Meet the Minds Advancing Lung Regeneration

Dr. Reyes was born in Durango, Mexico, and raised in California’s Central Valley. She completed her BS and MS at UC Merced, where she fell in love with scientific research. She earned her PhD in developmental biology in Dr. Ken Cho’s lab at UC Irvine, then went on to complete her postdoctoral training in Dr. Tien Peng’s laboratory at UCSF. During this training, she discovered a passion for understanding how the lung repairs itself through control of its niche. Outside the lab, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and small children on hiking trails, and loves arts, crafts, and baking.

Dr. Cao received her BS in Pharmacy from China Pharmaceutical University, where she ranked first and earned direct admission to the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2020. She received her PhD in Pharmaceutics, during which she collaborated with Lin Gang Laboratory to develop pulmonary drug delivery systems and whole-lung, cross-scale visualization for three-dimensional evaluation of therapeutic responses. This work sparked her interest in lung biology and the mechanisms underlying lung injury and repair. In August 2025, Dr. Cao joined the Reyes Lab at UC San Diego as a postdoctoral researcher, where she studies how p16INK4a+ fibroblasts regulate lung regeneration through fibroblast–immune–epithelial crosstalk. Outside the lab, she is a K-pop fan, enjoys R&B choreography, and loves watching tennis.

I grew up in India and completed my education in different parts of the country. I earned my PhD with Dr. Jyotsna Dhawan at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, where I studied the post-transcriptional regulation of muscle stem cell quiescence and muscle cell-state transitions. I then joined Dr. Lorenzo Puri’s laboratory at Sanford Burnham Prebys in La Jolla as a postdoctoral fellow, investigating how epigenetic regulation and neuromuscular junctions influence muscle regeneration and transdifferentiation. In the Reyes lab, I study how physiological aging affects alveolar type 2 cells and their ability to produce pulmonary surfactant. My current work examines age-associated changes in AT2 cell states, surfactant production and lipid composition, and how these changes may contribute to the declining resilience of the aging lung. Outside the lab, I am a Bharatanatyam dancer and enjoy reading books and watching movies. I am also a huge fan of Harry Potter and Indian film music.

Sabrina is an undergraduate student studying Human Biology. Raised in the San Fernando Valley, she joined the Reyes Lab in her second year at UCSD and supports the research staff with different tasks. Her favorite part of lab work is the mice! Across campus, she is also involved in cultural and pre-health organizations and volunteering, and works as a Lead Technician at the ITS Service Desk. In her free time, she enjoys karaoke and eating food (right now, her favorite is malatang)!