Technician Health

Aaron T. Cheng

*********@*****.***

510-***-****

EXPERTISE and INTERESTS

Passionate cell biologist with expertise in genome editing, quantitative live-cell imaging, and

culture of somatic and pluripotent stem cells, and a broad interest in elucidating mechanisms

that underlie human disease and the development of therapeutics for their treatment.

EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (2007-2013)

Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology

Thesis: Investigation of Clathrin-mediated Endocytosis using Genome Editing in Somatic and

Pluripotent Human Cells

Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA (2000-2004)

B.A. in Biology

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

DOCTORAL STUDENT (2008-2013)

Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley.

Advisor: Professor David G. Drubin

• Established the feasibility and utility of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and

transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and CRISPR nucleases for

the study of protein dynamics

• Employed genome editing technologies for investigation of clathrin mediated

endocytosis

• Developed stem cell model systems to investigate CME within the context of

development

• Managed and maintained ~$1.5 million in multi-user microscopy systems

• Established and managed lab cell culture facility

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN (2006-2007)

Dept. of Biochemistry, Thomas Jefferson University. Philadelphia, PA.

Advisor: Professor Michael J. Root

• Generated HIV variants to investigate the mechanism of HIV entry and its inhibition

• Designed, expressed, and characterized the efficacy of peptide inhibitors against HIV

viral entry

NIH POSTBACCALAUREATE INTRAMURAL RESEARCH FELLOW (2004-2006)

Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH. Bethesda, MD.

Advisors: Anjeanette Roberts, Ph.D. and Kanta Subbarao, M.D.

• Developed and characterized a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV model for pathogenesis

studies.

• Performed whole genome sequencing on SARS-CoV isolates

• Developed qRT-PCR assays to quantify SARS-CoV, cytokine, and chemokine mRNA

transcript levels.

RESEARCH INTERN (Summer 2004)

Bristol-Myers Squibb. Pennington, NJ.

Advisor: Siew Peng Ho, Ph.D.

• Developed and optimized protocols for in vivo delivery of antisense oligonucleotides.

INVITED TALKS

2013. American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

2012. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

2012. Keystone Symposia – Membranes in Motion. Tahoe City, CA.

2011. Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Disease. San Francisco, CA.

FELLOWSHIPS

2012. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Predoctoral Fellowship.

2011. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Predoctoral Fellowship.

2008. National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Fellowship.

2007. National Institutes of Health Predoctoral Fellowship.

HONORS & AWARDS

2012. Keystone Symposia Scholarship Award. Keystone Symposia – Membranes in Motion.

2009. Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, Univ. of California, Berkeley.

2006. NIH Merit Award. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH.

2004. Leo M. Leva Prize, Department of Biology, Swarthmore College.

PUBLICATIONS

In Review/Preparation:

CHENG AT*, Grassart A*, Zhang F, Zenser N, Malkov D, Drubin DG. Actin and dynamin2

dynamics and interplay during clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In review.

* these authors contributed equally to this work

CHENG AT and Drubin DG. A pluripotent stem cell system for developmental study of clathrin-

mediated endocytosis. In preparation.

Low-Nam ST, Kerkvliet JG, CHENG AT*, Drubin DG, Hoppe AD. 2013. Visualization of

membrane curvature dynamics during clathrin-mediated endocytosis by polarized TIRF.

Submitted for publication.

Published:

Jinek M, East A, CHENG AT, Lin S, Ma E, Doudna JA. 2013. RNA-programmed genome editing

in human cells. Elife 2:e00471.

Xin X, Gfeller D, Cheng J, Tonikian R, Sun L, Guo A, Lopez L, Pavlenco A, Akintobi A, Zhang Y,

Rual JF, Currell B, Seshagiri S, Hao T, Yang X, Shen YA, Salehi-Ashtiani K, Li J, CHENG AT,

Bouamalay D, Lugari A, Hill DE, Grimes ML, Drubin DG, Grant BD, Vidal M, Boone C, Sidhu SS,

Bader GD. 2013. SH3 interactome conserves general function over specific form. Molecular

Systems Biology 9:652.

Doyon JB*, Zeitler B*, Cheng J*, CHENG AT*, Cherone J, Santiago Y, Lee A, Vo TL, Doyon Y,

Miller JC, Zhang L, Rebar EJ, Gregory PD, Urnov, FD, Drubin DG. 2011. Rapid and efficient

clathrin-mediated endocytosis revealed by genome editing of mammalian cells. Nature Cell

Biology 13(3):331-337.

* these authors contributed equally to this work

Freundt EC, Yu L, Goldsmith CS, Welsh S, CHENG AT, Yount B, Liu W, Frieman MB, Buchholz

UJ, Screaton GR, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Zaki SR, Xu XN, Baric RS, Subbarao K, Lenardo MJ.

2010. The open reading frame 3a protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated

coronavirus promotes membrane rearrangement and cell death. J Virology 84(2):1097-1109.

Stimpson HE*, Toret CP*, CHENG AT, Pauly BS, Drubin DG. 2009. Early-arriving Syp1p and

Ede1p function in endocytic site placement and formation in budding yeast. Mol Biol Cell

20(22):4640-51.

* these authors contributed equally to this work

Roberts A, Deming D, Paddock CD, CHENG AT, Yount B, Vogel L, Herman BD, Sheahan T,

Heise M, Genrich GL, Zaki SR, Baric R, Subbarao K. 2007. A mouse-adapted SARS-coronavirus

causes disease and mortality in BALB/c mice. PLOS Pathogens 3(1):24-37.

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