About Us

Dr. John is an accomplished medicinal chemist and leads the Drug Discovery Laboratory (DDL) at the Department of Neurology at UCLA. Dr. John is a member of the Alzheimer's Disease Program in the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease. The DDL team consists of scientists and skilled technicians with basic science and drug development experience who have joined the lab to find effective, safe therapeutics for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The DDL team identifies preclinical candidates and then establishes partnerships to progress these therapeutic agents from bench to bedside. Previously Dr. John was with Athena Neurosciences and Elan Pharmaceuticals for 18 years where he led a team of medicinal chemists developing drugs for central nervous system (CNS) diseases with a focus on AD. His work at Elan led to clinical candidates that went into advanced human trials. Dr. John is an inventor on over 100 pending or issued patents on compounds and analogs for CNS related targets.

Dr. Jagodzinska is a medicinal chemist, with many years of drug discovery experience in the pharmaceutical industry (Elan Pharmaceuticals, Novartis and Kelsius Inc.). She is a member of the Alzheimer's Disease Program in the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease under the direction of Professor Dale E. Bredesen, M.D. For the last several years Dr. Jagodzinska consulted for the Alzheimer's Drug Development Network (ADDN). At ADDN she focused on drug discovery with novel targets in neurodegenerative diseases and AD through analoging and small molecule optimization for potency and bioavailability. In collaboration with the Dominican University of California she established a Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory for preparation and characterization of analogs. During her tenure at Elan Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Jagodzinska was part of the γ-secretase and BACE inhibitor program teams. Systematically synthesized a family of inhibitors and identified a target specific nanomolar lead candidates as effective inhibitors of APP processing. She acted as a liaison between Chemistry and Pharmacology during optimization phase of the AD project during collaboration between Elan and Pharmacia, later Pfizer.

Patricia has over 20 years of experience in neurodegenerative disease research, including 12 years with world-renowned neuropathologist Stephen J. DeArmond, M.D., Ph.D., and Nobel Laureate, Stanley Prusiner, M.D. at the University of California, San Francisco. For the last ten years, her focus has been on development of new therapeutics as part of an Alzheimer's disease (AD) drug discovery team following a pharmaceutical industry model in an academic research setting. Patricia played a key role in the ADDN at the Buck and her work has resulted in advancement of AD therapeutic candidate tropisetron to clinical trials. In the Drug Discovery lab Patricia supervises and performs in vivo pharmacokinetic/dynamic studies, collects and analyzes all project data, and she is frequently the presenter of project status to funding partners. The success of our current program, starting at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, CA and continuing at the Drug Discovery Lab at UCLA, has resulted in generation of multiple NCEs and garnered significant venture capital investment. In addition to writing grants and three first-author publications in the last 6 years, Patricia gave presentations at international scientific conferences such as the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and the Society for Neuroscience Conference, and to the lay public.

Tina Bilousova received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Ukraine in 2003. She got her postdoctoral trainings in laboratories of Dr. Iryna Ethell (UC Riverside) and Dr. Daniel Kaufman (UC Los Angeles). During more than 10 years in biomedical research Dr. Bilousovas' long-standing interest is in structural and biochemical synaptic alterations in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. After joining Dr. Gylys' laboratory (part of Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's disease Research at UCLA) in 2010 the main focus of her research is Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Bilousova joined the Drug Discovery laboratory in 2014; she participates in bioassay development and testing new drug candidates on cell culture and animal models of Alzheimer's disease.

Jesus has over 6 years of experience in a broad range of analytical chemistry techniques, molecular biology, enzymology and protein assays, and nanoparticles synthesis for controlled drug release. He has developed expertise in screening compound libraries, designing screening methodologies, and performing expanded in vitro studies of test compounds. Jesus is currently working on screening the 200K UCLA small molecule library for various targets to identify new and novel AD targets, formulations of nanoliposomes to improve drug brain penetration and solubility, and determining ADME profile of compounds. He was part of the Alzheimer's Drug Development Network (ADDN) at The Buck Institute for Research on Aging which focuses on developing new therapeutics for AD. His contribution to ADDN supported the generation of multiple new chemical entities (NCEs) that caught the attention of significant venture capital investors. In addition, his ongoing work in the drug discovery research has resulted in co-authorship on two manuscripts in 2014.

Chris has 5+ years of experience in Drug Discovery research. He graduated from UCLA where he earned a bachelor's in Biochemistry. After graduating, he spent 1 year working in the lab of Dr. Marie-Francoise Chesselet, where he studied potential neuroprotective treatments for Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease. He then joined the Drug Discovery Lab in 2016, where he is working to refine biochemical assays that help facilitate the identification of preclinical drug candidates for Alzheimer's Disease.

I have the expertise, leadership, training, and motivation necessary to successfully carry out the proposed research project for the Air Force grant. I have a broad background in neuroscience, with specific training and expertise in neurodegenerative animal model study, pre-clinical trial management, histology and pathology in rodents and secondary data analysis. I am currently the director for Brain Research Institute microscopic core facility at UCLA. My research involves pre-clinical drug trials in mouse models of Parkinson's(PD) and Huntington's (HD) diseases. I am the senior member of the laboratory and my expertise in neuropathology has enabled me to become a key member of research projects in the lab and to lead the neuropathological analyses in these projects. I am also in charge of in vivo drug administration and behavioral assessment for some of these studies. I am actively involved in teaching and mentoring students. I have trained a number of undergraduate and graduate students in histological techniques and supervised other staff research associates in their work involving in vivo mouse work, histology and pathology. I also train, advise and help postdoctoral researchers in their research involving histology and pathology. Additionally, these experiences have provided me with leadership skills that have been invaluable in assembling the unique team of UCLA investigators who will contribute to the research efforts described in the proposal entitled, 'Salivary Exosome (nsEV) Analysis to Elucidate Intercelluar Signaling Events that Precede Pilot Fatigue & Impaired Cognition,' that we have submitted to the Air Force Office for Scientific Research Human Performance & Biosystems Department.

I'm excited about having the opportunity to act as Project Coordinator in the context of this consortium research effort and am confident that I can excel in this role to provide the Air Force with excellent returns on its investment of resources in our team's cognitive fatigue biomarker discovery and validation studies. I appreciate the AFOSR's consideration of our request for these research resources and look forward to putting together our unique blend of capabilities to work in helping the Air Force further its standing as the planet's most technologically advanced airborne combat group.

Whitaker Cohn is a first graduate student in UCLA's Molecular, Cellular, & Integrative Physiology (MCIP) interdepartmental Ph.D. program. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, he worked as a Research Associate at UCLA's Pasarow Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, where he utilized mass spectrometry-based proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics to conduct research across a diverse range of scientific disciplines. His interests lie in advancing the understanding of the complex cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate homeostasis and disease in physiological systems.

Samantha graduated from UCLA in 2017 with her BA in psychology. During her undergraduate career, she was involved in a psychobiology and behavioral neuroscience lab studying PTSD and stress resilience. Samantha was also a member of UCLA's Psychology Research Opportunity Programs (PROPS), a program developed for underrepresented undergraduates who are interested in obtaining their PhD and pursuing a career in research.

Sujyoti completed her PhD in Biochemistry from Rush University Medical Center, Chicago in 2019. She joined the Drug Discovery Lab for her first postdoctoral training in March, 2019. During her doctoral study, Sujyoti's research was focused on lysosomal biochemistry and neurodegenerative disorders. Sujyoti has experience in different biochemical techniques as well as animal behavior. She has published several first author and coauthored manuscripts and given poster and oral presentations at Neurochemistry and Alzheimer's disease related conferences. Here, at the DDL, she is working on evaluating the efficacy of different compounds for potential beneficial effects in Alzheimer's Disease. Sujyoti is also developing a new project on receptors of amyloid precursor protein and amyloid beta that she will work on at the DDL.

Nikhil is a second-year undergraduate studying Computer Science and Engineering at UCLA. He has extensive experience in writing robust and maintainable computer software and designing intuitive and elegant websites, and has worked for several companies and consulting agencies in the past. He also has experience in the field of bioinformatics and biostatistics, having worked on a project to detect common gene expressions between various cancerous and non-cancerous tissue in order to identify whether gene-splicing and DNA recombinant technology could reduce the spread of cancer.

Devon O'Brien is a third year undergraduate, majoring in Physiological Science. Following the diagnosis of several family members with Alzheimer's disease, she became interested in AD research and the medical field. While she aspires to become a physician, she joined the Drug Discovery Lab in the summer of 2018 to become a part of research in an area that she is passionate about. She is eager to further her understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and contribute to the work of the DDL. She currently investigates the pharmacokinetics of potential compounds to treat neurodegenerative disease.

Crystal Meza is a third year undergraduate studying Neuroscience. She is assisting in synthesizing analogs which are potential allosteric antagonist for CRF receptor 1. She is interested in therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and aspires to obtain a Ph. D. in Neuroscience to conduct further research on detrimental diseases to plausibly improve patient's lifestyle. She is a member of Interaxon, an Undergraduate Neuroscience Educational Outreach Group at UCLA, where she creates and fosters curiosity about the brain to K-12 kids residing in disadvantaged areas in Los Angeles in hope of encouraging students to pursue the field.

Olivia Young is a second year undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in biology on a Pre-Med track. After graduating, Olivia’s goal is to further her career and passion for biology by becoming a physician and helping underprivileged communities gain access to more progressive health care. Working at the Drug Discovery Lab is fueling Olivia’s commitment to advancing the biological and medical field. Olivia joined the Drug Discovery Lab in fall 2019 to test new compounds and determine their effects on tau seeding in the brain to prevent the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. Coming from a family affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, Olivia Young is deeply committed to the cause of the DDL and is looking forward to testing future developments in the field.

Karoline Guthrie is a third year undergraduate at UCLA, majoring in Physiological Sciences. Her interest in the Drug Discovery Lab stem from the fact that she has seen her family members and friends suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia. She is currently working on assay development to assess kinases inhibitor potency. It is an exciting experience for her to apply what she has learned in her undergraduate studies to hands-on research. Karoline’s goal is to attend medical school after graduating, or to continue onto a Master’s Program. Other activities of hers on campus include the Student Wellness Commission, which is dedicated to student health advocacy and education and TEACH, which presents health topics at elementary schools.

Simon is a senior neuroscience major from College Station, Texas. Working alongside Dr. Tina Bilousova, Simon is investigating a novel mechanism of action for slowing the spread of Alzheimer’s Disease. Following his graduation from UCLA in June 2020, Simon aspires to do translational neuroscience research in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry, and eventually pursue a PhD in neuropharmacology. Outside of the lab, Simon participates in a youth mentorship program serving an underprivileged community (Mentorship at UCLA) and a drug awareness outreach program at local high schools (DOPA Team).