Wen-Pin Chen received his Ph.D. from National Taiwan University. After completing my thesis work in Professor Ming-Jai Su’s Lab in the Institute of Pharmacology about the mechanisms of the mechanical and electrophysiological modulation of a1-adrenergic activation in normal and cardiomyopathic hearts in 2002. And then, he joined in Drug Research Center at NTU as a postdoctoral fellow to have charge in cardiovascular pharmacology projects including anti-arrhythmic and cardioprotective agents against ischemia-reperfusion injury, drugs anti-diabetic cardiovascular complications and drugs anti-septic cardiomyopathy since 2002. His major research work included using patch clamp technique to characterize the change of cardiac electrophysiology under pathophysiological conditions and the modulation by drugs, measuring Ca2+ transients of single cardiac cells, and using catheter to measure left ventricular pressure and volume to approach hemodynamic function in normal and disease animal models. Being interested in pharmacological screen for drugs that regulate postnatal cardiac progenitor cells, he enters cardiovascular research center of MGH as a research fellow.

Guang Li got his Ph.D. degree in 2013 from Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His Ph.D. thesis focus on the developmental and transcriptional roles of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factor Imitation Switch (ISWI) in Arabidopsis. For being interested in the molecular regulation of cardiac development, he joined Sean Wu's lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2012. Now he is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the differentiation of bi-potential cardiac progenitor cells.

Sharon Paige grew up in Rochester, NY before moving out to Seattle for her MD-PhD training. For her graduate thesis, Sharon studied Wnt signaling and chromatin signatures during cardiac differentiation from human embryonic stem cells. She moved to Stanford in 2013 for her Pediatrics Residency and continued as a Pediatric Cardiology Fellow through the Accelerated Research Pathway. Sharon's long-term interests include understanding the genetic contributions to congenital heart disease and developing regenerative medicine therapies for patients of all ages with congenital heart disease. When not in the lab or the hospital, Sharon can often be found in a nearby park with her husband, Arlen, and dog, Betty Rubble.

Vahid Serpooshan received his undergraduate degrees (BSc and MSc) in Materials Science and Engineering at Sharif University in Iran. He next moved to Montreal, Canada in 2007 and did a PhD in biomaterials engineering. His PhD thesis focused on design and optimization of scaffolding biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. In 2011, Vahid joined Stanford University School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Ruiz-Lozano lab in Pediatrics-Cardiology. Over the last three years, his research has been mainly focused on developing a new generation of engineered cardiac patch device to repair damaged cardiac tissue following myocardial infarction (heart attack). In Wu lab, Vahid works on enabling technologies for human-machine hybrid cardiac tissue, using 3D printing to assemble complex arrays of interfaces between synthetic and biological materials.

Jan Willem Buikema joined the Dr. Wu lab early 2017. In the past he completed his medical school in 2010 at University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Next he went for a research fellowship to Dr. Domian's research group at Massachuchetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School. In 2014 he obtained his PhD degree from Utrecht University after writing a thesis on 'Molecular control of ventricular growth'. Most of his research work focused on Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in the heart. Currently Jan is trained in the University Medical Center Utrecht to become a cardiologist. In the Wu lab, Jan is working on molecular targets in inherited human cardiomyopathies.

Elda Dzilic graduated in 2013 from the Medical University Vienna. Her medical thesis focused on ischemia/reperfusion after myocardial infarction. After receiving her M.D., she began her residency in cardiac surgery at the German Heart Centre Munich in 2013. After joining the Department of Experimental Surgery in her hospital, she developed an interest in the biology of human induced pluripotent stem cells and started in 2014 her research fellowship in Sean Wu’s lab.

Chun-Yuan Chan received his M.S. degree at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan before studying his Ph.D. degree in the Biomedical Science Graduate program at University of New Mexico. His Ph.D. dissertation work focuses on how glucose metabolism regulates V-ATPase function, which maintains pH homeostasis and organelle acidification across all eukaryotic cells. In 2015, he joined Sean Wu’s lab as postdoctoral fellow studying the cellular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and potential therapeutic development.

Wenpo Chuang was graduated from National Yang Ming University school of Medicine in Taipei, Taiwan. He subsequently received residency training for internal medicine and cardiology in National Taiwan University Hospital. Since 2006, he joined Far Eastern Memorial Hospital as staff cardiologist. At the meantime, he received cardiac electrophysiology fellowship training in National Taiwan University from 2006 to 2008. He becomes board certified cardiac electro-physiologist and intervention cardiologist in 2008.

Serge Gregoire attended the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, from 1999-2001 for his undergraduate training. He majored in biology specializing in biotechnology. This allows him to be recruited in the laboratory of Dr. Xiang-Jiao Yang in the department of Experimental Medicine at McGill University to pursue his PhD. training. He studied the molecular regulatory mechanisms of Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 (MEF2) family of transcription factors. He has shown that histone deacetylase 4 modulates the sumoylation and phosphorylation of MEF2 proteins. This has allowed him to identify a phospho-sumoyl switch. He has demonstrated that this motif is present in more than 80 proteins and that it serves as a valuable signature for in silico identification of proteins regulated by adjacent phosphorylation and sumoylation. More importantly, the proteins identified by such screening play critical roles in cancer formation/progression, cell signaling, stemness, metabolism, and cytoskeletal regulation, highlighting the physiological significance of this motif.

Markus Krane graduated from the Ludwig Maximillians University School of Medicine in Munich, Germany in 2004. He performed his medical thesis in cardiopulmonary bypass in a pig model in the Department of Experimental Surgery (Prof. Dr. Robert Bauernschmitt) of the German Heart Center Munich. After graduating from medical school he has started his cardiac surgery fellowship training at the German Heart Center Munich in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery (Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Lange) in 2005. Being interested in embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell biology in the context of cardiac differentiation/development he has entered the Wu Lab of the cardiovascular research center at the MGH as a research fellow in 2009.

Rajarajan Kuppusamy completed his graduation in the discipline of Animal Physiology with emphasis on assisted reproductive technology from India. He has worked in various assisted reproductive technologies such asIVF, ICSI, Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, Vitrification, transgenic andKnock-out and cell culture. Being interested in embryonic stem cells, iPS cells, Assisted Reproductive Technology, transplantation research and regenerative biology, he joined Wu Lab as research fellow in June 2009.

Yuan-Hung Liu was graduated from National Taiwan University School of Medicine in Taipei, Taiwan. He subsequently received internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship training at National Taiwan University Hospital. Yuan-Hung Liu became CV staff at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Taipei in July, 2002. He took responsibility of intensive care and resident training in cardiovascular intensive care unit from 2002 to 2003. Being interested in cardiac electrophysiology, he received cardiac electrophysiology (EP) fellowship training at National Taiwan University Hospital from 2003 to 2006, and then set up EP Lab at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital.

Anthony Sturzu was born in Cupertino, CA and graduated from Monta Vista High School. After competing his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at UCLA, he attended medical school at Drexel University before returning to the Bay Area to complete his Internal Medicine residency at UCSF. His cardiology training was completed at Massachusetts General Hospital where he first joined the Wu lab. Anthony's research focus involves the use of cell ablation to study developmental and regenerative biology in the mammalian heart.

Min Zeng graduated from the West China University of Medical Science (Sichuan, China). Subsequently she worked in The First affiliated Hospital of The West China University of Medical Science, and Hainan Provincial People's Hospital majoring in cardiology. She participated in the research of the effect evaluation of nasal continuous positive air pressure (n-CPAP) treatment in patient with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) which was sponsored by Ministry of Health, P.R. China in 2002.And in 2004, she undertook the research financed by Hainan provincial health bureau: A follow up study of incidence of stroke and risk factors in patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation(NVAF). Because she has a burgeoning interested in the formation of early stage myocardial lineage commitment by a molecular genetic approach, she joined the Wu lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2007.

Arun Sharma is a PhD graduate student in the Stanford Biosciences program and is co-mentored by Sean Wu and Joseph Wu. Born in India and raised in Alabama, Arun graduated from Duke University in 2012 with a degree in Biology, Chemistry, and Genome Sciences. As an undergraduate at Duke, he spent a summer in Boston through the Harvard Stem Cell Institute's Summer Internship Program and developed a passion for stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. At Stanford, Arun's research focuses on the applications of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biology, and specifically, utilizing iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to model cardiovascular diseases.

Leighton is currently an MD-PhD student in the Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program. Prior to coming to Stanford, he received a BS in Biology from Georgetown University. He was a HHMI undergraduate research scholar at Georgetown, studying RNA-protein interactions of Hepatitis Delta Virus. After graduating in 2013, he spent a year in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the NIH, researching the immune response of Hepatitis C Virus-infected patients treated with direct-acting antivirals. Leighton was born and raised in Denver, Colorado.

Marc Engels grew up and graduated from high school in Curaçao, a Caribbean island forming part of the Dutch Antilles. He attained his propaedeutic exam in Life Science & Technology at Leiden University and Technical University Delft in the Netherlands,  before entering Medical School at Leiden University. He combined his studies with a pre-Master program in Biomedical Sciences. After graduating from Medical School in 2009 he joined the Wu lab to work on cardiac stem cell research under the direct mentorship of Sean Wu. Marc is hoping to start with a PhD-training later this year.

Orlando Chirikian received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He then went on to complete a dual master degrees in Biotechnology (emphasis in Stem Cell Technology) and Business Administration from California State University Channel Islands. He has received a CIRM Grant to conduct stem cell and regenerative medicine research under Dr. Sean Wu at Stanford University, specifically focusing on the applications of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) biology. Aside from the sciences, his passions lead him to start a 501c3 non-profit in 2013 called People Being Just, which currently still serves the homeless population on Skid Row, Los Angeles. As for his future endeavors, he is interested in pursuing an MD/PhD degree, in hopes to contribute to the realm of translational medicine in the cardiovascular field.

Sneha Venkatraman hails from Mumbai, India. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from University of Mumbai, India. She then pursued her Masters in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics from California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). She got accepted into the “Emphasis in Stem Cell Technology and Laboratory Management” of the Masters in Biotechnology Program. In addition, she was one of the recipients of the prestigious “California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Bridges to Stem Cell Research Trainee Award” to pursue a one year internship in Stem cell research at the Sean Wu Lab at Stanford University. The amazing tutelage, guidance and experience at both institutes landed her a job as a lab manager and research assistant in the same lab where she interned. Her future plans are to pursue a Ph.D. through work in the Biotechnology Industry and contribute to society. In her free time, she volunteers in various philanthropic events. Sneha has a passion for music and is an amateur singer who loves to sing Western and Indian classical music. Her talents were recognized when she was selected to sing the United States National Anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the CSUCI Commencement ceremony and the Port Hueneme Naval Base.

Aimee Beck graduated in 2004 from UC Riverside with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She is currently finishing her master’s degree in Biotechnology, with an emphasis in stem cell research from California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI).  After receiving the CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Training Grant, Aimee is participating in a one-year internship in the Sean Wu Lab at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. During this internship, Aimee will be studying the mechanisms of cardiac development and congenital heart disease using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to model diseases. Her current research project utilizes CRISPR technology with hiPSC lines in order to fluorescently label chamber-specific cardiomyocytes. With a passion for science and stem cell technology, Aimee plans to pursue a career in the biotechnology industry focusing on congenital heart disease.

Anusha Kumar graduated from Stanford University in 2014, with a BS in Biology and a minor in Philosophy. Her academic concentration was Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. While an undergraduate, Anusha investigated the hormonal regulation of behavior in African cichlids. She now looks forward to exploring the field of cardiac regenerative medicine and tackling questions with iPSC disease models. When not in lab, Anusha trains in Bharatanatyam (classical Indian dance) and serves as a manager at Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose.

Adele Xu received her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 2014, with a focus on biomedical applications. Prior to Stanford she attended high school at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. She has been working in the Wu lab since June 2014 and hopes to begin pursuing her MD/PhD degree in the autumn of 2015. Her research interests include drug delivery, photochemistry, genome editing, and tissue engineering. In her free time she explores Bay Area running trails and serves as a manager at Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose.

Karolina Plonowska graduated from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, CA. She completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University in 2013 with a BA in French and Biological Sciences, concentrating in molecular and cell biology. She has worked for the Wu lab during the summer of 2012 to facilitate the lab’s transition to Stanford. Her interests include IPS disease models and RNA world 

Xiaojing graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a BA in chemistry, working on mathematical modelling theory for dynamic systems. Her current interests include cardiac regenerative therapy and the development of IPS disease models.

James Oh graduated from LaGuardia High School for Music and Art in New York, NY. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007. While majoring in physics and philosophy, he completed his thesis in biology in Stephen Crews' laboratory where he studied transcriptional regulation. At UNC, James began a stem cell interest group for ethics debates. Furthermore, he has received undergraduate training in Michael Young's lab at The Rockefeller University where he investigated the role circadian proteins.

Esther Yu graduated from Centennial High School in Roswell, GA. She completed her undergraduate training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007. Along with majoring in biology at MIT, she worked in the lab of Thijn Brummelkamp at the Whitehead Institute, where she performed RNAi screens to identify and characterize novel genes in various cancer pathways. Furthermore, she investigated methods to use RNAi to selectively target tumorigenic cells.

Having graduated from South San Francisco’s El Camino High School in 2015, James Hu is currently an undergraduate student at Stanford University who plans to major in bioengineering. Fascinated with recent developments in stem cell technology, he joins the Wu Lab to learn more about the field and to cultivate his skills as a researcher. After his undergraduate years, James has aspirations of attending medical school to become a physician-researcher. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, participating in cultural events, and spending time with friends.

Yuan Zhang graduated from Beijing No.8 High School in China in 2013. As a current Stanford undergraduate student, she plans to major in Biology and go to medical school after college. Fascinated by the field of medicine, she hopes to pursue a career as a biomedical researcher or physician. She enjoys working in the lab and volunteering at Arbor Free Clinic as a mandarin interpreter and patient navigator. In her free time, she loves swimming and playing pipa, as a performer of Stanford Chinese Music Ensemble.

Daniel Hu is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in bioengineering.  He is particularly interested in tissue engineering, stem cell biology, and regenerative medicine and aspires to become a physician. Besides research, Daniel is involved in a number of volunteer organizations, including Alpha Phi Omega and Pacific Free Clinic. During his spare time, he enjoys swimming and playing basketball with friends.

Nick Flores is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry.  Nick, a Gates Millennium Scholar, is of Mexican heritage and is fluent in Spanish as well as English. He hopes to attend medical school in 2016 after graduation in pursuit of becoming a physician. Aside from research, he is interested in helping underprivileged areas and volunteers at East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring as well as Stanford Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose.

Jennifer Li graduated from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Illinois, in 2013. Currently an undergraduate at Stanford University, she plans to pursue a degree in Biomechanical Engineering or the Biological Sciences. After completing her undergraduate studies, she hopes to attend medical school and become a physician. She is very eager and excited to become involved in the research conducted by the Sean Wu Lab. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, running, and exploring the Bay Area.

Ryoko Hamaguchi is an undergraduate student at Stanford University and is mentored by Sean Wu. Born in Japan and raised in Beaverton, Oregon, she is fluent in both Japanese and English. She is currently pursuing a B.S. degree in the Biological Sciences. She hopes to enter a career in medicine, and dreams of becoming a physician skilled in clinical practice as well as in research. Beyond academics, her passions include visual art and volunteering at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center emergency department.

Alyssa graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2004 with a BS in Animal Science. That summer, she joined the CBR Institute for Biomedical Research at Children's Hospital Boston working under Yuko Fujiwara in Fred Alt and Stuart Orkin's transgenic core. Her interests in reproductive physiology led her to Charles River Laboratories working as a reproductive specialist, primarily rederiving investigators' mouse lines.  Currently, she is the transgenic core manager for Wu lab, primarily injecting ES and IPS cells into mouse blastocysts. In June 2010 she is attending the cryopreservation of mouse germplasm course at Jackson Laboratory and hopes with its completion, will be added to the transgenic core's services.

Anand Chandra is currently a junior at Gunn High School. He is working in Sean Wu's lab to explore what it means to be a researcher. Although he is still in high school, he has developed a passion for biology and chemistry, and he is hoping to discover practical applications for both that exceed what is taught from a textbook. As for the future, Anand aspires to make a positive difference in the world. In his spare time, he loves to play the violin, spend time with friends, and work out at the gym.

Thomas Thach is currently a student at Oak Grove High School and intends to matriculate into Stanford University's incoming Class of 2021. Inspired by the endless potential for science to help humanity, he plans to major in biology and continue researching into cardiology. Some of his favorite pastimes include playing badminton, river rafting, sampling new foods, and marvelling at recent discoveries in medicine.

Veda Sunkara is currently a junior at Mountain View High School in Mountain View, CA. After gaining some lab experience in an ameba lab over the past summer, she wants to expand her horizons and learn from every possible opportunity that is presented to her. She is excited by the possibilities that the lab's research holds, and cannot wait to be a part of such an incredible venture. She plans to major in journalism and biology when she goes to college, and hopes to one day build establish a series of clinics of her own in Syria to assist war victims. In addition to research, Veda loves to spend time with her family, run, and play the classical guitar.

Born in October 1951; an alumnus of the Bombay University; with degrees in Chemistry, Law and Business Management.

He is the Managing Director of ‘Marvel Foods’ and ‘Bakers Choice’. These two companies are engaged in the manufacture of Chemicals and Additives for the Bakery and Food Industry in general.

As an active social worker Venkatraman has several recognitions to his credit.

At the Professional level: As Honorary Secretary of ‘The Society Of Indian Bakers’, and ‘National Association of Bakery Industry’, he has directly contributed to the development and growth of the Bakery Industry at the National level in significant ways.

At the Jaycees level: Venkatraman was the youngest elected Chapter President of the ‘Juhu Junior Chamber’ in 1979 and then became the ‘First State President’ of the ‘Maharashtra State Jaycees’ in 1982.

The ‘Maharashtra State Government’, had acknowledged Venkatraman’s contribution by appointing him on the ‘FDA Panel’ to streamline safety and hygiene standards. Also, the ‘Government of Italy’ invited him to represent India at an International Trade Symposium and Fair.

As a Hon. Trustee for the ‘Forum For Fast Justice’, a leading NGO, he is a crusader for total Judicial Reforms and Judicial Accountability, for the benefit of people at large.

Venkatraman has travelled widely in connection with his effort to bridge the technological and knowledge gaps between the east and the west.