Tim wins the Asrican Sophie & Jack Award

We are thrilled to announce that our PhD candidate, Tim, has been selected as a recipient of the Asrican Sophie & Jack Award from the UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience! This prestigious award supports PhD students conducting innovative research in cardiovascular science, spanning basic discovery to translational clinical applications, and recognizes dedication, creativity, and impactful contributions to the field.

Tim’s accomplishment not only reflects his outstanding scientific work, but also highlights the excellence of the research taking place in the Pernas Lab. Please join us in congratulating Tim on this well-deserved honor — we can’t wait to see where his work leads next!

Hannah and Sam got into the MIMG Path2 program!

We’re excited to announce that two of our undergraduate students, Hanna Riel and Sam Leistiko, have been accepted into UCLA’s MIMG Path-2 Program — a prestigious track that allows qualified undergraduates to carry out independent research under faculty mentorship while fulfilling their major’s research requirement.

Having two students join Path-2 is a win for our lab as well as for them. It means having dedicated, motivated undergraduates working more intensively and independently on meaningful projects, contribution to long-term research goals, with potential for poster presentations or co-authorship and of course extra hands for more continuity and focus on ongoing or new investigations.

Please join us in congratulating them on this achievement! We look forward to their growth and contributions in the lab under the Path-2 program.

🌟 Student Spotlight — Christian Aguirre

We’re proud to highlight Christian Aguirre, a fourth-year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major, whose undergraduate research journey was recently featured by the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center—Sciences!

Christian first connected with our lab after transferring to UCLA from community college and seeking research experience. He reached out to faculty, ultimately joining the Pernas Lab in October 2024 and quickly began learning essential laboratory skills. Christian’s independent project focuses on understanding how the protein glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) influences Toxoplasma gondii’s growth — exploring the role of lipid peroxides and ferroptosis mechanisms during infection.

Reflecting on his experience, Christian describes undergraduate research as “enriching, fun, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” He emphasizes the supportive lab environment and credits his time in research with strengthening his desire to become a physician-scientist.

Christian also recently presented his work orally at the ABRCMS Conference, hosted by the American Society for Microbiology, marking a major step in his scientific communication and professional development. He prepared by practicing with lab members, polishing his slides with mentor feedback, and engaging deeply with the literature — all of which helped him make the most of the conference experience.

His story is a great example of how UCLA’s research opportunities and community support can empower students to grow as scientists and leaders. Please join us in congratulating Christian on his accomplishments and in celebrating his contributions to our lab and the broader research community! 🎉

Chahat’s PhD work got published in Nature Microbiology!

We are thrilled to announce that the amazong work of Chahat Mehra, a PhD student in the Pernas Lab, has just published in Nature Microbiology: “Toxoplasma effector TgROP1 establishes membrane contact sites with the endoplasmic reticulum during infection.”

Using a clever combination of a fluorescence-based membrane-contact reporter, CRISPR loss-of-function screening, imaging and proteomics, Chahat and her coauthors discovered that the parasite effector TgROP1 acts as a molecular tether — connecting the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the intracellular vacuole that contains Toxoplasma gondii.
This ER–parasite membrane contact site (MCS) provides a novel insight into how pathogens hijack host organelle interactions, and opens new avenues to understand infection biology — and potentially design therapies targeting these contact-site tethers.
Getting published in Nature Microbiology is a major milestone and reflects the rigor, creativity, and persistence behind the work.

Please join me in congratulating Chahat for this outstanding achievement! We look forward to seeing where this work leads and celebrating many more milestones together.

Sebastian Presents at SCEP 2025

We’re excited to share that Sebastian gave an excellent talk about how “Molecular mimicry enables mitochondria-Toxoplasma contact sites (MiToCs)” at the 2025 SCEP Symposium! The SCEP Symposium (Southern California Eukaryotic Pathogen Symposium) brings together scientists, trainees, and students from across the field to share cutting-edge research, build collaborations, and explore the latest advances in pathogen biology and host–pathogen interactions.

Congratulations to Sebastian for representing the Pernas Lab and for presenting his work at this important scientific meeting — we’re proud of your achievement and look forward to what’s next!

Congratulations to Sarah — Poster Award Winner at ABRCMS 2025!

We’re thrilled to announce that Sarah received a Poster Award at ABRCMS 2025 (Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students) that took place on November 19-22, 2025 in San Antonio, TEXAS. ABRCMS is one of the nation’s largest multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate research conferences, dedicated to promoting diversity and excellence in the biomedical sciences. Learn more about the conference here: https://abrcms.org/

Sarah’s poster stood out among a competitive field of young scientists, showcasing her dedication, rigor, and creativity. This recognition reflects both her hard work and the strength of the research happening in the Pernas Lab.

Please join us in congratulating Sarah on this well-deserved honor — we couldn’t be more proud!

Melissa is the Cover Art Winner at the 15th Annual SCEP Symposium

We are pleased to share that Melissa was selected as the Cover Art winner for the 15th Annual Southern California Eukaryotic Pathogen (SCEP) Symposium - UC Riverside School of Medicine.

Melissa’s artwork, titled “Host mitochondrial cristae remodeling at the T. gondii parasitophorous vacuole membrane” (also playfully referred to as “STED for SCEP”), was chosen from among the symposium submissions to be featured on the cover for this year’s abstract booklet — a recognition of both scientific relevance and visual clarity. fliphtml5.com

Please join us in congratulating Melissa on this achievement and for helping to represent the scientific community at SCEP through her creative and insightful work.

🌟 Student Spotlight — Sarah Sun

We’re excited to celebrate Sarah Sun, a fourth-year Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major whose undergraduate research experience in the Pernas Lab was recently featured by the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center—Sciences!

Sarah joined our lab after transferring to UCLA and proactively reaching out to faculty, ultimately becoming part of our team in September 2024. Her research focuses on understanding host–pathogen interactions between host mitochondria and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In particular, Sarah is investigating a newly discovered mitochondrial structure known as SPOTs (Structures Positive for Outer Mitochondria Membrane) and how these structures interact with other host organelles like lysosomes.

Sarah reflects on her time in the lab as supportive and collaborative, highlighting the strong mentorship and the opportunities UCLA provides — from summer research programs to workshops on scientific communication and graduate school preparation — which have supported her development as a young scientist.

She’s currently preparing to present her work at her first scientific conference this November, drawing on URC resources to help refine her poster. Looking ahead, Sarah plans to continue her scientific journey and hopes to pursue a career in academia, with the long-term goal of running her own research lab.

Please join us in congratulating Sarah on her accomplishments and in celebrating her dedication to research and scientific growth! 🎉

Lena Featured in UCLA Newsroom: How Mitochondria Help Starve Pathogens

We’re excited to share that Lena was recently interviewed for a UCLA Newsroom feature highlighting new research on how host cell mitochondria help weaken intracellular infections.

In the article, Lena discusses emerging evidence that mitochondria are not just passive powerhouses during infection, but active participants in host defense. By altering metabolic outputs and resource availability inside infected cells, mitochondria can effectively starve invading pathogens, limiting their ability to replicate and spread.

The interview highlights how pathogens depend on host nutrients to survive—and how mitochondrial remodeling during infection can tip the balance in favor of the host. These insights are especially relevant for intracellular parasites and bacteria that hijack host metabolism as part of their life cycle.

Lena’s perspective in the piece emphasizes the growing appreciation of mitochondria as dynamic signaling and regulatory hubs during infection, with implications for understanding disease mechanisms and identifying new therapeutic strategies.

You can read the full article here:
👉 “Scientists discover how cells use a secret weapon to fight off some pathogens” — UCLA Newsroom

We’re proud to see Lena’s work and insights featured, and excited about what this research reveals about the intersection of metabolism, organelle biology, and host–pathogen interactions.

Welcome aboard the lab (Summer 2025), Alen Poehlman!

Alen Poehlman
I am from the University of Washington in Seattle, where I am entering my third year majoring in Biochemistry. This summer, I am a part of the Amgen Scholars program, consisting of a 10-week mentorship, conferences, and workshopping events to prepare students for graduate school and their careers in research. This summer, I will be working with Amy Prichard studying dual infection with obligate intracellular pathogens, where we're looking to gain a better understanding of how pathogens interact with each other and their host in a shared cell.