activity of the system's star and its planetary features.
  • Did life exist on Mars? Other planets? With AI's help, we may know soon September 25, 2023
    Scientists have discovered a simple and reliable test for signs of past or present life on other planets -- 'the holy grail of astrobiology.' Researchers report that, with 90% accuracy, their artificial intelligence-based method distinguished modern and ancient biological samples from those of abiotic origin.

Contact:

Dr. Sheila S. David
ssdavid@ucdavis.edu
(530)-752-4280

Department of Chemistry
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616