Andrés Olavarrieta Colasurdo
Multidisciplinary researcher trained in biochemistry/biophysics, cancer biology, inorganic chemistry, and physiology/pharmacology.
The Cayuse Five
-Over two terms in a UO Clark Honors College course, I worked alongside the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla to search for the burial sites of five Native American men who were wrongfully executed in 1850. Their names were Ti’ílaka’aykt, Tamáhas, ‘Iceyéeye Cilúukiis, K’oy’am’á Šuumkíin, and Łókomus. To this day, their grave locations remain unknown. We sought to bring closure and recognition to this tragic event by supporting the burial of the Cayuse 5 in their native homeland.Environmental Justice
-I co-authored this collaborative work in “Translating Environmental Justice,” a Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing instructed by
Hansen Lab (2024)
-Over three years at the UO Institute of Molecular Biology, I studied how immune cells interpret and respond to chemical cues in their environment. At the molecular level, I investigated the dynamics of feedback loops that drive communication between phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) lipids, PIP kinases, PIP phosphatases, and Rho-family GTPases at the plasma membrane. To rapidly change the localization and activity of these signaling molecules in immune cells, I utilized optogenetic (light-regulated) protein interactions. I also developed an assay to reconstitute these biochemical reactions on supported lipid bilayers.Langer Lab (2023)
-I worked at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute as a participant in theJohnson Lab (2021)
-At the UO Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, I helped innovate a strategy to synthesize extended solids, allowing for the creation of families of nanostructured and kinetically stable compounds. These compounds optimize device performance in transistors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes, giving them direct practical implementations. In my work, I characterized ternary Fe-Pb-Se crystal lattice structures using X-ray fluorescence, reflectivity, and diffraction to quantitatively measure their composition and thickness.Scanlan Lab (2019)
-At the OHSU Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, I used a mouse model to study the pathology of a deadly human genetic disease called X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) that causes demyelination and axonopathy in the central nervous system (CNS). I investigated two pharmacological strategies that enhance the effects of Sobetirome, a drug that reduces the abundance of neurotoxic very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in X-ALD patients.
2024 U of O Undergraduate Research Symposium
-On May 23rd, I presented my undergraduate research in the2024 Chemistry and Biochemistry Poster Session
-On February 13th, I presented my undergraduate research in the2023 Chemical Biology and Physiology Conference
-On December 14th, I presented my undergraduate research in the2023 SACNAS National Diversity STEM Conference
-On October 25, I presented my undergraduate research in the2023 Gulf Coast Undergrad Research Symposium
-On October 21st, I presented my undergraduate research in the2023 OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Symposium
-At the end of my three-month internship at OHSU Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR), I presented my findings to the OHSU community in a poster presentation.2023 U of O Undergraduate Research Symposium
-On May 25th, I presented my undergraduate research in the2023 Chemistry and Biochemistry Poster Session
-On February 3rd, I presented my undergraduate research in the