biochemistry – Marin Science Seminar

Title: “The Pharmacy of Genes: Drug Development for Genetic Diseases” with Natalie Ciaccio Ph.D. of Biomarin

Date, Time, Location: Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018; 7:30 – 8:30 pm at Terra Linda HS in San Rafael, Room 207

NEW Watch Dr. Ciaccio’s presentation in VR below!

Bio: Dr. Ciaccio is a Sr. Scientist working in Formulation Development at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. in Novato, Ca. Prior to joining BioMarin, Dr. Ciaccio completed her Postdoctoral training in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California San Francisco, where she explored the application of drug delivery technologies for sustained release of biologics. Previously, Dr. Ciaccio obtained her PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas, where she investigated mechanisms of protein degradation and aggregation. She obtained her BS in Pharmacy from Purdue University and spent three years working in Quality Control at Eli Lilly and Co., supporting insulin manufacturing prior to attending graduate school.

Watch Dr. Ciaccio’s presentation in Virtual Reality (VR) below! Use your keyboard arrows or click and drag to visit the Marin Science Seminar classroom.

The Pharmacy Of Genes from Marin Science Seminar on Vimeo. Video by MSS intern Satvik Namburu

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Join us and learn! – Back to the Marin Science Seminar calendar

By Rachael Metzger, Marin Science Seminar Intern

Stephanie Rasmussenholds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Biology from Dominican University of California and is coming to Marin Science Seminar Wednesday, October 18th, 2017 to speak about her research on malaria in Uganda.

Stephanie Rasmussen first became interested in biology as a high school student, but it was not until her freshman year of college that she learned what research was and thus realized her passion. Research sparked her fascination with lab work, which allowed her to test biological theories in a lab. Rasmussen decided to study biochemistry because she wanted to “have a deeper understanding of why different reactions happen inside cells to make them work correctly,” as well as to “help scientists, doctors, and other health professionals understand how and why different diseases make people sick.”

As a sophomore in college, Rasmussen worked in her graduate student advisor’s malaria lab. She volunteered in the lab all through her undergraduate years and continued to work in the lab after she graduated to get her Master’s degree in biology. Rasmussen’s passion is in studying human diseases; working in the malaria lab helped further her interest. Graduate school was when she started studying malaria parasites on location in Uganda. Rasmussen shares how this excited her, “I got to travel to a malaria endemic region, where I worked on parasites coming directly from malaria patients.”

Mosquitoes carry malaria (Source: scientistsagainstmalaria.net)

Today, Rasmussen’s lab works with people both in the USA and in Uganda. On the importance of teamwork she says, “I love all of my coworkers. Success in science is all about teamwork and collaboration.” She enjoys working with a diverse group of people that share similar interests and have a shared goal: reducing the malaria burden. She encourages anyone interested in pursuing biomedical research to make connections with those in the field, and to learn about the work they are doing. She emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of research opportunities in college, “The only way people can find out if they like it is to try it.”

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Stephanie Rasmussen is happy to answer any questions about research as a career at: Stephanie.rasmussen16@gmail.com

Category: biochemistry

Natalie Ciaccio, PhD

“When Parasites Kill” – An Interview With Stephanie Rasmussen, M.S.