Paul Sampognaro, MD
Paul is a neurologist, physician scientist, and the principal investigator of the Sampognaro Lab. As a neurologist, Paul treats patients with ALS at the UCSF ALS Center and also patients with peripheral nerve and muscle diseases at the UCSF Neuromuscular Clinic. As a scientist, he focuses on the impact of the lysosomal proteases and the autophagy-lysosome pathway in the pathophysiology of ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases. His goal is to develop novel therapies for these conditions.
Paul majored in Neurobiology as an undergraduate at Georgetown University, where he worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of Maria Donoghue, studying the molecular underpinnings of Eph-ephrin signaling and its role in cortical neuronal development. After college, he matriculated to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. and worked part time in Charlotte Sumner's laboratory, quantifying the degree of SMN1 insufficiency in humans with spinal muscular atrophy. At UCSF, Paul completed his neurology residency and his Neuromuscular Fellowship. He then joined the laboratory of Dr. Aimee Kao for his post-doctoral research fellowship, focusing on the impact of TDP-43 mutations and their role in disrupting the function of the lysosomal proteases.
Outside of the lab and the clinic, Paul enjoys playing tennis, walking his dog, Kaya, and spending time with his family and friends.
Courtney Clark, PhD
Dr. Clark received her bachelor's degree and her PhD from the University of Tasmania. She is an expert in the development, design, and execution of cell-based studies involving iPSC-derived neuronal cell types, including cortical neurons and motor neurons. She is also an expert in ALS pathology.
Tara Antee
Tara earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering with an emphasis in biochemical engineering from the University of California, Riverside. There, she studied protease inhibitory antibody therapy using phage display in Dr. Xin Ge's antibody discovery lab as an NSF-REU. After graduating, she worked in Dr. Yingxiao Wang's lab at UC San Diego studying T-cell engineering, then joined the Sarafan ChEM-H/IMA Postbac Program in Target Discovery at Stanford University, conducting a FACS-based CRISPR screen to identify novel targets for translation regulation in Dr. Maria Barna's lab. Tara now works in the Sampognaro lab, where her work involves using iPSC-derived neuronal models and mature brain organoids to study the mechanisms of disease in ALS.
Vienna Gao
Vienna majored in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, where she also worked as a research assistant in the Dias Lab studying the impact of stress and its influence on mammalian neurobiology.
Zoe Liau
Zoe majored in Human Biology at UCLA, where she also worked as a research assistant in the Castel Lab studying memory and emotion. Within the Sampognaro Lab, her focus was investigating the role of APP and its complex interaction with the lysosomal proteases, and studying the cathepsins as potential therapeutic targets in ALS. Outside of lab, she enjoys hiking, cafe hopping, and working through the daily crossword with friends.
Michael Han
Michael was a senior undergraduate majoring in Human Biology, Health & Society at Cornell University. Within the Sampognaro Lab, his focus was on investigating the mechanisms of C9orf72-associated neurodegeneration.