Lab Members

Mary Hamer is currently Lab Manager for Dr. Obenaus’ labs at both Loma Linda University and UCI.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.  Her career as a biologist has encompassed over 15 years in the Veterinary field with large, small and exotic animals as well as over 10 years in the medical research field.  As lab manager she is involved in all aspects of personnel, experimentation, IACUC protocols, international collaborations and general administration for the labs.  She has been co-author on many papers from Loma Linda Veterans Affairs Hospital, University of California Riverside and Loma Linda University.  Research focus for Mary has included bone density and tissue regeneration, immunology and currently revascularization post TBI.

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Thesis: Mechanisms of tissue plasminogen activator-induced deleterious effects on the ischemic neurovascular unit.
Under the direction of Pr Denis Vivien and Pr Carine Ali, INSERM U919, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France

Amandine’s long-term research interests involve the understanding of the fate of the neurovascular unit cells during and after brain injuries. Her research training and experience have provided her with a robust background in neuroscience, cellular and molecular biology. During her Masters and PhD training, she conducted research with Pr Denis Vivien and Pr Carine Ali on the toxic effects of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on neurons and endothelial cells. Her goal was to extend the therapeutic window of tPA-induced thombolysis (the only FDA-approved treatment for acute ischemic stroke) since it is known that a late thrombolysis induces more neurotoxicity and more risks of hemorrhagic transformation. She used several drugs targeting GluN2D-containing NMDA receptors and proved their efficacy in blocking tPA-induced excitotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo.

During her first post-doctoral training, she focused on juvenile Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and studied their long-term effects on the basement membrane proteins of the cerebral blood vessels, leading to a first author-publication in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. She also published a review article about the chronic cerebrovascular dysfunction after TBI and she continues to work on the vascular aspect of brain injuries during my second post-doctoral training with Pr Andre Obenaus, a recognized scientist in the TBI and stroke fields.

Publications:
Amandine Jullienne, Andre Obenaus, Alexandra Ichkova, Catherine Savona-Baron, William J. Pearce, Jerome Badaut. Chronic cerebrovascular dysfunction after traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuroscience Research. 94(7):609-22 (review, 2016).

Amandine Jullienne, Jill M. Roberts, Viorela Pop, Elizabeth Head, M. Paul Murphy, Gregory J. Bix, Jérôme Badaut. Juvenile traumatic brain injury induces long-term perivascular matrix changes alongside amyloid-beta accumulation. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 34, 1637-1645 (2014).

Amandine Jullienne,Jérôme Badaut. Molecular contributions to neurovascular unit dysfunctions after brain injuries: lessons for target-specific drug development. Future Neurology. 8(6):677-89 (review, 2013).

Amandine Jullienne, Axel Montagne, Cyrille Orset, Flavie Lesept, David Jane, Daniel Monaghan, Eric Maubert, Denis Vivien and Carine Ali. Selective inhibition of GluN2D-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors prevents tissue plasminogen activator-promoted neurotoxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Molecular neurodegeneration. 6:68 (2011).

Arjang Salehi, Amandine Jullienne, Mohsen Baghchechi, Mary Hamer, Mark Walsworth, Virginia Donovan, Jiping Tang, John Zhang, William Pearce, Andre Obenaus. Up-regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin expression is accompanied with vascular repair after traumatic brain injury. The Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. (2017).

For full list: https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/obenauslab/publications/

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Research interests: Blood vessel repair following TBI; molecular and cellular mechanism of vascular repair

Arjang Salehi is a 4^th year Ph.D. student in the Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at UC Riverside. Arjang’s long-term research interests are in the pathophysiology of human diseases and injuries. His research experience has provided him with extensive background in biotechnology, molecular biology, and cell biology. During his M.S. degree, he conducted research related to spinal cord injury under the mentorship of Dr. Aileen Anderson and Dr. Hal Nguyen. His research project focused on evaluating the efficacy of different types of stem cell transplants in a mouse model of spinal cord injury. During his Ph.D. degree, he is conducting research related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) under the mentorship of Dr. Andre Obenaus. His ongoing research project is focused on understanding how the cerebral vasculature repairs itself after TBI and in identifying key molecular players involved in vascular repair. Arjang’s work resulted in a submission of a review and experimental article.

Awards:

• 2016: GSA Conference Travel Grant
• 2014: Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship Award

Publications:
Arjang Salehi, John Zhang,  AndreObenaus. Response of the Cerebral Vasculature following Traumatic Brain Injury. The Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. 2017. Jul;37(7):2320-2339

Arjang Salehi, Amandine Jullienne, Mohsen Baghchechi, Mary Hamer, Mark Walsworth, Virginia Donovan, Jiping Tang, John Zhang, William Pearce, Andre Obenaus. Up-regulation of Wnt/beta-catenin expression is accompanied with vascular repair after traumatic brain injury. The Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism. (2017).

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Research Interest: Effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on pediatric brain; white matter pathology after TBI

Jeong Bin Lee is a second year doctoral student in the Physiology division of Loma Linda University School of Medicine Basic Sciences Department. He is also part of Medical Scientist Program, which is Loma Linda University’s M.D.-Ph.D. program. He received his B.S. in Psychology – Behavioral Neurosciences from Andrews University, where he studied the electrophysiology of L3 auditory interneuron in Acheta Domesticus with Dr. Benjamin Navia. As a member of the Obenaus lab, his current research focuses on the effects of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury on white matter microstrucutre and oligodendrocyte development and function.

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Alexander Morita is a 3^rd year Ph.D. student in the Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology (CMDB) program at UCR. He joined the Obenaus lab in August 2016. He is currently studying the role of heme oxygenase-1 in traumatic brain injury. Alex received his BS in Mathematics from La Sierra University, and an MS in Chemistry (Biochemistry Option) at California State University, Los Angeles. Alex was previously mentored by Dr. Xin Wen at CSULA and studied chemical enhancers of antifreeze proteins. In addition to his research duties Alex has served as a Teaching Assistant at UCR for laboratory courses in general biology and general chemistry.

Publications:
Sen Wang, Xin Wen, Arthur L. DeVries, Yelena Bagdagulyan, Alexander Morita, James A. Golen, John G. Duman, and Arnold L. Rheingold. “Molecular recognition of methyl α-D-mannopyranoside by antifreeze (glyco) proteins.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 136, no. 25 (2014): 8973-8981.

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Kara Wendel is a second year doctoral student in the Anatomy and Neurobiology Department at UC Irvine. She received her B.S. in neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside where she studied the transgenerational effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on the brain and behavior in Dr. Kelly Huffman’s lab. As a member of the Obenaus lab, her current research investigates the relationship between the vascular network of the brain and white matter integrity following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury. Her research interests focus on effects of early-life experiences such as injury and adversity on the developing brain.

Publications:
Charles W. Abbott, Olga O. Kozanian, Joseph Kanaan, Kara M. Wendel, and Kelly J. Huffman. “The impact of prenatal ethanol exposure on neuroanatomical and behavioral development in mice.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 40, no. 1 (2016): 122-133.

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Elizabeth is a research technician at UC Irvine. She received her B.A. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside and is currently enrolled in a masters program in Neuroimaging and Informatics at the University of Southern California. Elizabeth has been contributing to research projects in the Obenaus lab since October 2015. These projects include investigating the pathology of epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and in particular, the susceptibilities that arise from early life stress and western high fat diet consumption. In the future, Elizabeth aspires to continue her ongoing research while expanding her skill set and knowledge in neuroimaging informatics.

Publications:
Jessica L. Bolton, Jenny Molet, Limor Regev, Yuncai Chen, Neggy Rismanchi, Elizabeth Haddad, Derek Z. Yang, Andre Obenaus, and Tallie Z. Baram. “Anhedonia following early-life adversity involves aberrant interaction of reward and anxiety circuits and is reversed by partial silencing of amygdala corticotropin-releasing hormone gene.” Biological Psychiatry(2017).

Priya Kalyan-Masih,  Julio David Vega-Torres, Christina Miles, Elizabeth Haddad, Sabrina Rainsbury, Mohsen Baghchechi, Andre Obenaus, and Johnny D. Figueroa. “Western High-Fat Diet Consumption during Adolescence Increases Susceptibility to Traumatic Stress while Selectively Disrupting Hippocampal and Ventricular Volumes.” eneuro 3, no. 5 (2016): ENEURO-0125.

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Yaritxa assists in ongoing projects in the lab and has developed a computed cell counting method. This method is designed to automate quantification of immunofluorescent images. She also assists in the analysis of immunofluorescence based tissue of white matter of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and the cryosectioning of brains in preparation for immunohistochemistry.  Yaritxa recently began analyzing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) for fiber tractography analysis of white matter after TBI as well.

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