Sunayana has a rich background in molecular genetics, cloning, and aging research. She earned her Ph.D. from Osmania University, India, where her work focused on Assessment of genetic and molecular studies in children with congenital septal defects, specifically investigating folic acid metabolism genes. She later received a prestigious fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT-RA), India, to develop and synthesize potential inhibitors targeting integrin-linked kinase (ILK) through structure-based drug design. As a Visiting Research Fellow at the National Institute on Aging, she investigated the impact of long-term photobiological modulation therapy on aging in mouse models. Her research combines molecular and therapeutic approaches to address critical questions in human health and disease.

Michael is a passionate researcher from Wilmington, Delaware. He recently graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cell biology and a minor in business. As an undergraduate, he worked in Dr. Chun Han’s lab, where he studied neurodegeneration and developed novel CRISPR/Cas9 tools in Drosophila. He aspires to become an academic physician. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing soccer, tennis, and basketball.

Tony, a student researcher who is passionate about conducting research. His hometown is Shanghai, China where he was born and raised before coming to the US for college. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Biochemistry and was trained in the lab of Dr. Johannes von Lintig as an undergraduate student researcher. Tony’s bachelor thesis characterized the carotenoid binding proteins, the Aster protein family. His ongoing work is examining the impact of manipulating retinoic on the contractility of human stem cell-derived engineered heart tissue.