Lab Members
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Bruce Conklin, MD
Senior InvestigatorBruce R. Conklin began research training with Julius Axelrod, Ph.D., (Nobel Laureate, NIH), did his residency at Johns Hopkins and a postdoctoral fellowship with Henry Bourne (UCSF). In 1995 Conklin joined the Gladstone Institutes and UCSF as faculty. Conklin is the founder of several public stem cell and genomics projects including BayGenomics, GenMAPP and WikiPathways. He pioneered the use of designer G protein coupled receptors (RASSLs) for tissue engineering. . He serves on multiple scientific advisory boards including the Allen Institute for Cell Science, Tenaya Therapeutics and the Exploratorium. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and is a Fellow in the California Academy of Sciences.
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Quinn Cowan, PhD
Postdoctoral ScholarQuinn grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received a BS in Biochemistry (minor in Biotechnology) from the University of Southern California, where he studied mechanisms of DNA repair as an undergraduate researcher with Irene Chiolo and a research associate with W. Matt Michael. Quinn then pursued a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics in Alexis Komor's lab at UC San Diego and developed new genome editing tools called multiplexed orthogonal base editors. Currently, his research interests include elucidating repair mechanisms and improving haplotype-specific gene editing for dominant disease.
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Philip Dierks
Research Associate IPhilip Dierks is a Bay Area native from Berkeley and a recent college graduate from Boston College. In his past research experiences at the Max Delbrück Center and Stanford, he has focused primarily on cardiovascular diseases, such as HCM and atherosclerosis. In his free time, he likes to watch and play soccer, surf, and make miniature architecture models.
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Colby Fagan
Research Associate II received my bachelors in biology from UC Santa Barbara. During my undergrad I worked in the Fred Gage and Kenneth Kosik laboratories where I contributed to projects aimed at understanding neurodegenerative diseases at the genetic and cellular levels. In the Conklin lab, I am focusing on gene editing in iPSC-derived motor neurons.
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Bazilco Jean Simon
Research Associate IBazilco was born and raised in Haiti. He recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors in Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis in Cell Biology, Development and Physiology. While at Berkeley, Bazilco worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Richard Harland’s lab. There, He studied the role of small GTPase regulators in early embryonic development of Xenopus Laevis (African Clawed Frog). During his free time, Bazilco enjoys cooking traditional meals, playing video games, and reading.
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Luke Judge, MD, PhD
Affiliate InvestigatorDr. Judge is a physician-scientist with extensive experience with mouse and human models of genetic disease. His current research utilizes induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and gene editing to model disease and develop therapies. His primary interests focus on therapeutic gene editing for dominant neurologic disorders. He is funded by the NIH and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association to evaluate therapeutic gene editing strategies in human and murine models of genetic neuropathy and published the first study of a gene editing approach for axonal neuropathy (Feliciano et al, 2021). Dr. Judge is an Affiliate Investigator in the Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology as well as a practicing neonatologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. He is an active mentor in both the clinical and laboratory realms and directs the fellowship program in Neonatal-Perinatal medicine.
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Manasi Kumar, MTM
Research Associate IManasi grew up in the Bay Area- she graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Bioengineering, and received her Masters in Translational Medicine at UC Berkeley/UCSF. During her studies, she interned at a retrotransposon-based gene insertion startup, and was a student research assistant at the Chen lab at UCSF, developing nonviral gene delivery tools for optogenetic applications. Manasi is passionate about STEM outreach in her community and loves sharing cool science with younger students. In her spare thyme, Manasi is an aspiring gardener, enjoys exploring the city, and loves a good puzzle.
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Luv Lee
Administrative AssistantI recently graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in Sociology and Art History.
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Bria Macklin, PhD
ScientistBria grew up in Baltimore and received her undergraduate degree in Bioengineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She received her PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, in the lab of Sharon Gerecht at Johns Hopkins University studying vascular regeneration and tissue engineering. Bria’s current research focuses on improving gene editing strategies for inherited neurodegenerative diseases. She is an NIH/NIA F32 Postdoctoral Fellow and a recipient of the 2023 L’Oréal USA For Women in Science Award.
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Hannah Watry
Scientific Project ManagerI grew up in the Bay Area and studied Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. During my undergrad, I worked in 2 plant science labs. One at UC Berkeley studying Arabidopsis and one at the USDA studying wheat. In the Conklin Lab, I moved from the green house to cell culture! I work on gene editing in CMT genes and am working on quantifying CRISPR excisions with ddPCR.