Scientific Team
Principal Investigator
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Drew Adams, Ph.D.
Postdoc, Chemical Biology Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT PhD, Organic Chemistry Harvard University BA, Biochemistry Swarthmore College Drew graduated from Swarthmore College with Highest Honors and obtained his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at Harvard University (Prof. David A. Evans). He then undertook postdoctoral studies with Prof. Stuart L. Schreiber at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT within the Center for the Science of Therapeutics. There he used high-throughput screening and chemical biology techniques to identify drug candidates that modulated cancer cell stress phenotypes and to eluciddate these molecules' cellular mechanisms-of-action. Drew joined the Case Western Reserve University Genetics Department in 2015 as an Assistant Professor, and in July 2018 he was appointed as the Thomas F. Peterson, Jr. Professor of Cancer and Energy Research. Drew also serves as Director of the Small-Molecule Drug Development Core, a newly-built facility enabling high-throughput screening to accelerate academic drug discovery efforts. |
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Ollie G. Dendro
PhD, Neuroscience University of California, San Francisco BS, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ollie received his PhD in neuroscience where he was instrumental in defining changes in the genetic landscape associated with glial cell differentiation. With this groundbreaking work, Ollie joined the Adams lab to design novel therapeutics that can drive the formation and maturation of oligodendrocytes using unique chemical probes. Outside of lab, Ollie has a penchant for teaching and science outreach. Many have attributed their vastly improved cognitive function and motor dexterity to Ollie's outstanding mentorship. |
Graduate Students
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Joel Sax
BA, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology UC Berkeley Joel is a student in the MSTP at the CWRU School of Medicine and joined the lab in May of 2019. His research interests include translational science with an emphasis on biochemistry and chemical biology. The Adams Lab allows him the flexibility in taking a high-throughput screening approach to many biological problems. Beyond research, he enjoys mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and running. |
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Matthew Pleshinger
BA, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The College of Wooster Matthew is a PhD student in the BSTP at CWRU and joined the lab in December 2018. Currently, his research interest lies in understanding the mechanism of action of drugs and identifying novel targets. His goal is to provide fundamental information for translational medicine. In his free time, he enjoys participating in and watching soccer, baseball, and basketball. |
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Yi Fan Chen
BS, Biological Sciences Cornell University Yi Fan is a student in the MSTP at the CWRU School of Medicine who joined the lab in May 2020. His past research experiences included a mix of cell biology, chemical biology, and synthetic biology. He applies those experiences in the Adams Lab to study disease pathophysiology and drug mechanisms with interdisciplinary techniques using synthetic chemistry and molecular biology. Outside of research, he enjoys reading books on random things, hanging out with friends until sunrise, pretending to be informed on market volatility, and cooking way too much food at once. |
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Adrianna Rivera-Leon
B.Sc., Biology University of Puerto Rico Adrianna is a PREP Scholar who joined the lab in July 2019. While being an undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus she did research on gut regeneration using the sea cucumber as a model system. Now, she's interested in regeneration of the nervous system and oligodendrocyte differentiation. Aside from her work in the lab, she enjoys listening to music and reading. |
Research Technicians
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Samantha Hershman
BS, Biology West Virginia University Samantha is a research assistant who joined the lab in August 2020. Her research interests include translational science in the context of neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity. After using zebrafish to study visual neural circuitry development, she now uses high-throughput screening approaches in the Adams Lab to investigate a variety of biological questions. Beyond research, she enjoys exploring nature with her dog, making art, and learning new things. |
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Maryam Ghazala
BA, Chemistry and Biochemistry Oberlin College Maryam is a research technician who joined the lab in October 2020. As an undergraduate, she investigated synthetic melanin’s interactions with small molecules, and synthesized novel modulators of melanin formation. Now she’s using high throughput screening assays to test potential therapeutics for Huntington’s Disease. In her leisure time, Maryam likes to pet her car, tell everyone about the strange dream she had last night, and try to spread sayings and words that she invented by repeatedly using them and pretending she didn’t just make them up when people say they haven’t heard them. |
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David Fan Yan
BA, Chemistry Case Western Reserve University David joined June 2019 as an undergraduate. He graduated in December 2020 and continued to work as a research technician. His research interest is interdisciplinary and lies at the interface of chemistry and biology where he seeks to both develop and apply novel drugs and chemical probes. Prior to joining, he had worked to functionalize Graphene Oxide to encapsulate fluorinated gases as ultrasound contrasting agents. Outside of lab, he greatly enjoys tutoring fellow students in organic chemistry and long distance running. He’s also best friends with Ollie G. Dendro and Eppen D. Tube. |
Undergraduate Students
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Eppen D. Tube
Eppen is a first year undergraduate in materials science and engineering. He is interested in applying his past research experience in polypropylene synthesis to the high-throughput approaches used by the Adams lab. Outside of lab, Eppen is passionate about research marketing and biotech, and his presence is well established within the Genetics Department. |
Alumni
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Ryan Friedrich, Ph.D.
Moved on to: Organix Inc. PhD, Chemistry University of Iowa BA, Chemistry University of Minnesota Ryan received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2017. There he expanded a strategy to synthesize chiral 1,5-polyols and applied it to the synthesis of tetrafibricin, a biologically active natural product. He joined the Adams lab in early 2018 and worked on a variety of medicinal chemistry projects as a member of the Small-Molecule Drug Development Core. In his free time he enjoys playing disc golf, watching movies, and trying new foods. |
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Zita Hubler, Ph.D.
Moved on to: Case Western Reserve University SOM for completion of MD. BS, Bioengineering University of Illinois U-C Zita is a student in the CWRU MSTP and joined the lab in May of 2016. Her current research utilizes genetic, chemical, and biological tools to investigate the mechanism of action by which small molecules alter stem cell fate decisions. Outside of work, she enjoys training for local distance races, growing plants, and exploring the outdoors. |
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Farrah Gao
Moved on to: Case Western Reserve University BSTP Farrah received a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Statistics. She was a member of the Adams lab from January 2018-May 2020, and she is now pursuing her PhD in the BSTP at CWRU. During her time in the lab she worked on identifying novel targets in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway for enhancing oligodendrocyte differentiation. |
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Matt Thompson
Moved on to: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine Matt Thompson received a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Theatre from Case Western Reserve University. He was a been a member of the Adams Lab team from May 2016-May 2019 where he has sought to identify small molecules capable of reversing Huntington’s Disease progression through restoration of mitochondrial function. |
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Dharmaraja Allimuthu, Ph.D.
Moved on to: IIT Kanpur, Department of Chemistry Ph.D., Organic and Medicinal Chemistry IISER-Pune, India MSc, Chemistry Bharathidasan University, India BSc, Periyar University, India Dharma is from Salem, a small town in Tamilnadu, India. In 2015 he received his Ph.D. from IISER-Pune in the lab of Harinath Chakrapani. During his PhD he worked on synthesis and evaluation of small molecule based reactive oxygen species (ROS) generators as antimicrobial agents. He was in the Adams lab from spring 2015-December 2018. He worked on two projects, (1) identification of high-quality covalent chemical probes from electrophilic small molecules library and (2) understanding the mechanism of action of small molecule therapeutics that enhance oligodendrocyte formation. |