Principal Investigator: Andrei Maiseyeu, PhD

After receiving Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, I joined an imaging and cardiovascular biology lab at the Ohio State University, Heart and Lung Research Institute (DHLRI) as a post-doctoral fellow. At first, I was puzzled by single-use labware: during my PhD work, thorough hand-washing of used labware was a grueling ritual and, occasionally, a ‘reward’ for successful synthesis. Starting with discovery of disposable plastic flasks that biologists routinely used, I learned many intricacies of medical research. Fast forward 10 years, in November 2016, I joined the faculty at Case Western Reserve University with the goal to elucidate mechanisms of cardiovascular disease through nanotechnology and chemistry. See my biosketch here.

Postdoctoral Scholar: Alice Chaplin, PhD

I have a PhD in Nutrigenomics from the University of the Balearic Islands, Spain, which I partly carried out at the Experimental Vascular Medicine Department at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Up until now, my research has focused on the study of energy metabolism in obesity and the metabolic syndrome, particularly focusing on the role of gut microbiota and epigenetic modifications. Currently, I am a postdoctoral scholar at the Maiseyeu Lab where I will participate in the design and use of novel therapeutic strategies in cardiovascular disease through GLP-1 receptor activation. I am passionate about travelling and yoga, and living in the USA is proving to be an amazing experience.

Research Assistant: Huiyun Gao

I graduated from Kunming Medical University with a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Medicine (5 years). I was a physician for 7 years at The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University. I then joined Dr. Simon’s lab at the Cardiology Department, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School for one year, after which we moved to the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Case Western Reserve University. Over the past 12 years, I have worked on the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. I started working in Dr. Maiseyeu’s lab in September 2017. We focus on the cellular and molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis, obesity, and other metabolic diseases with integrated nanotechnology and biology. I love cooking and music, as well as being with my husband and our two children.

Research assistant: Courteney Asase

My name is Courteney Asase and I am from Brownsville, TX. I moved to Cleveland, OH  for college and graduated  from Case Western Reserve University with my Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and my Master’s in Clinical Bioethics. During my undergraduate career, I worked in Dr. David Buchner’s Genetics lab where we studied the epigenetic basis of parental and transgenerational effects on offspring disease susceptibility. My project specifically focused on analyzing fibroblast cells from a consanguineous family with syndromic short stature. I joined Dr. Maiseyeu’s lab in August 2018 where we focus on the cellular and molecular mechanism of different cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis. In my free time, I love dancing, travelling, and reading.

Medical Student: Matt Mignery

My name is Matt Mignery, and I am currently a first-year medical student at Case Western. I was born and raised in Columbus, OH, but grew up a Michigan football fan. I majored in biochemistry at Miami University in Oxford, OH, where I worked in Dr. Rick Page’s Structural Biology and Biophysics lab. We investigated the crystal structure of the mitochondrial protein Mortalin (its nucleotide-binding domain) in various states using x-ray crystallography. Currently, I work in Dr. Maiseyeu’s lab where we are further elucidating atherosclerotic macrophage metabolism along its M1/M2 polarization spectrum. I enjoy hiking, reading for leisure, and playing chess.

This could be you! Contact us if you are interested in joining our team!