1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. cancer

U C L A P AT H O L O G Y A N D L A B O R AT O R Y M E D I C I N E
Q U A R T E R LY N E W S L E T T E R
H o l id a y I s s u e 2 0 1 4
2014 Pathology Holiday Party
The Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine celebrated the holidays at Carnesale Commons this year. Below are
highlights of the celebration. Photographs courtesy of Reed Hutchinson PhotoGraphics. More Pictures.
Lab Gives Back Initiative—Lab Week 2015
“Celebrate our little Superheroes”
As we celebrate the Superheroes of the laboratory, we would also like to celebrate the little superheroes of Mattel Children’s Hospital who make us into BIG Superheroes. We can show our support through the Chase Child Life Program.
Chase Child Life Program was established to ease the transition for pediatric patients of being admitted, having a procedure and being separated from their loved ones. They do not charge for their
services. Your monetary gift is always appreciated and will be used to directly
support our little superheroes and their families. For all monetary gifts, please
make checks payable to “UC Regents” with a notation to Chase Child Life Program.
Please donate to Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA Chase Child Life
Program by giving your donation to Gabriela, Elizabeth, Allison, or
Chanida on or before April 24, 2015.
If you have any questions, please email the Lab Support Services PRC at
[email protected]
Not All Heroes Wear Capes,
Some Wear Lab Coats
Inside
Awards and Recognition
2
More Recognition/Spotlight
3
Publications
4
Events
5
Page 2
Awards and Recognitions
Holiday Issue 2014
Transfusion Medicine—We are proud to announce our 2015 recipient of the prestigious Loni
Calhoun CLS Educational Scholarship and Conference Stipend Award – Maria-Elena R. Toledo,
also known as Yang by her colleagues. This award is presented to individuals who demonstrate a
passion for transfusion service, along with a thirst for knowledge. Its purpose is to encourage
our staff to take initiative and be active in the Transfusion Medicine community through education and leadership.
Yang started her career as a generalist at the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica shortly after
passing her board exam. During this time, her growing interest in Immunohematology led her
toward choosing to pursue a career in the specialized area of Transfusion Medicine. In 2009, Yang joined the blood bank at
the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center working the night shift as a CLS. Despite the limited resources of the night shift,
Yang hit the ground running and quickly learned to make critical decisions, consult with pathologists and deal with various
situations. As a recipient of this award, she will be introduced by Ms. Loni Calhoun to the California Blood Bank Society
(CBBS) committee; she will participate in the various meeting activities and bring current information to the laboratory
staff. Yang is looking forward to the year with great excitement.
Transfusion Medicine—Voicu Suciu completed his one-year Clinical Immunohematologist Scientist (CIHS) training program in Transfusion Medicine! Voicu began his career as a Hospital Lab
Technician at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center. As he learned more about Transfusion Medicine,
his desire to work in the blood bank as a CLS took wings. Voicu was so enthused that he was building up his knowledge of the field even before he had applied for the CIHS position! Lacking handson experience, Voicu worked using his training period to focus on perfecting his technique. Voicu’s
year of diligence, hard work and study paid off when in December, 2014, he passed the ASCP board
exam as Technologist in Blood Banking. His determination and dedication are an inspiration to our
entire staff.
Transfusion Medicine—After a year participating in CBBS activities, Alisa Wood, 2014 recipient of the Loni Calhoun CLS
Educational Scholarship and Conference Stipend Award stated, “Becoming a member of CBBS was a great experience in
2014! The topics at the annual conference were relevant to the work that is done daily in transfusion services at UCLA. I
also became a member of the Clinical Lab Scientist and the Publications committee for CBBS. These committees gave me
the opportunity to discuss the topics to be presented at the fall meeting and also review scientific articles written by MDs
and CLSs that are published on the CBBS website. I gained so much from being part of CBBS. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to have had a year membership and scholarship for the three day conference.”
2014 David L. Rimoin Award for Research Excellence in Medical Genetics
Cytogenetics Fellow, Dr. Jianling (Jenny) Ji (Mentor: Dr. Fabiola Quintero) received the 2014 David
L. Rimoin Award for Research Excellence in Medical Genetics based on her “DYRK1Q Research Project”. The findings of her project have also been accepted for publication in the European Journal of
Human Genetics 2015.
DYRK1A haploinsufficiency causes a new recognizable syndrome with microcephaly, intellectual disability,
speech impairment, and distinct facies Jianling Ji, Hane Lee, Bob Argiropoulos, Naghmeh Dorrani, John Mann,
Julian A Martinez-Agosto, Natalia Gomez-Ospina, Natalie Gallant, Jonathan A Bernstein, Louanne Hudgins, Leah
Slattery, Bertrand Isidor, Cedric Le Caignec, Albert David, Ewa Obersztyn, Barbara Wisniowiecka-Kowalnik,
Michelle Fox, Joshua L Deignan, Eric Vilain, Emily Hendricks, Margaret Horton Harr, Sarah E Noon, Jessi R Jackson, Alisha Wilkens, Ghayda Mirzaa, Noriko Salamon, Jeff Abramson, Elaine H Zackai, Ian Krantz, A Micheil
Innes, Stanley F Nelson, Wayne Grody1,2,4,6 and Fabiola Quintero-Rivera*, European Journal of Human Genetics (2015), 1–9
American Society of Hematology — Abstract Achievement Award
Rena Xian, our Molecular Genetic Pathology fellow, received an abstract achievement
award at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology for her work studying diffuse large B-cell lymphoma entitled “Late-relapse diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
frequently represents recurrence of the original disease, and demonstrates evidence of
superimposed clonal heterogeneity and clonal evolution.”
Page 3
Holiday Issue 2014
Awards and Recognitions Continued...
Congratulations to Dr. Scott Binder who
describers his journey, both personal and
professional, towards UCLA’s most recent
landmark partnership with China. | Read
More
Dr. Joshua Deignan, Associate Director of
the Molecular Diagnostic Lab, attended and
presented at the Molecular Med TriCon
2015. He was quoted in an article in Genomeweb. | Read More
Congratulations to Dr. Omai Garner, Dr. Linda Baum, and others on the publication of
their paper in Journal of Virology “ Timing of
falectin-1 exposure differentially modulates
nipah virus entry and syncytium formation
in endothelial cells”. The paper is about the
discovery of a host molecule that can control
the attachment of hemorrhagic tropical viruses. | Read More
Dr. Jonathan Lucas, a talented resident
and clinical fellow in the department, is
now Chief Deputy Coroner in San Diego.
He was featured in the Los Angeles Times
on December 11, 2014. | Read More
“Making it Happen: The BURL Success Story”
Read about the BURL laboratory and its
remarkable achievements in just one and a
half years of operation. Article featured in
Employee News.
Staff at BURL in Panorama City
Welcome New Employees
April 2015
February 2015
January 2015
Back Row
Dan Margolis: Admin Analyst, Operations
Management
Timothy Lopez: HLT II, Cytology
Ginny Javier: CLS, Serology
Paul Ndawula: CPT II, SMH
Abraham Kurian: HLT I, BURL
Seated
Elizabeth Gomez: CPT II, Support Services
Blessie Anne Baldonado: CPT II, Support
Services
Kristel M. Lanting: CPT II, Support Services
Wah L. Davis: Cytotechnologist, Cytology
Patty Bonilla – HLT, Outreach
Leticia Calzada – Adm. Specialist, Office of the
Chair
Rosa E. Contreras Cruz – HLT, Outreach
Charmanie Jayasekara – CLS, Brentwood
Katherine La Rosa – CPT II, Support Services
Ofelia Markarian – CPT II, Support Services
Ronaldo C. San Miguel – Sr. CLS Supervisor.,
Support Services
Monick Thomas – CPT II, Support Services
Felicity Wong – Sr. CLS Specialist, Cytogenetics
LEFT TO RIGHT
Lynne Yang - CLS Sr. Supervisor, Cytogenetics
Staci Holmes - Gray: CPT II, SMH
Diana Arango - Saenz: CLS, Immunogenetics
Rafael Silvestre - CLS, Brentwood
David Doyle - Adm Specialist, Clinical
Finance
Page 4
Publications: November 2014 – February 2015:
Current and Recent Grads, Postdocs, Fellow & Residents
GSRs:
Holiday Issue 2014
Nicole Valenzuela—(Elaine Reed Lab)
Antibodies in transplantation: the effects of HLA and non-HLA antibody binding and mechanisms of injury. Valenzuela NM, Reed EF.
Methods Mol Biol. 2013; 1034:41-70.doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-4937_2.
Maomeng Tong – Recent GSR (Jonathan Braun lab)
A modular organization of the human intestinal mucosal microbiota
and its association with inflammatory bowel disease. Tong M, Li X,
Wegener Parfrey L, Roth B, Ippoliti A, Wei B, Borneman J, McGovern
DP, Frank DN, Li E, Horvath S, Knight R, Braun J. Plus One. 2013 Nov
Antibody-mediated graft injury: complement0dependent and comple19;8(11):e80702. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080702. eCollection 2013 ment-independent mechanisms.
Valenzuela NM, NcNamara JT, Reed EF. Curr Opin Organ Transplant.
2014 Feb;19(1):33-40. doi: 10.1097/MOT.000000000000000040.
Michael Arensman – CMP Student (David Dawson lab)
The CREB-binding protein inhibitor ICG-001 suppresses pancreatic
Residents/Fellows:
cancer growth.
Arensman MD, Telesca D, Lay AR, Kershaw KM, Wu N, Donahue TR,
Aaron W. James—Resident
Dawson DW.Mol Cancer Ther. 2014 Oct;13(10):2303-14. doi:
An unusual complex karyotype in myopericytoma
10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-13-1005. Epub 2014 Jul 31.
James AW, Chang L, Shrestha S, Tirado CA, Dry SM. . J Orthop, Jan
2015; Accepted for publication.
Parissa Solaimani—recent GSR (Oliver Hankinson lab)
Genome-wide RNAi high-throughput screen identifies proteins necesCirculating tumor cells in sarcomas: A brief review.
sary for the AHR-dependent induction of CYP1A1 by 2,3,7,8Chang L, Asatrian G, Dry SM, James AW. Med Oncol. Jan 2015; 32
tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
(1):430. PMCID: in process. Communicating author.
Solaimani P, Damoiseaux R, Hankinson O.
Toxicol Sci. 2013 Nov; 136(1):107-19. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kft191.
Epub 2013 Aug 31.
NELL-1 expression in benign and malignant bone tumors. Shen J,
LaChaud G, Khadarian K, Shesthra S, Zhang X, Soo C, Ting K, Dry SM,
Xin Rong—CMP Student (Peter Tontonoz lab)
James AW. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, Mar 2015, Epub ahead of
LXRs regulate ER stress and inflammation through dynamic modulaprint.
tion of membrane phospholipid composition.
Rong X, Albert CJ, Hong C, Duerr MA, Chamberlain BT, Tarling EJ, Ito
NELL-1 in the Treatment of Osteoporotic Bone Loss. James AW, Shen
A, Gao J, Wang B, Edwards PA, Jung ME, Ford DA, Tontonoz P. Cell
J, Zhang X, Asatrian G, Goyal R, Kwak JH, Bengs B, Culiat CT, Turner S,
Metab. 2013 Nov 5;18(5):685:97. doi 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.10.002.
Seim HB, Lyons K, Adams JS, Ting K, Soo C. Nature Communications,
Mar 2015; Accepted for publication.
Airie Kim—CMP Graduate (Tomas Ganz lab)
A mouse model of anemia of inflammation: complex pathogenesis with
partial dependence on hepcidin.
Kim A, Fung E, Parkikh SG, Valore EV, Gabayan V, Nemeth E, Ganz T.
Blood. 2013 Dec 19.
Review of microRNA in osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Chang
L, Shrestha S, LaChaud G, Scott MA, James AW. Med Oncol. Mar 2015;
Accepted for publication.
Jeanette Grant—CMP Graduate (Steven Dubinett lab)
A Novel Molecular pathway for snail-dependent, SPARC-mediated
invasion in non-small cell lung cancer pathogenesis. Grant JL, Fishbein
MC, Hong, LS, Krysan K, Minna JD, Shay JW, Walser, TC, Dubinett SM.
Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014 Jan;7(1):150-60. doi 10.1158/19406207. CAPR-13-0263. Epub 2013 Nov 19. Cell Metab. 2013 Jul 2;18
(1):106-17. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.04.021
Albert Su—Current Resident
Malignant melanoma with neural differentiation: an exceptional case
report and brief review of the pertinent literature. Su A, Dry SM,
Binder SW, Said J, Shintaku P, Sarantopoulos GP. Am J Dermatopathol. 2014 Jan;36(1):e5-9.doi: 10.1097/DAD.Ob013e31828cf90a
Post Docs:
Thomas Zangle – Recent Postdoc (Michael Teitell lab)
Live-cell mass profiling: an emerging approach in quantitative biophysics.
Zangle TA, Teitell MA.
Nat Methods. 2014 Nov 25;11(12):1221-8. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.3175.
Yoko Kidani –Steven Bensinger lab)
Lipids rule: resetting lipid metabolism restores T cell function in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Kidani Y, Bensinger SJ. J Clin Invest. 2014 Feb 3;124(2):482-5.
doi:10.1172/JCI74141.Epub 2014 Jan 27.
Annie Wu—Current Resident
Bifid cardiac apex in a 25-year-old male with sudden cardiac death.
Wu A, Kay D, Fishbein MC. Cardiovasc Pathol. 2014 Jan-Feb; 23(1):5960. doi:10.1016/j.carpath.2013.06.003. Epub2013 Aug 6.
Jennifer Woo
Duodenal atresia in 17q12 Microdeletion including HNF1B: A New
Associated Malformation in this Syndrome.
Quintero-Rivera F, Woo JS, Bomberg EM, Wallace WD, Peredo J, Dipple KM. American Journal of Medical Genetics. 2014 Dec;164A
(12):3076-82. Epub 2014 Sep 24.PMID: 2525656
Page 5
Holiday Issue 2014
Bruin Run Walk—Race through outer space
All pathology staff and faculty, and their families are invited to participate in the
16th annual Bruin Run/Walk 5K benefiting the Child Life Program at Mattel Children's Hospital. This year we will walk, jog and run in honor of eleven-year-old
patient Riley, who was diagnosed last summer with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. You can read his story, register for the 5K or donate at http://
www.bruinrunwalk.com/#!team-riley/c1bkm.
Please contact Leslie Chew or Tami Langevin for more information.
UCLA Blood and Platelet Center
Every year, the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center holds a recognition
luncheon for their most loyal blood donors. For the past five events, a
patient has been introduced to his/her donors. This past year, Brandon
Levine had the opportunity to meet and thank 40 of the 196 donors who
saved his life. This event has succeed in catching the attention of the media which helps us raise awareness of the need for blood donations.
See Brandon’s story—More information
Brandon Levine and some of the many blood donors
whose blood he received at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical
Center after a horrific motorcycle accident last April.
Heroes come in all types.
Donate Blood today.
For more information
Newsletter Committee: Arnold Scheer, Daisy Castro, Bushra Yasin, and Khanh Andrews
Send us your suggestions for future newsletters at : Email [email protected]