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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

  • Citizen scientists spot rare exploding star in real-time July 1, 2025
    Citizen scientists using the Kilonova Seekers platform spotted a stellar flash 2,500 times brighter than before, allowing astronomers to identify the exploding cataclysmic variable GOTO0650 within hours. Swift community follow-up captured X-ray, UV, and amateur telescope data, revealing the star’s rare “period-bouncer” stage.
  • Scientists just mapped how the body rejects pig organs—and how to stop it July 1, 2025
    Scientists have achieved an unprecedented look into how the human immune system attacks a transplanted pig kidney, using spatial molecular imaging to map immune activity down to the cellular level. They discovered early signs of rejection within 10 days and pinpointed key immune players—like macrophages—driving the response. Even more exciting: when targeted therapies were applied, […]
  • Scientists just found a sugar switch that protects your brain from Alzheimer's June 30, 2025
    Scientists have uncovered a surprising sugar-related mechanism inside brain cells that could transform how we fight Alzheimer’s and other dementias. It turns out neurons don’t just store sugar for fuel—they reroute it to power antioxidant defenses, but only if an enzyme called GlyP is active. When this sugar-clearing system is blocked, toxic tau protein builds […]
  • Ancient DNA reveals leprosy hit the Americas long before colonization June 30, 2025
    Leprosy’s tale stretches from 5,000-year-old skeletons in Eurasia to a startling 4,000-year-old case in Chile, revealing that the rare strain Mycobacterium lepromatosis haunted the Americas millennia before Europeans arrived. Armed with cutting-edge ancient-DNA sleuthing, scientists have pieced together remarkably well-preserved genomes that challenge the idea of leprosy as purely a colonial import and hint that […]
  • JWST unlocks 10-billion-year mystery of how galaxies shape themselves June 30, 2025
    Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists spotted thin and thick disks in galaxies as far back as 10 billion years ago—something never seen before. These observations reveal that galaxies first formed thick, chaotic disks, and only later developed the calm, thin disks seen in modern spirals like the Milky Way.

Contact:

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

Department of Chemistry
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616