Michael Grzybowski

Laboratory Supervisor
mgrzybowski@mcw.edu

My role in Dr. Aron Geurts' lab is to help facilitate the creation of genetically modified models. I design nuclease reagents that are then created and validated in the Geurts lab that will be used to create these modifications. I am also responsible for the day to day operations in the lab. My research interests are mainly molecular biology and technology and how to create and develop animal models.

Akiko Takizawa

Research Scientist I
atakizawa@mcw.edu

My research interests are related to reproductive biology in rats. I am especially interested in assisted reproductive technology such as cryopreservation of gametes and zygotes, re-derivation and embryo manipulation. These technologies are reliable methods to preserve strains which were generated using new gene modification technologies such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and TAL Effector Nucleases (TALENs), to avoid breeding problems. I am also interested in the development of more effective sperm cryopreservation and nuclear transfer technology.

Elizabeth Schneider

Research Technologist I
eschneid@mcw.edu

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, with a degree in Biology. I take care of all the animal work for the Geurts Lab. I set up breeders, collect tissues, and inject hormones, working with both rats and mice.

Shauna Rasmussen

Graduate Student
shrasmussen@mcw.edu

I am a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I earned a BS in Pharmacology & Toxicology with a second major in Biology. I joined the MCW Physiology Graduate's program in the summer of 2012, and the Basic and Translational Science PhD program in the summer of 2013. I am a third year graduate student in the laboratory of Aron Geurts. Upon my completion of these programs, I hope to find a post-doctoral position that will further advance my knowledge and skills within the field of physiology. Subsequently, I would like to return to academia and obtain a part-time research and teaching position. This will allow me to continue my passion for research while influencing the next generation of scientists.

Christopher McDermott-Roe

Postdoctoral Fellow
cmcdermott@mcw.edu

My research focuses on the mitochondrion and how disturbances therein contribute to disease. These near ubiquitous, abundant organelles carry out essential cellular functions including ATP production, amino acid biosynthesis and ion trafficking, and have been linked to numerous monogenic and complex traits. I employ classic molecular and cellular biology methods in conjunction with unbiased predictive approaches, such as gene co-expression network analysis to investigate key aspects of mitochondrial physiology, particularly in the context of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Current themes include:

• defining novel regulators and executors of metabolic processes,
• identifying hitherto unrecognized disease-relevant members of the mitochondrial proteome, and
• manipulating mitochondrial processes via metabolic intervention as a means to mitigate pathological processes.