Yanling Wang has been a Staff Research Associate in the Mikkola lab since September 2005. Before joining the Mikkola lab, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Pharmacology Department at UCLA, focusing on molecular imaging in small animals. Yanling earned her Master’s degree in Microbiology and Genetics at Guangxi University in China, and further obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology at Sichuan University. She also worked as a professor at Sichuan University for ten years. Outside of lab, Yanling enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys traveling and participating in outdoors activities, like hiking, camping, and swimming.

Andy joined the lab in the fall of 2006, the afternoon his second son was born. He finished his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA in 2005 and is currently extending his time in trainee status by pursuing a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. His thesis project, “Defining Fetal Hematopoiesis Microenvironments to Understand Human Stem Cell Development”, will hopefully help him graduate by 2008. Until then, Andy is enjoying his newfound passion for science and camaraderie in the laboratory. His study of hematopoietic stem cell development during human embryogenesis and ES-cell differentiation will help him toward a future goal of creating an academic network and infrastructure for collaborations between stem cell scientists and reproductive clinicians. When not in the lab, Andy tries to be a doctor and perform magic for all of Mikkola lab functions.

Ben joined the lab in spring of 2007. Before coming to UCLA, he did one year of research on organic synthesis at Northern Michigan University, where he obtained his B.S. Currently, Ben studies hematopoiesis in early human development, focusing on the first trimester placenta as a potential niche and site of origin for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Furthermore, he is interested in utilizing the knowledge obtained from studying early HSC development to direct differentiation of human ES cells towards self-renewing HSCs for potential therapeutic applications. When not in the lab, Ben likes to play racquet sports, run, and spend time with his ACCESS 13 classmates.

Suvi graduated from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, where she studies biochemistry, chemistry, cell biology and Spanish. In 2006, Suvi did her Masters thesis about optimization of xeno-free culture media for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) at Regea (Institute for Regenerative Medicine), in Tampere, Finland. Suvi joined the Mikkola lab in March 2007, and will be implementing her GMP laboratory skills in hESC culture to establish hematopoietic differentiation for novel xeno-free hESC lines. She is planning to continue her studies in the future to become a PhD, or even MD PhD. In her spare time you can find Suvi in the gym or the closest forest running -or just sightseeing California with her friends and family.

Mattias did his undergraduate studies in biomedicine at Lund University, Sweden where he developed strong interest in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology. He started as a PhD student in January 2002 under the supervision of professor Stefan Karlsson at the department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy at Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Sweden. In February 2007, he defended his thesis, which focused on the role of Hox transcription factors in the regulation of HSC fate options. Mattias was rewarded a post-doctoral fellowship from Sweden and joined the Mikkola lab in spring 2007. His goal is to identify key signals in the microenvironments that regulate HSC development during embryogenesis in both humans and mice. His long-term goal is to return to Sweden and establish his own independent research group. Mattias has moved to Los Angeles with his wife Jenny, who is also a post-doc at UCLA, and their two-year-old son Noah.

Click here to download Mattias Magnusson CV (PDF)

Sacha Prashad is a third year undergraduate, majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. She joined the Mikkola lab in her second year, and investigates early hematopoietic stem cell development by searching for putative HSCs in the human placenta. Sacha is also interested in public health education and received California Legislature Recognition for educating the public about disease prevention. Currently, Sacha is a research associate and speaker for the Stroke Study Research Program, and educates the public about signs and symptoms of stroke onset. She also coordinates a hospital volunteer program for students interested in nursing programs, and currently works in the Labor and Delivery department. Sacha is a member of the College Honors Program, the UCLA Undergraduate Research Consortium in Functional Genomics, and the Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, figure skating, and eating gelato. In the future, Sacha plans to enter either medical or graduate school in order to study stem cells further and to contribute to the advancement of stem cell technology.

In the Fall of 2003 Shekhar began his undergraduate studies at UCLA as an Ethnomusicology major, with the intent to understand the integral relationship between music and culture and to further his training in the art of the tabla, a North Indian percussive instrument in which he has been classically trained in since the age of seven. Although he continues to perform frequently, Shekhar switched gears and became a Neuroscience major, where he studies the multifarious functions of the brain at the underlying molecular and cellular levels and how they integrate to form specific behaviors. In January of 2006, Shekhar found his way to the Mikkola Lab in pursuit to learn about the promise of stem cells. His current project explores global patterns of epigenetic modifications in the hematopoietic system and how these modifications are used to maintain the "stemness" or differentiation of HSCs. Shekhar is currently in the process of applying to medical school….

Originally from Bulgaria, Boriana came to UCLA in 2003. As a fourth year undergraduate student in the Physiological Sciences department, she studies anatomy, biomechanics, endocrinology, and system dynamics in the human body. Boriana switched gears from electro-physiology to molecular and cell biology to learn about stem cell development and broaden her perspectives on approaching scientific problems. Since joining the Mikkola lab in January 2007, Boriana studies the role of Mef2c transcription factor in hematopoiesis. Her future plans are to develop her technical and analytical skills with a Biomedical Technology M.S. program, possibly in Europe, and thereafter pursue a PhD by utilizing a cell systems biology approach. In her free time, Boriana enjoys hiking on the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains, Yosemite Park, and road biking.

Laurraine is a graduate student in the department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology. She received her B.S. from Westmont College in Santa Barbara where she also had the opportunity to serve as an intercultural leader working to facilitate conversation amongst members of different cultural backgrounds. Laurraine is an international student from France and Lebanon. She describes her upbringing as holistic and regularly enjoys discussing politics, economics, and philosophy. Before entering graduate school, Laurraine worked on retinal biochemistry in Dr. Farber’s lab at the Jules Stein eye institute. She has recently joined the Mikkola lab where she focuses on epigenetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cells during normal hematopoiesis and in an acute myeloid leukemia model. When not in the lab and according to seasonal capriciousness, Laurraine likes to paint, ski, read, sculpt, play the piano, dance, and again discuss world issues.

Akanksha is an international student from India. She graduated from University of California Los Angeles in Spring 2006, majoring in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. Since freshman year, Akanksha did research in Dr. Utpal Banerjee's lab characterizing mutations in genes involved in Drosophila eye development. She joined the Mikkola lab in Spring 2007 and is currently focusing on studying the role of PDGF signaling in hematopoietic stem cell development and migration in mouse embryos. In her free time, Akanksha enjoys listening to live music, exploring LA with her friends, traveling, yoga and photography.

Eija and Hanna have known each other for 15 years, starting at the University of Helsinki during Hanna's Ph.D. thesis in 1992-1997, where Eija taught Hanna molecular biology in the context of defining the genetic defects in Factor XIII deficiency. Eija has been a staff research associate/lab manager in the laboratory of Dr. Aarno Palotie as of 1991. She came to UCLA initially with Dr. Palotie's group for a yearlong visit in 2000, and for the summer of 2002. The Mikkola lab was fortunate to recruit Eija to help establish the lab at UCLA in 2005. All of the Mikkola lab members are forever grateful to Eija for setting the standards for a properly managed and functional research lab, and her pioneering work in exploring hematopoiesis in the human placenta. Eija returned to Finland in December 2006, where she is studying the molecular genetics of migraines. In her free time Eija enjoys visits to the summer cottage and picking berries.

Cameron was the first undergraduate researcher in the Mikkola lab, where his work focused on finding hematopoietic stem cell niches in the mouse placenta by using immunohistochemical techniques. Prior to joining the Mikkola lab, he worked on mechanisms of transcriptional repression by heterodimeric nuclear receptors in Dr. Michael Rosenfield’s lab at UCSD. Cameron graduated from UCLA in 2006 with B.S. in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. He currently attends medical school at UCSD, where he is working toward a career in surgery.

Christos did his undergraduate studies in Biomedicine at Lund University, Sweden, where he received his M.Sc degree in 2002, being already committed to research on hematopoiesis and developmental biology. The same year he came to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, to investigate SCL target genes and the placenta as a novel hematopoietic stem cell niche under supervision of Hanna Mikkola and Stuart Orkin. In 2004 he returned to Sweden to enter the PhD program at the Stem Cell Center in Lund under the supervision of Sten-Eirik Jacobsen and defended his Licentiate of Medical Sciences thesis in 2005. After some time traveling the world and learning his fifth language, Christos rejoined the Mikkola Lab at UCLA in the early summer of 2007, where he now continues to study the development of the hematopoietic system at both cellular and molecular levels. In his free time Christos enjoys most forms of outdoor physical activities such as running, hiking and playing basketball or just reading a book in the sun with good coffee.

Melissa graduated from Colorado College, where she studied biology and impressionist painting. After graduating, she joined Teach For America and taught middle school science, math, reading, writing, and art in a low-income area of Phoenix, Arizona. As a teacher, she truly understood the extent of the need to provide affordable healthcare and therapies to low-income families. With a background in biology, the ability to think creatively, and inspired by the enormous possibilities that exist in stem cell research, she joined the Mikkola lab in the fall of 2007.
Melissa is currently working to understand the specific characteristics in the microenvironment guiding the development of hematopoietic stem cells. Melissa plans to attend Medical School and continue her research on a graduate level in the near future. Currently, she enjoys eating dark chocolate, painting, reading, surfing, and hiking with her husband Connell, and their dog, Alaska.

Masaya joined the Mikkola lab in the summer of 2008. Before joining the lab, he worked as an assistant professor in Osaka University, Japan, studying stem cell biology. He is also a pharmacist, and has studied immunology, developmental and molecular biology when he was a student. Masaya moved to Los Angeles with his wife Keiko, and their two-year- old son Hiroki. His goal is to define microenvironmental cues that regulate hematopoietic stem cell emergence and expansion in the placenta. His carrier goal is to return to Japan and become a PI.