Danaher Foundation Grant Scholars 2024-25

Akshaya V. Annapragada

Metro Washington Chapter Scholar
Johns Hopkins University
Biomedical Engineering

There is a great need for accessible and sensitive screening approaches for carcinomas worldwide. Annapragada's research focuses on novel artificial intelligence approaches to enable new whole-genome analyses and enhanced understanding of cancer-related genetic changes. These approaches are enabling the development of non-invasive, affordable, accessible blood tests for early detection of cancers across a range of high-impact clinical settings.

L. Angel Ayala

Orange County Chapter Scholar
UC Irvine
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Ayala’s research focuses on reducing graft-vs-host disease in hematopoietic stem cell engraftment. He is currently the Family Engagement Chair and Council Representative for Associated Graduate Students, has two publications, and has completed twelve presentations.

Olivia B. Figueira

Orange County Chapter Scholar
UC Irvine
Computer Science

Figueira’s research focuses on data privacy, children’s and adolescents’ online privacy, and human-computer interaction. She is currently the Privacy Engineering Intern at Common Sense Media and President of Women in CyberSecurity student chapter at UCI. Figueira has published three publications and completed four presentations.

Hendryck Gellineau

Illinois Chapter Scholar
Northwestern University
Chemistry

Gellineau has often wondered why those who study medicine aren’t also the ones who make and design medicine. He is training to become a physician–scientist to fuse the study and design of medicine to facilitate better drug development. His current research focuses on using metal-based drugs, specifically cobalt complexes, as new antibiotics. Metal-based drugs have been used to fight cancer but are an untapped source of antibiotics. One way cobalt complexes could combat resistant bacteria is by inhibiting their resistance machinery so that old antibiotics can function again. So far, Gellineau has designed and tested four different cobalt complexes, each with some ability to inhibit enzymes that deactivate antibiotics such as penicillin. He is also working on methods to increase the uptake of cobalt complexes into bacteria.

Zachary J. Gold

Metro Washington Chapter Scholar
Johns Hopkins University
Biomedical Engineering

Gold’s research involves the development of novel technologies for those with neurological disorders, including a control-theory-based biomarker for characterizing treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients based on EEG data, and the development of a rectal catheter accessory device for those with neurogenic bowel disorder.

Phoebe Keyes

Minnesota Chapter Scholar
University of Minnesota
Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering

Keyes's work focuses on identifying the degradation products of polymers when they are exposed to environmental elements such as sunlight. Polymers are large molecules, but when they enter the environment, they get smaller through chemical reactions and, therefore more mobile and potentially toxic. Keyes aims to understand what polymers, such as plastics, are turning into in different environmental conditions.

Najwa Labban

Metro Washington Chapter Scholar
University of Virginia
Biomedical Engineering

Most breast cancers are treated with surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy, but not all women respond equally to these therapies. Labban’s research uses breast cancer cells from patients to engineer tumor “organoids” that more accurately mimic the disease process within the body for testing new and approved therapies and for understanding the origins of therapeutic resistance.

Cara-lin Lonetree

Minnesota Chapter Scholar
University of Minnesota
Immunology and Microbiology

Lonetree’s research focuses on genetic engineering of CD8 T cells for novel and effective treatment of pancreatic cancer. CD8 T cells are a crucial component of the immune system that fights off foreign viruses and bacteria, as well as our own cells that have become cancerous. While pancreatic cancer is very good at shutting down the T cells that have made their way into tumors, decades of research have enabled us to manipulate T cell DNA in ways that may improve their functionality and persistence in the solid tumor microenvironment (TME).

Louise Pitcher

Minnesota Chapter Scholar
University of Minnesota
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics

Pitcher is studying the effects of aging on the underlying mechanisms of cellular rejuvenation and the loss of a cell's power to divide and grow. Her research guides her drug discovery efforts by looking at data from multiple sources to give a more comprehensive understanding of molecular changes contributing to normal development, cellular response, and disease. Pitcher’s goal is to discover or improve a life-changing drug and get it to those who need it.

Sabahat Rahman

Metro Washington Chapter Scholar
Johns Hopkins University
Biomedical Engineering

Rahman is currently working on two cancer research projects that focus on personalized care and treatments. The first project will develop a device that measures individual patient melanoma stiffness in situ, with the intent of diagnosing melanomas earlier. The second project will use computational tools to model patient-specific reactions to various immunotherapies such as neo-antigen vaccines. These specialized treatments could prevent the deleterious side effects associated with nonspecific therapies.

Olivia S. Ritchie

Orange County Chapter Scholar
UC Irvine
Biomedical Engineering

Ritchie’s research focuses on combining cell and gene therapy for the treatment of monogenic diseases. She currently serves as the Communications Officer of the Graduate Association of Biomedical Engineering Students and club advisor to Girls in Med. Ritchie has one publication and has completed four presentations.

Arabi Seshappan

Northern California Chapter
UC Merced
Physics

Seshappan is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, and she is currently an ARCS Scholar at UC Merced and pursuing a Fulbright year in France at the Université of Paris-Saclay. Arabi found her path towards pursuing a PhD in physics after attending Chabot College in Hayward, which inspired her to study chemistry and transfer into the UC system. After graduating from UCLA with a B.S. in chemistry, she conducted an LSAMP Bridge to Doctorate fellowship at California State University, Los Angeles in physics. She found her way to UC Merced, where she now computationally studies the properties of materials—the interface of chemistry and physics. Ultimately, Arabi’s goal is to become a professor of physics at a Hispanic-Serving Institution or a Historically Black College/University.

Sofia Sheikh

Illinois Chapter Scholar
The University of Chicago
Ecology & Evolution

Millions of years of evolution have resulted in a vast diversity of organisms; yet recent studies show that much of this diversity originated via small changes or redeployment of old genes rather than the evolution of new ones. However, the mechanistic basis of this genetic co-option process remains unclear. Sofia is investigating the evolutionary origins and functional basis of co-option using swallowtail butterflies, in which mimicry has evolved by repurposing a gene that controls sex differentiation across insects. These understandings can teach us about microevolutionary processes such as gene co-option; they can also inform how to approach conservation issues as species deal with rapidly changing environments.