SIDD Team

Director of the Sealy Institute for Drug Discovery 
Vice President of Drug Discovery 
The John Sealy Chair in Innovations in Molecular Biology

Sanja joined UTMB in March of 2024 from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she led an NIH-funded research lab for 21 years. Her research focuses on elucidating molecular mechanisms of kidney diseases with the focus on the role of GTPase dynamin in regulating endocytosis and cytoskeleton dynamics. Sanja holds several issued patents and is a cofounder of Walden Biosciences, a Cambridge based biotechnological company developing first-in-class therapies for kidney diseases. Her expertise spans every phase of drug discovery and development, including financing and fund-raising, business development, incorporation of companies, identification, and validation of druggable pathways, and lead optimization. Sanja’s vision for SIDD is to solve challenging scientific questions and improve health by working across disciplines, leveraging local and regional resources, and engaging stakeholders.

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Dr. Fausther Bovendo’s current research interests include the development of monoclonal antibodies against respiratory pathogens and the optimization of DNA-based antibody gene transfer in which antibody nucleotide sequences rather than proteins are administered.  Dr. Fausther Bovendo’s team also focuses on antibodies bioengineering to improve their therapeutic efficacy notably by increasing antibodies entry and accumulation within viral replication sites, such as the lung and brain. 

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The Koss lab’s primary mission is to explore the interface between implantable devices and the neuroimmune system, specifically, the response of the singular immune cell microglia. As a chemical engineer, Dr. Koss bridges many technologies with the neurosciences and glial biology, including peptide and biomaterial chemistry, discovery tools like phage display, molecular dynamics to explore hyaluronic acid and nucleic acid binding/assembly, and wireless inflammation detecting biosensors. His ultimate goal is to ameliorate the glial scar tissue that inactivates many promising neural electronic devices such as brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and intraspinal microstimulators (ISMS). 

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Dr. Marino's research focuses on underlying biophysical, biomolecular, and physiological mechanisms for either preventing or halting neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), and translating these findings into novel disease-modifying therapies. During her postdoctoral studies, the groundbreaking discovery of the effect of the homozygous mutation in the APOE gene, known as the APOE3 Christchurch mutation, in delaying the onset by up to three decades in an individual carrying a very aggressive form of Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease. The subsequent characterization of novel antibodies capable of mimicking the mechanism of action of this mutation, allowed her to propose ApoE interactions as attractive targets for effective disease-modifying therapies for AD. In parallel work, Dr. Marino's research contributed to the characterization of a second protective genetic variant against familial Alzheimer's disease, the RELN-COLBOS variant, which will contribute to a better understanding of biomolecular mechanisms of resilience against AD and to the design of novel therapeutic interventions that mimic such resilience.

Contact: clmarino@utmb.edu

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Dr. Young-Hwan Jung’s lab is professionally conducting translational research to treat catastrophic diseases such as pain, neurodegenerative disease, cancer, and infectious disease through various drug development programs. Dr. Jung’s lab focuses on 1) Designing, synthesizing, and developing bioavailable small molecules. 2) Targeted protein degradation (TPD) as robust and innovative medications for reprogramming disease-related protein expression levels. 3) Investigate the drug combinations-induced epigenetic changes toward understanding protein expressions to develop multivalent epigenetic modifiers by the merged key pharmacophores of epigenetic drugs. Lastly, the lab is actively pursuing interdisciplinary collaborations, which are the process of combining different perspectives, methods, and expertise from various disciplines to solve complex scientific problems.

Contact: yojung@utmb.edu

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Dr. O’Reilly’s lab is passionately dedicated to creating oligonucleotide therapeutics for rare and ultra-rare diseases. This mission requires empathy and support for patients and their families. Dr. O'Reilly's focus is the development of novel chemistries to enhance accumulation, efficacy, and tissue specificity. He is interested in utilizing oligonucleotides to treat rare and ultra-rare diseases in the CNS and heart. 

Contact: dtoreill@utmb.edu

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Director of Business Operations

Valerie brings valuable business expertise to SIDD. Her institutional knowledge and established networks are key to the success of our collaborations. In addition to directing the operations of the Institute, Valerie spearheads such projects as creation of the new space in Building 17, acquisition of the robotic high throughput screening platform, and recruitment of the very best new faculty.

Associate Director, Research Development

Alisha combines her expertise in science, communications, and entrepreneurship to develop and manage research and training programs. Alisha works with SIDD faculty and partners to secure funding, engage communities, and move ideas forward. She is the point of contact for the SIDD Pilot Program and Pilot Research Symposium.