Predoctoral IRTA Fellow (Doctoral Candidate: Brandeis University)
Education:
B.S., Physics, 2019, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Languages Spoken: Spanish
Biography
I create supported planar bilayers to model the endosomal membrane fusion step of the influenza A virus cell entry cycle. By leveraging the high sensitivity of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFm), I observe membrane fusion at single-virion resolution. By implementing a novel DNA oligo-mediated receptor attachment scheme, I aim to evaluate the effect of surface receptor density and binding affinity on fusion kinetics. I also aim to image intact, single-virion-containing endosomes to study membrane fusion in its natural cellular context.