Degree: Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Biophysics/Physiology), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Born and raised in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Miquéias Lopes-Pacheco is a Biomedical Scientist (B.S., 2009) with a Lato Sensu Specialization in Clinical Pharmacology (2011). He obtained his M.S. (2012) and Ph.D. (2016) at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with an International Ph.D. Internship (2013-2014) at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He also performed Post-Doc at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2016-2017) and Faculty of Sciences University of Lisbon (2017-2019). In 2018, he received an award from Gilead Sciences in the Research Scholars Program in Cystic Fibrosis (CF), being the first recipient outside of the US. He became an Associate Scientist (2019-2024) at University of Lisbon and joined our research team at Emory University in early 2024. His research is focused on: 1) understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to dysfunction and/or premature degradation of CFTR mutants, 2) developing novel pharmacological therapies for CF, and 3) investigating cell-based and gene-based therapies for respiratory diseases, namely ARDS/ALI, allergic asthma, CF, COPD, lung fibrosis and silicosis. He has served as a grant reviewer (Brazil, France, Italy) and a peer-reviewer for several scientific journals. He was a guest editor in three special issues (Frontiers in Pharmacology, Frontiers in Medicine, and Journal of Personalized Medicine), and a scientific committee member (Basic Science/Cell Biology/Physiology assembly) of the European CF Society Conference (2022-2024). Finally, he is a voluntary scientific columnist in the Instituto Unidos Pela Vida, where he participates in the dissemination of scientific advances and recent therapeutic developments aiming to help CF patients and families.
Dr. Jackson is a native of Texas where she obtained her BS in Chemistry from Texas Southern University. She then continued her educational pursuit at Clark Atlanta University here in Atlanta, GA where she earned her PhD in Chemistry. Currently, Dr. Jackson is a Research Scientist for the Oliver lab where she is involved in leading drug discovery projects focusing on investigating small molecules that partially inhibit ribosome proteins to influence CFTR biogenesis.
Katie Foye, BS
Supervisor Research Specialist
Degree: BS Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University
Katie Foye is currently the Oliver Lab Manager with expertise in electrophysiology and molecular biology techniques such as primary cell culture, short circuit current analysis, Western Blots, and qRT-PCR. Originally from California, she received her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Katie has since moved several times across the country pursuing a diverse research background before finding her passion for cystic fibrosis research at Emory University.
Ashlyn Winters, BS
Research Specialist
Degree: Biology BS, Emory University
Short bio about current research: Ashlyn originally joined the Oliver lab as an undergraduate research assistant and Emory SURE fellow studying how various small molecules and siRNA gene knockdowns promote read-through of premature stop codons (PTCs) in CFTR. After graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Biology, she now works as a full-time research specialist continuing her work with PTCs and also exploring targeted gene-knockdowns and their effect on other classes of CFTR mutations.
Emily Freestone, AA
Biology Honors Program Student
Degree:
Completed- Associate of Arts, Oxford College of Emory University
In progress- Bachelor of Science in Biology, Emory University
Emily Freestone is attending Emory University pursuing a biology degree on the pre-med track. She is part of the Oliver lab as an undergraduate researcher and is participating in the honors research program under mentorship of Dr. Oliver. Her projects in the lab have included working with small molecule and siRNA knockdowns in elucidating mechanistic and therapeutic impacts of these genetic modifiers on non-sense CFTR mutations.
