Dore Lab Team

Principal Investigator

Kim Dore, PhD

After her graduate studies in Biophysics, Dr. Dore decided to apply her expertise in fluorescence to image signaling proteins in neurons at the CERVO research center in the laboratory of Paul De Koninck. She then left Canada to work with Roberto Malinow in the Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior at UCSD. Using fluorescence lifetime imaging, she demonstrated that the NMDA receptor intracellular domain could move in response to neurotransmitter binding to induce ion-flux independent synaptic depression. The Dore lab officially started in May 2021 when Dr. Dore was awarded a R01 grant to study protection of synapses in the context of Alzheimer's disease by the scaffolding protein PSD-95. Her research is focused on molecular mechanisms underlying NMDA receptor dependent plasticity and how it relates to synaptic loss during Alzheimer’s disease as well as investigating the potential of increasing protein palmitoylation as a novel neuroprotection approach. When she is not engaged in research, Kim loves hanging out with her husband and two kids, roller-skating and electronic music.

Scientists

Yixing Du MD, PhD: January 2023 - present 

Yixing worked as a Neurologist at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China after obtaining her MD and Ph.D. degrees. In 2013, she pursued her passion for neuroscience research and joined Dr. Min Zhou’s lab at the Ohio State University as an electrophysiologist. In his lab, her research focused on the electrophysiological characteristics of astrocytes, especially the astrocyte syncytium. She also explored how astrocyte syncytial coupling changed in neurological disease models, including epileptiform discharges, chronic stress, and Alzheimer's disease. Her interest in disease-related research has motivated her to join Dr. Dore’s lab in 2023. She is eager to apply her expertise to Alzheimer's disease research regarding how astrocyte syncytial coupling function is affected and how this could change neuronal circuit function through neuro-glia network crosstalk. 

Angela Snyder, PhD: January 2024-present

Angela is a neuroscientist interested in the brain changes involved in neurological disorders. She earned her BA in psychology and BS in neuroscience from Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania where she got her start in scientific research. After graduation, she worked as a lab technician at UNC-Chapel Hill in the lab of Dr. Lisa Tarantino studying genetics associated with cocaine addiction. Later, she went on to earn her PhD in neuroscience from Penn State College of Medicine and completed her thesis work in Dr. Yuval Silberman’s lab. At Penn State she studied the effects of stress and alcohol exposure on neurocircuitry to better understand stress-related relapse in drug and alcohol use disorders. Most recently Angela worked as a Scientist at a contract research organization, where she designed and carried out neuroscience-based electrophysiological assays to serve clients’ drug discovery programs. Currently, Angela is a member of Dr. Dore's lab where she is continuing to apply and develop her electrophysiology expertise to study the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. She is also learning other techniques such as primary hippocampal cell culture, organotypic hippocampal slice culture, and fluorescence lifetime imaging. When not in the lab, Angela enjoys playing Mario games and volunteering at the Fleet Science Center and scientific outreach events.

Undergraduate Researchers 

Haritha Karthikeyan: October 2022-present 

Haritha is an undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in General Biology and minoring in Cognitive Science. She joined the Dore Lab in the Fall of 2022 as an Undergraduate Research Volunteer in order to gain research experience in the field of neuroscience and further her research interests. She hopes to continue pursuing research after graduating in June 2024 by participating in the BS/MS program at UCSD while in the Dore Lab. Currently, she has been helping with the maintenance of cell cultures and working on projects involving Western blotting and PCR. Outside of research, Haritha is also the President of Muir Environmental Corps on campus and enjoys spending time outdoors.  

Celeste Morales: September 2023-present

Celeste is a third year transfer student majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. She joined the Dore Lab in Fall 2023 and is looking forward to studying PSD-95 palmitoylation in the context of Alzheimer's Disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and being in nature. Celeste is also a member of the 2023 STARTneuro cohort.

Maureen Dinata: September 2023-present

Maureen is an undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in Neurobiology and minoring in Psychology. She joined the lab in Fall 2023 as a volunteer research assistant and is primarily working on analysis of mEPSC and is learning FRET-FLIM imaging. Outside the lab she enjoys spending time outside reading and exploring San Diego trying new foods.

Nicole Castro: April 2024-present 

Nicole is a 4th year transfer student majoring in Biochemistry. She joined the Dore lab in April 2024 to gain research experience and explore biochemical approaches to neuroscience. In the lab, she uses biochemical assays and Western Blotting to detect and quantify PSD-95 palmitoylation. Nicole intends to pursue a career in research or medicine, and outside of the lab she enjoys reading, drawing, and spending time with family.

Amber Lawrence: June 2024-present

Amber is an undergraduate student majoring in Neurobiology. She joined the Dore lab in Summer 2024. Prior to Dore Lab, she studied Parkinson's disease and the gut-brain axis through neural cell differentiation and co-culturing techniques. Now, she is learning electrophysiology techniques and working on projects involving immunohistochemistry. Following her undergraduate degree, she hopes to continue in the field of neurodegenerative disease research and pursue a PhD in neurobiology. Outside the lab, Amber is a resident advisor and enjoys spending time with her pet bearded dragon.

Nessa Jamalian: June 2024-present

Nessa is an undergraduate student at California State University San Marcos majoring in psychology with a minor in biology. Currently she has been working on a project for the Dore lab which investigates the interactions between ABHD17a and PSD-95. She is a current member of the STARS program at UCSD. Outside the lab she enjoys spending time with her dog and family.

Alumni 

Andrew Pham: Staff Research Associate (May 2021 - June 2023)

Mehreen Manikkoth: Lab assistant (October 2022 - June 2023); Undergraduate volunteer (August 2021 - October 2022)

Kate Merritt: Undergraduate volunteer (April 2021 - June 2022)

Jenna Dohner, Summer Intern from UC Davis (June 2022 - September 2022)

Sara Wahabzada: Undergraduate volunteer (November 2021- June 2022)

Kathryn Philhower: Undergraduate volunteer (June 2021 - September 2023)

Vishnu Vijayakumar: Undergraduate volunteer (March 2023 - September 2023)

Ian Baick: Undergraduate volunteer (January 2023 - December 2023)

Dina Kianiazar: Undergraduate volunteer (October 2022 - December 2023)

Dr. Hemanth Kumar Boyina: SERB-SIRE Visiting Scholar (September 2023 - March 2024)

Katie Prinkey: Lab Assistant (June 2023- June 2024), Undergraduate volunteer (July 2022 - May 2023)

Shayne Mayo: Undergraduate volunteer (February 2023 - December 2023)

Tania Cid: Undergraduate volunteer (September 2023 - June 2024)

Emily Thompson: Undergraduate volunteer (October 2023 - June 2024)