Lab Members

Alice Rannou, PhD, is a postdoctoral scientist. She received her master’s degree in 2016 in biology, biotechnology and therapeutic research and her doctorate from Nantes University (France) in 2020. Her work focused on evaluating the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapy in myocardial infarction. Currently, she is studying the therapeutic potential of small noncoding RNAs in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A major focus is macrophages as a therapeutic target.

Yeojin Hong received a PhD from Chung-Ang University in South Korea. During her PhD studies, she investigated the immune system of avian species, focusing on the immunomodulatory effects of extracellular vesicles. She is now a postdoctoral scientist currently conducting research on developing therapeutic candidates for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome and aging.

Nancy Manriquez received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She serves as a research associate, assisting on projects that focus on the development of regenerative therapeutics for diseases of the heart and skeletal muscle.

Ariel Omidfar is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology at UCLA. He is a research Intern participating on research projects involving the advancement of medical therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy and non-recoverable skeletal muscle injury.

Sophia Kangavari is a second-year undergraduate student at UCLA studying neuroscience with a minor in gerontology. She is a research intern assisting with research on muscular dystrophy.