Lab Members | kanzokmalarialab

Manuel Widuch

Year: Graduate Student

Major: Biology

Project in Lab: TBA!

Favorite Food: Pizza

Fun Fact: TBA!

Email: mwiduch@luc.edu

Mary Woloszyn

Graduation Year: 2021

Major: Biology

Project in Lab: investigating the microtubule-binding protein SAXO1 in the malaria parasite Plasmodium

Favorite Food: Pierogi

Fun Fact: TBA!

Email: mwoloszyn@luc.edu

Maleeha Fatima

Graduation Year: 2021

Major: Biology & Bioinformatics

Minor: Biostatistics

Project in Lab: Extraction and analysis of PhLP-3 gene and protein expression data from databases of key eukaryotic model organisms

TBA!

Favorite Food: Lamb chops

Fun Fact: I manage my own business through which I make custom cakes and assortment of other desserts for clients.

Email: mfatima2@luc.edu

Sylwia Balata

Graduation Year: 2021

Major: Biology with a Molecular Biology Emphasis & Spanish

Project in Lab: Screening of novel anti-malarial therapeutic compounds in a malaria mouse model system. I test potential anti-malarial compounds in a mouse model system. I look for efficacy along with efficiency. As a part of this project, I infect mice with the disease then check for growth of the illness through blood smears and visual symptoms using the BAR (bright, alert, responsive) standard. I also dissolve compounds and recently completed an independent project where I checked the effects of injecting corn oil into mice.

Favorite Food: Croquettes

Fun Fact: When I was younger, I wanted to be an FBI Agent due to the show Criminal Minds.

Email: sbalata@luc.edu

Elle Petravicius

Graduation Year: 2021

Major: Anthropology

Minor(s): Biology & English

Project in Lab: Mosquito Caretaker, or “Mosquito Lady”

I maintain the mosquito colony at Loyola’s insectary. This includes cleaning pans, transferring eggs, and feeding mosquitoes at both larval and adult stages. I also conduct experiments on the colony in order to determine the safest and most effective concentration levels of yeast-encapsulated essential oils as mosquito larvicide.

Favorite Food: Borscht

Fun Fact: As a kid, instead of bug houses, I made bug hotels! Amenities included half-eaten Teddy Grahams and hot tubs (or, plastic bottle tops filled with water).

Email: epetravicius@luc.edu

Savi Durrani

Graduation Year: 2022

Major: Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology

Project in Lab:

My project involves the investigation of two novel microtubule-binding proteins, TLAP2 and SAXO1, in the malaria parasite Plasmodium. The Kanzok lab has already cloned and expressed Plasmodium proteins in a human cell line and demonstrated that PbSAXO and PbTLAP2 associate with the microtubules of the host cell. In addition, the Kanzok Lab has demonstrated that PbSAXO can stabilize microtubules at cold temperatures (4°C). This investigation of Plasmodium proteins in a human cell line was possible because human and parasite tubulins share 80% protein sequence identity. Going forward, my job is to evaluate the cellular functions of TLAP2 and SAXO in the malaria parasite Plasmodium. To test our hypothesis, we aim to use the genome-editing tool CRISPR

Favorite Food: Gelato

Fun Fact: I love pilates, and will be pursuing my teacher training in the future!

Email: sdurani@luc.edu

Elizabeth Kojak

Graduation Year: 2022

Major: Biochemistry

Project in Lab: Structure and function of phosducin-like protein 3 from Plasmodium, Drosophila, and humans. In this project I will be cloning, expressing, and purifying PhLP-3 proteins from 3 representative species in order to determine the three-dimensional structure. This will be done in hopes of achieving a better understanding of its function and mechanism.

Favorite Food: Eight finger cavatelli

Fun Fact: My favorite animal is an otter because they hold hands with each other when they sleep so they don't drift apart.

Email: ekojak@luc.edu

Lara Ladney

Graduation Year: 2022

Major: Biology & Bioinformatics

Minor: Math & Bioethics

Project in Lab: Characterizing the Inducible 1-Cysteine Peroxiredoxin Promoter in the Mouse Malaria Parasite Plasmodium berghei
My research project seeks to understand the antioxidant defense mechanisms Plasmodium berghei employs to withstand the hostile extracellular environment of the Anopheles mosquito vector through upregulation of defense gene 1-Cysteine Peroxiredoxin (1-CysPrx) in response to reactive oxygen species. My objective is to locate the antioxidant response element within the inducible promoter of 1-CysPrx through a “promoter-bashing approach” using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system to transfect a series of luciferase reporter constructs into Plasmodium berghei.

Favorite Food: Syrniki

Fun Fact: I spend a month in Moscow every year (lots of family there) & I speak fluent Russian!

Email: lladney@luc.edu

Anna Bielanski

Graduation Year: 2022

Major: Biology with a Molecular Biology Emphasis

Minor: Bioethics

Project in Lab: TBA!

Favorite Food: Pierogi

Fun Fact: I started dancing when I was 5 years old.

Email: abielanski@luc.edu

Giovanni Rodriguez

Graduation Year: 2022

Major: Biology

Minor: Bioethics

Project in Lab: TBA!

Favorite Food: Johnny’s Italian Beef with fries and Italian Ice

Fun Fact: I played Rugby for Loyola and we made it to the national tournament the year I broke my leg.

Email: grodriguez11@luc.edu

Past Lab Members:

and...

Kaitlyn Kiernan

Farrah Siddiqi

Noreen Khan
Sierra Cole

Alexander Linder

Cecile Swift

Ana Ruiz

Louise Cabanting

Husna Khaleeluddin

Alec Lindstrom

Emily Zurales

Ahad Bagasrawala

Lina Chervak

Rachel Bush

Sara Hammer

Sana Hira

Shannon McGuire

Robin David

Rachel Kooistra

Michael Lamm

Benjamin Turturice

James Tasch

Sean Powers

Hannah Schaefer

Karissa Jackson

Zoe Hammerstone

Grifin Berge

Year: Graduate Student (Graduated in 2020)

Prior Degree's: AS Biotechnology/BS Biology

Project in lab: Utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system to investigate the functionality of a microtubule-binding protein in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei

Favorite cell organelle/component: Nucleus & Cytoskeleton

Email: gberge@luc.edu