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Selena Leu

Selena Leu

Education: B.S. in Biochemistry from Sonoma State University

From: Santa Rosa, CA

Joined David Lab: January 2023

Outside of lab: I enjoy painting, gardening and taking care of my leopard geckos.

Research in David Lab: Contributing to the NEIL project.

Previous Research Experience: At Sonoma State University I had the privilege of working with Dr. Lares in her biochemistry research group. My project focused on establishing the gp120 RNA aptamer as a negative control for B cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) binding affinity assays. In non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) cancer patients there is an overexpression of binding between B cell activating factor (BAFF) and BAFF-R, which is a transmembrane protein that spans the phospholipid bilayer of B cells. The external portion of this protein is what binds BAFF and this research group investigates different aptamers binding affinity to BAFF-R to learn more about the binding relationship and explore ways of inhibiting BAFF binding BAFF-R.

RSS Science Daily News

  • America is throwing away the minerals that could power its future September 18, 2025
    America already mines all the critical minerals it needs for energy, defense, and technology, but most are being wasted as mine tailings. Researchers discovered that minerals like cobalt, germanium, and rare earths are discarded in massive amounts, even though recovering just a fraction could eliminate U.S. dependence on imports.
  • Scientists stunned by salt giants forming beneath the Dead Sea September 18, 2025
    The Dead Sea isn’t just the saltiest body of water on Earth—it’s a living laboratory for the formation of giant underground salt deposits. Researchers are unraveling how evaporation, temperature shifts, and unusual mixing patterns lead to phenomena like “salt snow,” which falls in summer as well as winter. These processes mirror what happened millions of […]
  • Tiny protein pairs may hold the secret to life’s origin September 18, 2025
    A team from the University of Illinois has uncovered surprising evolutionary links between the genetic code and tiny protein fragments called dipeptides. By analyzing billions of dipeptide sequences across thousands of species, the researchers revealed that these molecular pairs trace the earliest steps in the origin of life.
  • Doctors warn of a stealth opioid 20x more potent than fentanyl September 18, 2025
    Nitazenes, a powerful and largely hidden class of synthetic opioids, are quickly becoming a deadly factor in the overdose crisis. Over 20 times stronger than fentanyl, these drugs often go undetected on routine drug tests, making overdoses harder to diagnose and reverse. Cases from Tennessee reveal a disturbing pattern of fatalities, with nitazenes frequently mixed […]
  • The hidden group that loses COVID protection fast September 18, 2025
    Why do some people stay protected after vaccination while others quickly lose immunity? Researchers in Japan tracked over 2,500 people for 18 months and found four distinct immune response patterns. The so-called “rapid-decliners” looked strong at first but lost antibodies quickly, leaving them more vulnerable to infection.

Contact:

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

Department of Chemistry
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616