Lab Members
Bio
Dr. Andrea Cipriano is an Instructor at the Stem Cell Institute and at the Ob/Gyn department at Stanford School of Medicine. Since the beginning of his career, he was driven by a deep interest in the complexities of life emerging from just a single cell, but still harboring all the instructions to produce a fully functional organism. His academic journey began with a bachelor’s in Biotechnology and progressed to a Master's in Genomic Biotechnology, where he delved into the intricate world of RNA. During his PhD, Andrea focused on long non-coding RNAs and their pivotal role in cell differentiation, a topic that continues to fascinate him in his current research. He works in the Sebastiano lab, and he is directing several projects, including studying the transcription factor Tbx1 during development of the Pharyngeal endoderm, and exploring the impact of time on Chromatin Structure, particularly in the context of aging and its potential reversal.
As an instructor, Andrea has been teaching at the intensive CIRM stem cell class biology course and at the Stem Cell Biology and Applications Stanford minicourse BIOS224. Teaching is a big passion that fuels his academic pursuits. His dedication to education stems from a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of knowledge, which is what initially propelled him into the academic world.
Bio
Dr. Priscila Chiavellini is deeply interested in the underlying biological mechanisms of development occurring from birth to death. To her mind, one of the most significant promises of this science lies in understanding those mechanisms to improve the quality of life of the elderly.
At college, she pursued a five-year degree in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina, her home country. Then at the same institution, she obtained her doctoral degree in cell reprogramming to implement rejuvenation in aging rodents by restoring their biological age. The aim was to partially reprogram the nervous system using an adenovirus to revert age-associated memory impairment in old rats.
Dr. Sebastiano's lab has developed powerful tools in the reprogramming and rejuvenation field. During her Ph.D., he opened his lab doors to have me involved on a short-term visit. After getting her degree, she joined his team as a postdoc.
Currently, she is mainly working on the mechanisms of partial reprogramming project. She is seeking to understand the molecular processes occurring during the transient expression of the Yamanaka factors to rejuvenate aged cells.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and following her beloved Estudiantes de La Plata.