maureen ibañez's web resume

http://www.res-alian.com/elly/resume/

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Maureen Beth Ibañez
(street address upon request)
San Diego, CA 92131
(858) 472-1806
email: maureen AT res-alian DOT com
http://elly.res-alian.com/

Objective:

To contribute strong technical and troubleshooting skills and knowledge in the field of immunology to provide technical support for your company's products and work with team to build strong relationships with customers to promote your company's growth and success.

Skills:

Cell culture: culturing of a broad array of cells including primary hepatocytes, lymphocytes, and dendritic cells, transient transfection and stable transfections, siRNA and shRNA transfections, HIV, MLV and HCV pseudoparticle transduction, HCV live virus (JFH1) infection, single cell cloning, cell sorting by Ficoll gradient, FACs and magnetic beads, intracellular and cell surface staining, virus production, BSL-3 level experiments with HIV virus and handling of HIV patient serum, p24 assay, chromium release assay.
Protein: western blot, affinity column protein purification, protein quantification, protease assay, ELISA assay, HTRF assay, Meso Scale Discovery and Bioplex multiplex cytokine and chemokine assays, Becton Dickenson cyotometric bead array.
Molecular Biology: DNA and RNA extraction, DNA cloning, siRNA construction, Northern blot, PCR, TaqMan assay, RNAse protection assay, CAT assay.
Animal work: received training in tracheotomies, eye bleeds, heart puncture, bone marrow extraction, tail vein injections, and tail anesthesizing.
Automation: cell dispensing systems, automated pipetting systems , Minitrak liquid handling system
Computer: proficient knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Communication: excellent writing and presentation skills.

Research Experience:

Sep 2007 to present
Scientific Associate II, Genomics Institute for the Novartis Foundation, San Diego, CA, Bishnu Nayak, PhD
Screened a library of small molecules for their potential use as vaccine adjuvants and anti-inflammatory agents in an immortalized murine dendritic cell line (mDC). Identified agonist and antagonist compounds targeting innate immune response receptors, including toll-like receptors (TLRs) and tested for mouse and human crossreactivity, MyD88 dependency, and mechanism of action (TLR specificity). Participated in a secretomics project testing a panel of secreted proteins for agonist and antagonist activity in the mDC line. Optimized HTRF assay conditions for high-throughput screening in 384-well and 1536-well format and implemented a SOP screening for autofluorescent and HTRF-false-positive results. Produced MyD88 knockdown and MyD88/Trif knockout dendritic cell clones. Characterized the mDC cell line and mDC knockout clones by their surface markers expression and cytokine and chemokine footprint. Optimized siRNA transfection conditions and the HCV live virus protease assay for screening of a siRNA library for inhibition HCV infection. Gained experience in the use of automated equipment. Presented research progress in team meetings and coordinated projects with other teams.
Jan 2005 to Aug 2007
Research Associate III
Jan 2004 to Jan 2005
Research Associate II, Immusol, San Diego, CA, Rene Rijnbrand PhD
Worked closely with chemists and tested novel compounds in our small molecule high-throughput screen (96-well). Analyzed Chinese herbal extracts for medicinal use. Studied mechanisms of action of compound inhibition of viral entry. Performed in vitro metabolism and toxicity assays. Optimized and developed SOPs for a HCV pseudoparticle entry assay and virus production. Screened an siRNA library in our HCV pseudoparticle entry assay. Tested efficiency of virus infection by immunufluorescent intracellular staining. Isolated single cell clone of a dual luciferase expressing Huh-7 cell line. Validated possible HCV receptors by siRNA transfection, antibody treatment, peptide treatment and antagonistic drugs. Constructed siRNAs with an Ambion siRNA construction kit. Identified cell surface receptor expression profiles for different cell lines by FACs analysis and western blot. Produced heterokaryon cells. BSL-3 associate safety officer. Managed and trained student researcher. Presented research progress in company wide scientist meetings and summarized research in monthly reports.
Sep 2001 to Jun 2003
Graduate Student, Yale University, New Haven, CT, Michael Cappello MD
Gained experience in PCR and analyzed sequence data of HIV long term non-progressor patient's viral DNA. Cultured Leishmania pifanoi and purified on an affinity column a Leishmania membrane protein antigen, P-8, and tested P-8's ability to induce nitric oxide production in macrophages. Cloned a mutant form of a hookworm Anclystoma ceylanicum protein, AceKI. Purified rAceKI on both a nickel column and HPLC column and performed multiple kinetic assays characterizing rAceKI mutant's ability to inhibit serine proteases: chymotrypsin, trypsin, human neutrophil elastase, and pancreas elastase. Assisted in teaching courses in microbial pathogenesis and parasitology.
Oct 1999 to Jun 2001
Staff Research Associate I, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA, Andreas Gruber PhD
Developed HIV- specific T cell using dendritic cell transduced with a HIV-1 lentiviral vector as an antigen presenting cell. Gained experience with tetramer staining. Gained experience with molecular cloning techniques in plasmid preparation. Received mouse training which included tail anesthetizing, vein injections and eye bleeds. Managed, maintained, and trained co-workers in the BL-3 facility.
Jun 1998 to Aug 1999
American Melanoma Foundation Research Fellow, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Sep 1997 to Jun 1998
Howard Hughes Honors Thesis Student, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, June Kan-Mitchell
Characterized dendritic cell cytokine and chemokine expression by Rnase protection assay. Performed experiments involving the in vitro immunization of cytotoxic T cells with cancer and HIV-specific proteins. Maintained cell cultures of jurkat cells, Hela, 293T cells, T cells, dendritic cells. Gained experience in cell isolation by Ficoll gradient and Dynal magnetic beads, FACs staining and using Becton Dickinson FACs scan for FACs analysis, antibody production and the chromium release assay. Gained experience in using BL-3 technique in performing calcium-mediated and liposome-mediated transfection of a HIV-1 viral vector into 293 cells, titering the HIV-virus supernatant with the Hela cells and transduction of the HIV-1 virus into dendritic and jurkat cells. Managed and helped start-up lab at Wayne State University gaining experience in purchasing, hiring of student help, and training of a post-doctoral fellow and students.
Jun 1997 to Aug 1997
Howard Hughes Summer Research Student, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, Cecilia Cheung PhD
Worked on project to inhibit VEGF expression by antisense RNA. Gained experience in cell culture of JEG-3 cells, Trizol RNA isolation and Northern Blotting.
Jun 1996 to Aug 1996
Harvard School of Public Health Summer Research Student, Harvard University, Boston, MA, Mark Perrella MD
Identified the Oct-1 site and NF-κB site & HMGIY as important transcription factors for iNOS gene. Maintained cell culture of rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Gained experience in transient transfections, CAT assays, and rat dissection for another experiment

Publications:

Pellacani AU, Chin MT, Yet S-F, Hsieh C-M, Ibanez M, Reeves R, Lee M-E, and Perrella MA.
Regulation of an Architectural Transcription Factor, High Mobility Group-I(Y) by Inflammatory Cytokines in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. Circulation 96: I-298, 1997.
Pellacani A, Chin MT, Wiesel P, Ibanez M, Patel A, Yet S-F, Hsieh C-M, Paulauskis JD, Reeves R, Lee M-E, Perrella MA.
Induction of high mobility group-I(y) protein by endotoxin and interleukin-1b in vascular smooth muscle cells: role in activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase. J. Biol Chem, 1999; 274:1525-1532.
Perrella MA, Pellacani A, Wiesel P, Chin MT, Foster LC, Ibanez M, Hsieh C-M, Reeves R, Yet S-F, Lee M-E.
High mobility group-I (y) protein facilitates nuclear factor-κB binding and transactivation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase promoter/enhancer. J Biol Chem, 1999; 274:9045-9052.
Gruber A, Looney DJ, Ibanez M, Wong-Staal F.
Altered immunophenotype of dendritic cells generated from HIV infected subjects. Immunol Lett. 2001 Oct 1;78(3):209-11.
Chu, D, Bungiro,RD, Ibanez, M, Harrison, LM, Campodonico, E, Jones, BF, Mieszczanek, J, Kuzmic, P, Cappello, M.
Molecular characterization of Ancylostoma ceylanicum Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor: evidence for a role in hookworm-associated growth delay. Infection and Immunity, 2004; 72:2214-2221.

Patents:

U.S. Patent Pending
Novel HCV entry inhibiting compounds.

Educational Background:

Dec 2003: M.S. Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Jun 1998: B.S. Molecular Biology, cum laude, UCSD, La Jolla, CA

last update: 07 May 2008