About Our Lab

Sam Buchanan

samuelbuchanan2021@u.northwestern.edu

Education: M.S., Department of Biochemistry, Rush University

I joined the Arispe lab in April 2020 with nine years of experience in research, 4 of those years being at Northwestern. Previously I graduated from Rush University with a Masters Degree in Biochemistry, my thesis focusing on intervertebral disc degeneration. I have worked on a variety of research projects including cervical cancer microRNA profiling, clinical informatics, and extensive IHC while working at the NU Mouse Histology Core (MHPL). I'm currently working on mouse retina imaging and quantification.

Vanessa González

vanessa.g@northwestern.edu

Education: B.A. Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Higher Education Administration, Northwestern University

I've worked with Dr. Arispe and her laboratory research group since 2017, providing administrative support in various areas. As the main administrative point of contact for the Vascular Biology T32, I organized monthly seminars with external speakers and tracked students' progress and compliance with the training program requirements. Currently, I serve as the NAO for the Leducq ReVAMP Network.

Snezana Mirkov

snezana.mirkov@northwestern.edu

Education: M.S., Biochemistry, University of Novi Sad, Serbia

I transferred to the Arispe Lab as a Research Lab Manager in March 2020 after 4.5 years of working for the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University. There I used to manage the research lab with the focus in brain tumor microenvironment. Prior to employment at Northwestern University I worked for 13.5 years as a Senior Research Technologist at The University of Chicago in a lab investigating pharmacogenetic of anticancer agents and drug-drug interactions. My current role in the Arispe lab involves managing daily operations, training new personnel, maintaining animal colonies and IACUC protocols, conducting experiments, just to name a few. My goals are to gain insights into molecular mechanisms underlying vascular development in both physiological and pathological conditions, become proficient in new technologies and provide additional support to our lab by applying my past research experience.

Ana Mompeón Campos, PhD

ana.mompeon@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Biology, University of Valencia, Spain; M.S., Ph.D., Physiology, University of Valencia, Spain

I obtained my doctoral degree in Physiology from the University of Valencia in Spain in 2019. As a graduate student, my work focused on the role of circulating microRNAs in acute myocardial infarction and endothelial cell function. I also contributed to a research project focusing on the effects of estrogen in the regulation of endothelial-derived mediators and age-associated vascular dysfunction. It was at that time that I had the opportunity to collaborate abroad and I decided to re-direct my future training towards the interface between vascular and tumor biology. Along these lines, I chose to move to the US to advance my career in the area of vascular and cancer biology by joining the Arispe Lab at Northwestern in February 2020. As a postdoctoral fellow, over the last year I have become committed to advancing our understanding of the molecular cross-talk between endothelial and tumor cells during metastasis. My current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that result in vascular malformations and angiosarcomas.

Publications in the lab

Romay, M. C., Knutsen, R. H., Ma, F., Mompeón, A., Hernandez, G. E., Salvador, J., Mirkov, S., Batra, A., Sullivan, D. P., Procissi, D., Buchanan, S., Kronquist, E., Ferrante, E. A., Muller, W. A., Walshon, J., Steffens, A., McCortney, K., Horbinski, C., Tournier-Lasserve, E., Sonabend, A. M., Sorond, F.A., Wang, M.M., Boehm, M., Kozel, B.A., and Iruela-Arispe, M. L. 2024. Age-related loss of Notch3 underlies brain vascular contractility deficiencies, glymphatic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration in mice. J Clin Invest. 134(2): e166134. PMCID: PMC10786701.

Hilfenhaus, G., Mompeón, A., Freshman, J., Prajapati, D., Hernandez, G., Freitas, V.M., Ma, F., Langenbacher, A.D., Mirkov, S., Song, D., Cho, B., Goo, Y.A., Pellegrini, M., Chen, J., Damoiseaux, R., and Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2021. A high-content screen identifies drugs that restrict tumor cell extravasation across the endothelial barrier. Cancer Res. 81(3): 619-633. PMCID: PMC7916904.

For a full list of publications, visit Ana Mompeon's google scholar profile here.

Milagros Romay, PhD

milagros.romay@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Microimmunology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG), UCLA; Ph.D., MIMG Program, UCLA

As a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Luisa Iruela-Arispe, my research focuses on understanding the function of the gene NOTCH3 in vascular smooth muscles and how NOTCH3 dysregulation contributes to the development of the familial stroke disorder Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL).  As a graduate student at the University of California – Los Angeles, my research focused on utilizing systems genetics approaches to identify novel contributors to cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure. During my training, I acquired extensive experience in molecular biology, systems biology, and bioinformatics. As a trainee in the Arispe lab, my research project has further enhanced my skillset in molecular biology and bioinformatics while expanding my knowledge of cell signaling and imaging in the context of vascular biology.

Publications in the lab

Romay, M. C., Knutsen, R. H., Ma, F., Mompeón, A., Hernandez, G. E., Salvador, J., Mirkov, S., Batra, A., Sullivan, D. P., Procissi, D., Buchanan, S., Kronquist, E., Ferrante, E. A., Muller, W. A., Walshon, J., Steffens, A., McCortney, K., Horbinski, C., Tournier-Lasserve, E., Sonabend, A. M., Sorond, F.A., Wang, M.M., Boehm, M., Kozel, B.A., and Iruela-Arispe, M. L. 2024. Age-related loss of Notch3 underlies brain vascular contractility deficiencies, glymphatic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration in mice. J Clin Invest. 134(2): e166134. PMCID: PMC10786701.

Ma, F., Hernandez, G.E., Romay, M., Iruela-Arispe, M. 2021. Single-cell RNA sequencing to study vascular diversity and function. Curr Opin Hematol. 28(3): 221-229. PMID: 33714967.

Romay, M.C., Toro, C., Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2019. Emerging molecular mechanisms of vascular dementia. Curr Opin Hematol. 26(3):199-206. PMID: 30883434

Shirali, A.S., Romay, M.C., McDonald, A.I., Su, T., Steel, M.E., Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2018. A multi-step transcriptional cascade underlies vascular regeneration in vivo. Scientific Reports. 8(1):5430. PMID: 29615716 PMCID: PMC5882937

Mack, J.J., Mosqueiro, T.S., Archer, B.J., Jones, W.M., Sunshine, H., Faas, G.C., Briot, A., Aragón, R., Su, Y.T., Romay, M.C., McDonald, A.I., Kuo, C., Lizama, C.O., Lane, T.F., Zovein, A.C., Fang, Y., Tarling, E.J., de Aguiar Vallim, T.Q., Navab, M., Fogelman, A.M., Bouchard, L.S., Iruela-Arispe., M.L. 2017. NOTCH1 is a mechanosensor in adult arteries. Nature Communications. 8(1): 1620. PMID: 29158473 PMCID: PMC5696341

Shodai Suzuki, PhD

shodai.suzuki@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan.

I earned my PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Chiba University in Japan in 2024. Using cell culture models, I contributed to the significant finding that NOTCH3 glycosylation is involved in the accumulation of NOTCH3 mutant protein, which is associated with the cerebral small vessel disease CADASIL (BBRC, 2021; JBC, 2024). This experience provided me with a strong background in cell-cell signaling and molecular biology approaches. During this time, I developed a deep interest in the complex, coordinated systems of the cerebral vasculature, which led me to join Dr. Arispe’s lab. Using molecular biology techniques and comprehensive approaches, I aim to investigate how cellular and molecular interactions in the brain contribute to the progression of vascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Ultimately, I am pursuing a goal to become an independent researcher in vascular biology.

Mariaelena Valentino, PhD

mariaelena.valentino@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Biology, Unisannio; M.S., Genetic Sciences and Technologies, BIOGEM Life and Mind School; Ph.D., Molecular Oncology, Open University-IFOM ETS, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Italy.

I obtained my doctoral degree in Molecular Oncology from the Open University at the FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM ETS) in Milan in October 2023. During my Ph.D., I worked on Cerebral Cavernous Malformation (CCM) disease. My project focused on the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CCMs. In this context, I studied the role of Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRCs) and discovered the crucial role played in CCM disease by BMI12 and CBX73, two core components of PRC1. I also contributed to a project that described for the first time the clonal expansion as a key pathological mechanism in CCM development and progression. As a graduate student, I have been mainly involved in the study of the epigenetic and molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of CCM disease. To advance my career in vascular biology, in both physiological and pathological conditions, I decided to join the Arispe Lab in August 2024. As a postdoctoral fellow, I will be committed to the elucidation of the interplay between transcriptomic, epigenetic and proteomic profiles of the vasculature, with a particular attention to the discovery of new players in the context of vascular diseases.

For a full list of publications, visit Mariaelena Valentino's google scholar profile here.

Margherita Zamberlan, PhD

margherita.zamberlan@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Molecular Biology, M.S. Medical Biology, Ph.D. in Biosciences, University of Padua, Italy

As a PhD student in Italy, I delved into the fascinating role of mitochondria as dynamic signaling organelles, uncovering their ability to influence the epigenetics of cells and shape cellular fate. My early research contributed to the discovery that OPA1 is essential for both developmental and tumor angiogenesis, influencing gene expression rewiring mediated by the master transcription factor NF-B (Herkenne, Ek, Zamberlan et al., Cell Metab. 2020). Leveraging the RNAseq dataset generated in this study, I identified a retrograde signaling pathway activated by OPA1 that controls angiogenesis (manuscript in preparation). Simultaneously, I investigated the role of OPA1 in triple-negative breast cancer, uncovering that both genetic and chemical inhibition of OPA1 blunts cancer progression through a previously unrecognized mechanism involving the accumulation of specific oncomiRs (Zamberlan et al., JECC, 2022). Driven by a passion for understanding the molecular mechanisms behind angiogenesis and vascular function, I joined Dr. Arispe’s lab in March 2025, where I will explore the proliferative resilience of vasculature and the impact of oxidative stress on blood vessels. Our research will focus on the proliferative capacity of aortic endothelial cells and examine how metabolic comorbidities influence endothelial proliferative resilience.

Annmarie Dominguez

ammariedominguez2025@u.northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Chemistry, UC Santa Cruz; Graduate Student, Driskill Graduate Program (DGP), Northwestern University

I joined the Arispe lab in the summer of 2021, shortly after completing a rotation in the lab. I worked with Joceyln to study the effects of chromatin distribution in aortic endothelial cells of mice in regions experiencing different types of flow. I am currently completing an internship over the summer with Oak Ridge National Lab, where I am helping characterize the microbiome of Populus trees using metagenomic tools. I am looking forward to building my computational skills over the summer and joining the group in person again in the fall.

Publications

Dominguez, A., Iruela-Arispe, M.L. (2023) Integration of Chemo-mechanical signaling in response to fluid shear stress by the endothelium. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 85:102232. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102232. PMID: 37703647.

Danielle Pi

danielle.pi@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., University of Pennsylvania; Medical Scientist Training Program Student, MD Year 3, PhD Year 2

I joined the Arispe Lab in the summer of 2021 after completing a summer rotation in 2020. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and studied intestinal malabsorptive diseases using an organoid model at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, before joining the Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern. I am broadly interested in the mechanisms that underlie vascular development and regeneration that can be potentially harnessed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Publications

Sunshine, H. L., Cicchetto, A. C., Kaczor-Urbanowicz, K. E., Ma, F., Pi, D., Symons, C., Turner, M., Shukla, V., Christofk, H. R., Vallim, T. A., and Iruela-Arispe, M. L. 2024. Endothelial Jagged1 levels and distribution are post-transcriptionally controlled by ZFP36 decay proteins. Cell Rep. 43(1):113627. PMCID: PMC10884959.

Alan Poe

alan.poe@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Student, Feinberg School of Medicine, MD year 4

Jocelyn Salvador

jsalvador@u.northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Biomedical Engineering, UC Irvine; Graduate Student, Driskill Graduate Program (DGP), Northwestern University

I began my PhD studies in the Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology program at UCLA and am now a PhD student in the Driskill Graduate Program at Northwestern. I graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in biomedical engineering (B.S.). Then, I worked as a post-baccalaureate fellow (NIH-PREP) in Dr. George E. Davis' lab, where I focused on microtubule dynamics during endothelial morphogenesis. I am interested in EC mechanobiology, especially in the context of fluid shear stress. In the Arispe lab, I am working on a project studying how different shear stress patterns alter endothelial nuclear shape and chromosome organization.

Publications

Moise, K., Arun, K. M., Pillai, M., Salvador, J., Mehta, A. S., Goyal, Y., and Iruela-Arispe, M. L. 2024. Endothelial cell elongation and alignment in response to shear stress requires acetylation of microtubules. Front Physiol. 15:1425620. PMCID: PMC11420013

Romay, M. C., Knutsen, R. H., Ma, F., Mompeón, A., Hernandez, G. E., Salvador, J., Mirkov, S., Batra, A., Sullivan, D. P., Procissi, D., Buchanan, S., Kronquist, E., Ferrante, E. A., Muller, W. A., Walshon, J., Steffens, A., McCortney, K., Horbinski, C., Tournier-Lasserve, E., Sonabend, A. M., Sorond, F.A., Wang, M.M., Boehm, M., Kozel, B.A., and Iruela-Arispe, M. L. 2024. Age-related loss of Notch3 underlies brain vascular contractility deficiencies, glymphatic dysfunction, and neurodegeneration in mice. J Clin Invest. 134(2): e166134. PMCID: PMC10786701.

Salvador, J., Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2022. Nuclear Mechanosensation and Mechanotransduction in Vascular Cells. Front Cel Dev Biol. 10. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.905927. 

Salvador, J.*, Hernandez, G.E.*, Ma, F., Abrahamson, C.W., Pellegrini, M., Goldman, R., Ridge, K.M., and Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2022. Transcriptional evaluation of the ductus arteriosus at the single-cell level uncovers a requirement for vimentin for complete closure. ATVB.
*equal contribution

Hernandez, G.E., Ma, F., Martinez, G., Firozabadi, N.B., Salvador, J., Juang, L.J., Zhao, P., Lopez, D.A., Ardehali, R., Beaudin, A.E., Kastrup, C.J., Pellegrini, M., Flick, M.J., Iruela-Arispe, M.L. 2022. Aortic intimal resident macrophages are essential for maintenance of the non-thrombogenic intravascular state. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 1:67–84

Henri Kolz

henri.kolz@northwestern.edu

Education: B.S., Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Germany

Aya Masri

ayamasri2025@u.northwestern.edu

Education: Undergraduate Student, Biological Sciences Department, and Business Institutions Department, Northwestern University

I joined the Arispe Lab in the Fall of 2022, and am an undergraduate student studying Biological Sciences and Business Institutions at Northwestern University. I am currently working with Annmarie to study the transmembrane protein and transcription factor, Notch-1, and how it mediates mechanosensing in endothelial cells.

Aarya Mehta

aaryamehta2025@u.northwestern.edu

Education: Undergraduate Student, Biological Sciences Department, Northwestern University

I joined the Arispe Lab in the Winter of 2022, and am an undergraduate student studying the Biological Sciences at Northwestern University. I am currently working with Katiannah in studying BMP signalling and its downstream signaling pathways that regulate microtubule organization in endothelial cells and are necessary in development of proper blood vessels.

Hyewon "Grace" Seo

graceseo2026@u.northwestern.edu

Education: Undergraduate Student,Biological Sciences, Art, Theory, and Practice (ATP), and Business Institutions, Northwestern University

I joined the Arispe Lab in the Fall of 2024. I am an undergraduate student at Northwestern University studying Biological Sciences, Art, Theory, and Practice (ATP), and Business Institutions. Currently, my goals are to support research at Arispe Lab by maintaining the lab and gaining exposure to working in a laboratory environment.