Group Members

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR

Michael Ferracane

Assistant Professor

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Dr. Ferracane completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry (BS '08) at University of Arizona. During this time, he worked under Robin Polt, focusing on synthesis of amino acid glycosides and corresponding glycopeptides. It was this experience that sparked his life-long interest in peptides & carbohydrates and passion for research.

He then completed his graduate studies in Chemistry (PhD '14) at University of Virginia under the guidance of Timothy Macdonald. There, he worked on rational design and synthesis of small molecule ligands of the sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors. Following this, he was as a postdoctoral associate at University of Florida under Jane Aldrich, focusing on rational design and synthesis of cyclic peptides.

Dr. Ferracane was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at University of Redlands (2016-2024) prior to his appointment at Cal State Fullerton (2024-Present). He has taught lecture and lab courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry across both institutions. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation & American Chemical Society, and it has led to over a dozen peer-reviewed publications.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Jian Raines

Year Joined: Fall 2024

Project: Opioid Peptides

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated students to join the group! Contact Dr. Ferracane if you are interested.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Bijan Shoushtarizadeh

Major: Chemistry BS

Year Joined: Fall 2024

Project: Opioid Peptides

Ashley Smith

Major: Chemistry BA

Year Joined: Fall 2024

Project: Opioid Peptides

Rafael Uriarte

Major: Biochemistry BS

Year Joined: Fall 2024

Project: Opioid Peptides

Ronald Aleman Lemus

Major: Biochemistry BS

Year Joined: Spring 2025

Project: Glycoprotease

Nikki Tran

Major: Biochemistry BS

Year Joined: Spring 2025

Project: Glycoprotease

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated students to join the group! Contact Dr. Ferracane if you are interested.

LAB ALUMNI

Name Years Last Known Position (as of 2024)

Diana Chu 2024 Student & Research Assistant

Manuel Magallanes 2024 Student & Research Assistant

Gisele Magaña 2024 Student & Research Assistant

Daniel Plata 2023-2024 Associate Quality Control (Amgen)

Alejandra Cordova 2023-2024 Doctoral Student (UC, Berkeley)

Aliya Almazo Garcia 2023 Laboratory Technician (Eurofins)

Omar Morán Castro 2021-2022 Validation Manager (COCEI)

Angel Rivera 2021-2022 Laboratory Assistant (Pure Cannalyst Labs)

Brighton Okamoto 2021-2022 Operations Engineer (Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Isaac Rodriguez 2021-2022 Doctoral Student (UC, Riverside)

Hunter La Force 2020-2021 Doctoral Student (Southern Methodist)

Aditi Bhatnagar 2019-2020 Doctoral Student (Loma Linda University)

Alexa Glick 2018-2020 Medical Student (USC)

Jared Cellini 2018-2020 Doctoral Student (UC, Los Angeles)

Christina Oliver 2017-2019 Unknown

Yuanming Song 2017-2018 Doctoral Student (UC, Irvine)

Gisele Rodriguez 2017-2018 Doctoral Student (University of Utah)

Nicole Gheorghe 2016-2017 Clinical Pharmacist (Kaiser Permanente)