Feisha Zhao

I actually was the first person to join Dr. Lombroso’s lab in 1992. Dr. Lombroso’s lab was located at the time in the Boyer Center of Yale University Medical School. It was a wonderful place to do research. I enjoyed working in Dr. Lombroso’s lab, as I was lucky to get involved in the research project of STEP as it was getting off the ground. Under his guidance, I successfully isolated three novel STEP molecular, STEP64, STEP38, and STEP20 from mouse brain cDNA library. Gene sequence analysis suggests that STEP is a family that contains transmembrane, cytosol and trunked isoforms, alternatively spliced from a single gene. The STEP-family is turning out to be involve in multi-signaling pathways in neurons and play a key role in cognition, learning and memory. Dr. Lombroso let me take courses while I worked in the lab to support my long-term goals to advance my career in science.