Principal Investigator
Dr. Daniela Bota, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology
Vice Dean, Clinical Research
Director, UCI Alpha Clinic
dbota@hs.uci.edu
Dr. Bota is a physician-scientist whose academic research and clinical practice focuses on innovative treatments for brain malignancies. She received her medical degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania and her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. She completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center and her fellowship in Neurology-Oncology at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Bota’s clinical interests include the comprehensive treatment of brain tumor patients. In addition to currently serving as UC Irvine’s Vice Dean for Clinical Research and the Director of the UCI Alpha Clinic, she has led dozens of international, national, and institutional clinical trials to successfully bring novel therapies into the clinical arena. In support of these efforts, Dr. Bota’s translational research lab likewise investigates potential therapies for malignant gliomas in three main research areas. First, Dr. Bota’s lab explores the involvement of mitochondrial proteins such as LonP1 and MAGMAS in mitochondrial homeostasis as well as in glioma invasion and resistance. Second, her work seeks to identify specific and targetable oncogenic pathways in malignant glioma stem cells where harnessing any potential anti-tumor effects can result in novel therapies. Lastly, Dr. Bota’s lab is dedicated to identifying new targets for malignant glioma immune therapies in an effort to improve survival and quality of life for all brain tumor patients.
Current Lab Members
 Kaijun Di, PhDLab Manager kdi@hs.uci.eduKaijun Di is a staff scientist and lab manager in the Bota lab. Dr. Di obtained her B.S. and M.S. at Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in China and her PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Hong Kong. After post-doctoral training at UC Irvine, Dr. Di joined Dr. Bota’s lab in 2010. Dr. Di’s research has two aspects. First is to identify signaling pathways that are modulated in malignant glioma cells. Second is to validate potential anti-tumor agents against related oncogenic targets. She studies signaling pathways involved in glioma tumorigenesis and their potential roles in the development of metastatic phenotypes. In addition, she works closely with internal and external collaborators to conduct preclinical works to identify anti-tumor effects of investigational compounds both in vitro using cell lines and in vivo using xenograft animal models. |
 Naomi Lomeli, PhDPostdoctoral Scholar nrlomeli@uci.eduDr. Lomeli received her PhD in Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California Irvine in 2019. During her PhD, she examined the role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairments. In 2021, Naomi was awarded the UC Irvine Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) TL-1 training fellowship to examine the role of p38 and JNK MAPK activation in cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) during her postdoctoral studies. In the Bota Lab, Naomi is investigating how cancer and chemotherapy contribute to cancer-related cognitive impairments (CRCI) and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in ovarian cancer rodent models. Naomi’s research examines mechanisms of cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in vitro in neural stem cells, hippocampal neurons, and in vivo ovarian cancer rodent models. She is interested in investigating translational therapeutic strategies for preventing CRCI and CIPN to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors. |
Shashi Jain, Ph.D. Dr. Jain received her Ph.D. in Molecular Cancer Biology in 2015 at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.Her study was focused on cancer cell signaling and drug resistance and how this contributes to cancer metastasis. Dr. Jain’s postdoctoral studies are broadly focused on targeting the metabolic variabilities in metastasizing tumor. As a staff scientist at the University of California San Diego, her research established how cellular stresses drives integrin mediated metabolic adaptability in cancer as a mechanism of tumor initiation, stem-like phenotype, leading to stress tolerance. Her research in Dr. Bota’s lab at UCI continues to investigate the LonP1-induced mitochondrial cancer metabolism in driving resistance and metastasis in brain tumors.She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and friends, cooking, gardening, and traveling. |
 Javier Lepe, B.S.PhD Candidate jlepe2@uci.eduJavier received his B.S. in Biology where he joined his first lab conducting research in Aquatic Toxicology. Before getting into graduate school, he was accepted into an internship CIRM funded internship program at UCI where he performed translational research utilizing stem cells in brain and spinal cord injury models. Javier is heavily involved in several mentoring programs that UCI which are aimed at helping other students from diverse backgrounds transition into graduate school and setting up quarterly events. His hobbies include outdoor activities and off- roading. |
| Dahlia A. Ordaz B.S. PhD Student dordaz@uci.edu Dahlia received her B.S in Biology with a minor in Psychology from UC Irvine. Dahlia then continued her pursuit of higher education, and went on to complete Master’s at the California State University of Fresno, where she studied the radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE). In the Fall of 2023, Dahlia joined Dr. Bota’s lab as a PhD student in the Department of Experimental Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Her work examines the potential use of PARP inhibitors to prevent chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity in an ovarian cancer model. |
 Jennifer D. Tran, B.S.CIRM Bridges Scholar jennidt3@hs.uci.edu Jennifer joined the Bota Lab in 2023 as a CIRM Bridges Scholar. For her Master’s thesis, she is investigating the role of the mitochondrial trafficking protein (MAGMAS) in glioblastoma (GBM) and its association with chemoresistance. Her investigation involves studying MAGMAS expression in established chemoresistant cell lines and patient-derived glioma stem cells. This research is of clinical importance as it aims to identify potential mitochondrial-based targets for glioma tumors that are unresponsive to conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. |
 Maureen CruzLaboratory Research Assistant maurec2@uci.eduMaureen joined the lab in 2022 as our laboratory research assistant. Her prior experience as an Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) in oncology has been an asset in overseeing the lab’s animal colony. She is also involved in chemo-brain research and animal studies. Currently, she is an undergraduate student at Cal Poly Pomona studying animal science and plans to attend veterinary school in the future. |
 James PhanUndergraduate Student Researcher jamesap1@uci.edu |
 Valerie NguyenUndergraduate Student Researcher valercn1@uci.edu |
Former Lab Members
Former Clinical Fellows:
Former Graduate Students:
Former Undergraduate Student Researchers:
Former Research Trainees and Student Interns:
|