People
Hideaki Yano, Ph. D.
Our lab studies neuromodulator pharmacology with the hope of revealing and providing novel therapeutic mechanisms in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
PI/Assistant Professor
Christopher Lucaj
I am a 5th year PhD Candidate in Pharmacology focused on understanding the mechanisms of superagonism in synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. I received my Bachelor of Science in Biology from Boston College in 2015, where I worked in Dr. Laura Anne Lowery’s lab investigating TACC1 function in Xenopus laevis neuronal cells. I then had the opportunity to work in the Tufts-AstraZeneca Lab for Basic and Translational Neuroscience in 2016 as a Research Technician researching TNIK inhibition while I also earned my Master of Science in Engineering Management in 2018. After a brief stint at Ultragenyx, I joined the Yano Lab in 2020. Outside of my work in the lab, I enjoy applying my research skills to baking.
PhD Candidate
Anh Minh Nguyen
I finished my undergraduate study at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with a thesis on developing an oral veterinary vaccine against Edwardsiella ictaluri, the bacterium responsible for enteric septicemia in catfish. Since joining the Yano Lab in 2021, I have been investigating the mechanism underlying the G-protein subtype selectivity of dopamine D1 receptors at in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo levels. When I am not in the lab cloning new constructs, running BRET assays, performing stereotaxic surgery, doing electrophysiological or behavior experiments, people will most likely find me on the tennis court practicing my serves or in my kitchen testing new recipes for my favorite cocktail, the espresso martini.
PhD Candidate
Riancarley Garland
I am a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Pharmacology at Northeastern University, where I joined the Yano Lab in 2021. My research is broadly based in dopamine pharmacology, with a focus on elucidation of dopamine D1 and muscarinic M4 receptor co-expression patterns and signal integration mechanisms. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016 and received my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Neuroscience. In 2020, I earned my Master of Science degree in Toxicology and Environmental Health Sciences from Columbia University, where my capstone research characterized occupational risks exposure to phytocannabinoids for Cardno ChemRisk. Outside the lab, I enjoy traveling and spending time with family.
PhD Candidate
Soo Jung Oh
I am currently a third-year PhD student in Pharmacology at Northeastern University, focusing on the relationship between the structural properties of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists and their interaction with the CB1 receptor. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, with a minor in Mathematics and Computer Science, from New York University (2018). After graduation, I worked as a research assistant in Dr. Stephen Rayport’s lab at Columbia University, where I explored glutamate release from dopamine neurons. In 2020, I pursued a Master’s degree at the University of Toronto, conducting research on the role of peroxisomes in pancreatic beta cell mass and function. Outside of my academic work, I enjoy spending time with my husband.
PhD Student
Hayato Umaoka
I completed my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. For my Bachelor’s thesis, I worked with Dr. Alice Cheung and Dr. Ming-Che Liu, focusing on the molecular interactions between Oligogalacturonides (OGs) and Rapid Alkalinization Factor (RALF) peptides in Arabidopsis thaliana. My research specifically explored how these interactions contribute to stress signaling through FERONIA and LLG1 and investigated the role of biomolecular condensates in fine-tuning plant stress responses. I joined Dr. Hideaki Yano’s Lab in the Fall of 2024 as a master’s student, I am interested in molecular pharmacology and the mechanisms underlying neuromodulator receptors.
Masters Student
Vianna Quach
I am a 4th year undergraduate student studying Pharmaceutical Sciences. For my co-op, I worked in the bioanalytical department at Novartis to develop PK and PD assays for protein characterization. I additionally completed a summer internship at Bristol Myers Squibb, working cross-functionally with the bioanalytical and proteomics teams to develop an immunopeptidomics assay for cellular immunogenicity assessment. I joined Dr. Hideaki Yano’s lab in Fall 2022 and am currently working on my senior thesis to study the structural differences between Gαs and Gαolf as it relates to functional selectivity at D1 dopamine receptors.
Undergraduate Researcher
Jordan Davis
I am a fourth-year Pharmaceutical Sciences major at Northeastern University. I joined Hideaki Yano’s Lab in January 2024. I work closely with PhD student Chris Lucaj on discovering how synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists interact with CB1Rs. I use Bioluminescent Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET) to observe protein-protein interactions and mutagenesis to modify CB1Rs with the objective of understanding SCRA superagonism.
Undergraduate Researcher
Ruriu Guo
I’m studying Pharmaceutical Science as an undergraduate student at Northeastern University. I joined the group of Hideaki Yano in the summer of 2024 and currently interested in biased agonism in G proteins, as well as drug selectivity and drug delivery in general.
Undergraduate Researcher
Past Members
Mimi Briggs – MSPS student thesis (2023-2024)
Michelle Jo – PharmD student volunteer (2022-2024)
Wenqi Zhang – MSPS student thesis (2022-2023)
Chan Tae Park – PharmD student capstone (2022-2024)
Charlotte Pitha – BSPS student thesis (2021-2024)
Nicholas Letarte – PharmD student volunteer (2021)
Antia Valle Tojeiro – MSPS student thesis (2021-2022)
Clara Wu – Behavioral Neuroscience student volunteer (2020)
Darby Kreinenberg – MSPS student volunteer (2020)
John Famiglietti – BSPS student thesis (2020-2023)
Juliana Pereira – BSPS student thesis (2020-2021)
Brandon Mrnak – BSPS student thesis (2020-2021)
Yun Chueh – MSPS graduate Visiting scholar (2020-2021)
Ji Hyun (Jennifer) Lim – MSPS student thesis (2020-2021)
Ana Semeano, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral fellow (2020-2022)