Lab Members: Current and Alumni

Bio:

I grew up in the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria. A few years after graduating high school, I moved to the United States for my college studies. During my years as an undergraduate, I volunteered as a student researcher in a biotechnology laboratory, where I was involved in studying the carcinogenic effect of dietary toxins in transforming normal breast epithelia into cancerous cells. Then, I worked in a computational chemistry lab, where I studied the structures of cytochrome p450 enzymes and their interaction with multiple substrates. As a result, I was among the top 10 scholars across several universities selected to give an oral presentation at the annual Fall STEM symposium in Emory university. In 2018, I conducted summer research at IUPUI School of Science in Roper’s lab. There, I worked with a dynamic group tasked with breeding and genotyping a knockout mice model for Down syndrome. The amazing experience I had during the summer at IUPUI led me back to Indianapolis to pursue my PhD in pharmacology at IU School of Medicine.

Education:

B.S. Biological Science, Albany State University

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Research:

My research interest spans understanding the complex mechanisms underlying cancer progression and drug development. Thus, I joined Dr. Tao Lu’s lab where I am studying the role of NF-kB post-translational modifications in pancreatic cancer models. Through my doctoral research, I hope to continue to grow as a scientist and generate novel findings that will provide more insights into the molecular alterations that contribute to pancreatic cancer progression.

Email: amotolan@iu.edu

Phone: 317-278-0521 (lab)

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Mengyao Sun, M.D. M.S.

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IBMG Student 

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Bio:

I obtained my M.D. degree from Shandong University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, followed by a Master degree in Medical Science from Shandong University School of Medicine. My previous research direction mainly focused on the mechanisms and targeted therapy of transplant vasculopathy (TV) - the restenosis after vascular transplantation. With the hope of broadening my perspective in scientific research, I chose to go abroad to learn more advanced knowledge and techniques. Prior to joining Dr. Lu’s lab, I worked at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where I studied the effect of FAM 134b, the receptor of ER-phagy, on the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)-dependent inflammation response.

Education:

M.D. Chinese Traditional Medicine; Shandong University of Chinese Traditional Medicine

M.S. Pathology and Pathophysiology; Shandong University School of Medicine

Research:

My current research focuses on the role of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a slowly progressing inflammatory disease of the arteries, resulting in the formation of fatty and fibrous lesions in the vessel wall. It is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases and is responsible for a large proportion of mortality in the world. NF-κB is an important regulator of numerous genes linked to vascular inflammation and remodeling. It also plays a critical role in the differentiation of circulating immune cells and resident vascular cells. Many genes regulated by NF-κB play an important role for initiation of atherosclerosis, formation of foam cells and plaque stability. Previously, we discovered PRMT5 as a novel activator of NF-κB. Therefore, it is of great significance to further investigate whether PRMT5 is an important player in NF-κB-mediated progression of atherosclerosis, and whether it may serve as a potential therapeutic target for this devastating disease.

Contact:

Email: sun19@iu.edu

Phone: 317-531-1540