{"id":1889,"date":"2020-04-23T10:59:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T14:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/?page_id=1889"},"modified":"2022-10-20T07:40:37","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T11:40:37","slug":"dodge-kafka-lab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/dodge-kafka-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodge-Kafka Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current Members<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Moira Renee Agcaoili\"Moira<\/a><\/h4>\n

Undergraduate Student
\nPhone: 860-679-4204
\nEmail: moira_renee.agcaoili@uconn.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

I am an undergraduate student researcher currently pursuing a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology with a French minor. I joined the Dodge-Kafka lab in my senior year of high school and worked on an independent project through which I received my first hands-on experience in a research lab setting. During my time at UConn, I also worked as a lab technician and developed my technical skills in different staining protocols and fluorescent microscopy. As part of my ongoing UConn Honors thesis, I currently use various beta blockers and mAKAP-specific reagents to understand the mechanism in which nuclear beta-adrenergic receptors mediate cardiomyocyte apoptosis via the mAKAP scaffold protein.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Bryan Cernuda<\/h4>\n

Ph.D. Biomedical Science Student<\/span>
\nPhone: 860-679-4204
\nEmail: cernuda@uchc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Sofia<\/a>Sofia Marie Possidento<\/h4>\n

Ph.D. Biomedical Science Student<\/span>
\nPhone: 860-679-4204
\nEmail: possidento@uchc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

I am a second year biomedical science PhD student in the Dodge-Kafka lab. I graduated with a B.S. in biomedical science from Quinnipiac University, where I minored in microbiology and immunology. I also have a M.S. in biomedical science from Quinnipiac, where I did my Master\u2019s thesis on the role of MYC and YDJC in breast cancer progression. Here in the Dodge-Kafka Lab, I study perinuclear ryanodine receptor mediated calcium release around the scaffold protein mAKAP. In our lab, I use novel peptides localized to mAKAP with various microscopy techniques to investigate the source of calcium that drives calcium mediated gene transcription to uncover the molecular mechanism behind cardiac hypertrophy.\u00a0<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"TurcotteMoriah Turcotte<\/h4>\n

Post Doctoral Fellow
\nPhone: 860-679-1362
\nEmail: mturcotte@uchc.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

As a University Post Doctoral Fellow in the Dodge-Kafka Lab, my main project concerns the role of perinuclear beta-adrenergic receptors in cardiac hypertrophy. I received my Ph.D. in 2021 at UConn Health where I began this project, and also published on mAKAP regulated perinuclear calcium transients required for cardiac hypertrophy. I received my BS in Biology with Honors from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. I joined the Dodge-Kafka Lab in 2013 for my senior undergrad capstone project, which concerned mAKAP-dependent PKA activity and led to a lab technician position. My practical expertise lies in live-cell imaging and FRET technology, as well as cardiomyocyte isolation and culture.\"\"<\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Former Members<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Kristen Tokarski: MD\/PhD student, UConn medical school<\/li>\n
  • Shania Aponte Paris: Master's mentor (2016-2019), as part of the YIIP program at UConn Health.\u00a0 Currently in Medical School in Puerto Rico at San Juan Bautista.<\/li>\n
  • Akilah Plair: Master's mentor (2014-2016), Akilah is part of the YIIP program at UConn Health.\u00a0 4th<\/sup> Year Naturopathic Medical Student at University of Bridgeport.<\/li>\n
  • Marc Rigatti - PhD mentor (2012-2015).\u00a0 Graduated from UConn Health MD\/PhD program.\u00a0 Emergency Physician at UConn Health.<\/li>\n
  • Arpita Singh - PhD mentor (2008-2013).\u00a0 Clinical Trial Manger at Oticon Medical AB.<\/li>\n
  • Andrew Le - PhD mentor (2008-2013).\u00a0 Currently in Physician Scientist School at Yale University.<\/li>\n
  • John Redden - PhD mentor (2008-2013).\u00a0 Associate Professor-in-Residence at UConn, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology.<\/li>\n
  • Maximilian Vargas - PhD mentor (2007-2012). Senior Director for US Access Strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Moira Renee Agcaoili Undergraduate Student Phone: 860-679-4204 Email: moira_renee.agcaoili@uconn.edu I am an undergraduate student researcher currently pursuing a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology with a French minor. I joined the Dodge-Kafka lab in my senior year of high school and worked on an independent project through which I received my first hands-on experience in a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":305,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-19 09:02:54","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1889"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1889"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2676,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1889\/revisions\/2676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/cell-biology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}