Principal Investigator
Niren Murthy
nmurthy@berkeley.edu
Dr. Niren Murthy is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Murthy received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle in Bioengineering in 2001, and then did Postdoctoral research at U.C. Berkeley in Chemistry from 2001-2003. He started his academic career at Georgia Tech in 2003 and in 2012 moved back to U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Murthy’s laboratory is an interdisciplinary laboratory that focuses on the development of new materials for drug delivery and molecular imaging. Murthy laboratory has developed several new biomaterials and imaging agents, such as the maltodextrin based imaging agents, which are focused on improving the treatment and diagnosis of infectious diseases. In addition, Murthy laboratory has developed numerous reagents for detecting radical oxidants, such as the hydrocyanines.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Maomao He
mmhe1989@berkeley.edu
2015 PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wuhan University (PI. Xuechuan Hong)
Joined Murthy group: January 2018
After my PhD, I did my postdoctoral research at University of Georgia School of Pharmacy, focusing on the development of chemical probes and strategies to investigate the epigenetic functions of lysine acetyltransferases. In Murthy lab, I am working on developing new molecules and materials for molecular imaging and drug delivery.
Jie Li
lijiesteve@berkeley.edu
2010 Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, Nankai University
2010 Bachelor of Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University
2015 PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (PI. Yunfeng Lu) Joined Murthy group: December 2017
My current research focuses on DNA-free genome editing using non viral vector for intracellular delivery of Cas9-RNP. I’m also developing nanoparticles targeting tumor associated macrophages to deliver potential immunotherapeutics to tumor microenvironment.
Hesong Han
hanhesong@berkeley.edu
2017 PhD, Molecular and Genetics biology. Joined Murthy group: January 2018
I am working on several different projects, from protein evolution to drug screening. Most of my work is based on cell biology and animal model.
I-Che Li
icheli@berkeley.edu
2009 Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, National Taiwan University
2011 Master of Science, Chemistry, National Taiwan University 2018 PhD, Chemistry, Rice University (PI. Jeffrey D. Hartgerink)
Joined Murthy group: September 2018
I am currently working on delivery of RNA and regulation of RNA functions. I am also developing a method to synthesize ribonucleic acid (RNA) with chemical modifications.
Eli Espinoza
eespi009@berkeley.edu
2009 Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, Azusa Pacific University
2019 PhD, Physical Organic Chemistry, University of California, Riverside (PI. Valentine Vullev)
Joined Murthy group: April 2019
My current research lies in synthesizing chemical probes for point care diagnostics to detect urinary tract infections using a dual-enzyme amplification technique. I am also making chemically generated micro-bubbles for ultrasound imaging.
Michael R. Stentzel
michaelstentzel@berkeley.edu
2012 Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, Central Michigan University
2019 PhD, Synthetic Chemistry, Northern Illinois University (PI. Douglas A. Klumpp)
Joined Murthy group: March 2020
I am currently developing drug delivery systems, including pH sensitive linkers and modified siRNA, as well as performing medchem on specific protease inhibitors.
Graduate Students
Joachim Justad Røise
joroei@berkeley.edu
2014 Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, University of Oslo
Joined the Murthy lab in Fall 2015
My current research includes mRNA delivery and bacterial imaging.
Teena Bajaj
bajajtiya@berkeley.edu
2015 Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry, Delhi University
2017 Master of Science, Biophysics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Started PhD, UC Berkeley: Fall 2017
My research work in the Murthy lab focuses on improving mRNA-based therapeutics.
Alumni
| Name | Time | Position | Current Position |
| Yumiao Zhang | 2016-2018 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Professor, Tianjin University |
| Chad Altobelli | 2017-2018 | B.S. Student | Undergraduate researcher, Nomura lab |
| Corinne Sadlowski | 2015-2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Scientist, R2M Pharma, Inc. |
| Abhinav Acharya | 2012-2015 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor, Arizona State University |
| Jingtuo Zhang | 2015-2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Scientist, PaxVax Inc, |
| Bora Park | 2015-2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Research Scientist, Impossible Food Inc. |
| Subhamoy Das | 2016-2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University |
| Kunwoo Lee | 2011-2016 | Ph.D. Student | GenEdit |
| Vanessa Mackley | 2016-2017 | Master Student | GenEdit |
| Xiaojian Wang | 2013-2016 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Faculty at Nanjing Tech University |
| Giri K. Vegesna | 2015-2016 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Scientist, Profusa Inc |
| Mike Webb | 2013-2014 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Faculty at Montana State University |
| Kiana Aran | 2012- | Postdoctoral Fellow | Faculty at KGI Insititute |
| HyunJin Kim | Postdoctoral Fellow | ||
| Carlo Lo Sterzo | 2013- | Postdoctoral Fellow | |
| Xinghai Ning | 2008- | Postdoctoral Fellow | Faculty at Nanjing University |
| Mikhail Zibinsky | 2012-2014 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Scientist, Flexus Biosciences |
| Jianping Zheng | 2013 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow, Dophen Biomed |
| Kousik Kundu | 2007-2011 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Senior Scientist, LI-COR Biosciences |
| Madhuri Dasari | 2005-2011 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Jason Lee | 2008-2011 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Research Scientist, Kimberly-Clark |
| John Perng | 2008-2011 | Ph.D. Student | Research Scientist, Siemens |
| Scott Wilson | 2006-2011 | Ph.D. Student | Postdoctoral Fellow, EPFL |
| Khalilah Reddie | 2009-2011 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Lecturer, UMass-Lowell |
| Dongin Kim | 2008-2010 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale |
| Jay C. Sy | 2006-2010 | Ph.D. Student | Faculty at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey |
| Yash Kolambkar | 2010 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Tech |
| Alex Cooper | 2010 | Undergraduate | Georgia Tech |
| Chen-Yu Kao | 2007-2009 | Ph.D. Student | Assistant Professor of BME, Taiwan National University of Engineering |
| Sungmun Lee | 2005-2009 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University (UAE) |
| Mike Heffernan | 2003-2008 | Ph.D. Student | Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH | Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine |
| Dongwon Lee | 2006-2008 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Assistant Professor of Material Science, Chonbuk University |
| Stephen Yang | 2003-2008 | Ph.D. Student | Research Scientist, Merck |
| Siraj Khaja | 2005-2007 | Postdoctoral Fellow | Research Scientist, Cambridge Pharmaceuticals |