Lab Members
Principal Investigator
Brandon Holmes, M.D. Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Neurology
Brandon is a physician-scientist who specializes in neurodegeneration. He completed his MD/PhD training at Washington University in Saint Louis where he explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating the transcellular spread of protein aggregates.This work motivated his fascination with proteoglycans and the cell-surface compartment as critical regulators of disease signaling. The theme of his laboratory is to identify disease-specific cell-surface signatures of all CNS glia in order to generate novel recombinant biological tools to precisely target and manipulate their cellular states. As a behavioral neurologist who specializes in Alzheimer's at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Brandon is uniquely positioned to investigate impactful neuroscience questions with direct applications to human disease.
Brandon is a husband, father, BBQ-enthusiast, and musician. He spends his free time hiking, drumming, and finding live music.
Research Specialists
Yun Zhang, M.S. - Associate Research Specialist
Yun trained at Peking University in China. Before a career in the biological sciences, she worked in the Peking University Physics Department where she studied semiconductor films. She has been a UCSF employee for 10 years where she worked in the Gallo Research Center Institute and Antibiome Center. Scientifically, she is most excited about protein purification and iPSC differentiation. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening.
Jesseca Chung, B.S. - Assistant Research Specialist
Jesseca graduated with her Bachelor of Science is Neuroscience from the University of Keele in the United Kingdom. She is currently completing her Master of Philosophy where she studied the structure-function relationship that underpins carbohydrate - protein interactions associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Her curiosity is sparked by the question of how glycobiology intersects with neurodegeneration, especially as it relates to heparan sulfate and amyloid interactions.
Jesseca's hobbies include hiking, films, literature, and traveling.
Brandon "Prez" Apresa, B.A - Junior Research Specialist
Prez graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a B.A in biology, and a minor in neuroscience. It was here where he completed a senior thesis on Parkinsons disease research, investigating whether disease associated alpha-synuclein phosphorylation drives aggregation. Since many neurodegenerative diseases cannot solely be attributed to environmental or genetic factors, he is interested in understanding and addresing the mechanisms which drive their development.
Outside of the lab you can find Prez running, biking, practicing yoga, playing music, or making delicious foods."
Visiting Scholars
Will Jack, B.S. - Bioinformatics Visiting Scholar
Will is interested in creating computational tools aimed at enhancing our causal understanding of biological processes, leveraging machine learning and AI techniques in his approach. Currently, he is developing scRNA-seq tools to better understand the microglial transcriptome and proteome, and tools for discovering immune epitopes from scTCR-seq data.
Prior to a career as an executive and venture capitalist, Will graduated from MIT with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and focused his studies on machine learning and applied physics. Outside of research he enjoys wilderness backpacking and making music with friends.
ShiLu Vanasupa, B.S. - Assay Design Visiting Scholar
ShiLu is a research associate in Michael Wilson’s Lab investigating immune mechanisms and autoantigens involved in neuroinflammatory autoimmune disorders like Multiple Sclerosis. She received a B.S. in Neuroscience and Biology, and a minor in Legal Studies from Brandeis University in 2022.
Outside of work you can find her attempting to bake a peach cobbler or reading a good book.