Ben Parsons

Class of 2020

Education: BS in Biology at Cal Poly; MS in Biological Sciences at Cal Poly

 

Biography

Ben is interested in host-pathogen dynamics and exploring the emergent fields of immune tolerance and regenerative medicine. He is looking to broaden his knowledge of stem cell research and is excited to explore new techniques and therapies for treating both genetic and infectious diseases. He is also a firm believer that stem cell bioengineering and the re-purposing of viral and bacterial function both offer vast therapeutic potential. Ben’s particular interests are in cancer biology and developmental dysregulation, and viral immune evasion. After finishing his MS, Ben hopes to continue on with a PhD, which will provide him the freedom to explore and conduct bleeding-edge research in regenerative medicine, in either an academic or industry setting.

Ben conducted his internship under the supervision of Drs. Molly Gale & Marco Quarta as part of the discovery team at Rubedo Life Sciences in Sunnyvale, CA. Recent advances in our understanding of the environmental and biological factors surrounding the aging process have allowed researchers to begin exploring novel therapeutics targeted to aging and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, and Frailty Syndrome. Ben's work at Rubedo focused on elucidating the mechanisms and pathways by which normal cells become aged, or "senescent," as well as what fundamentally constitutes a senescent cell. This discovery-based approach involves the use and development of large-scale computational and molecular biology pipelines, in both in vivo and in vitro settings. The driving force behind this research is to validate new ways in which pathologically relevant populations of senescent cells can be safely and selectively cleared from the body, paving the way for increased health span and longevity.