Ysabella Mello, BS

I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with Honors, where I developed a strong foundation in protein biochemistry and molecular mechanisms of disease. As an undergraduate researcher in the CURE program, I investigated the tumor-suppressor protein p16, examining how cancer-associated mutations alter its structure and function—a project that deepened my interest in understanding how biomolecular changes drive pathology.

Following graduation, I joined the Fisher Lab in the Department of Chemistry at UC Davis as a Junior Specialist. There, I studied the structure–function relationship of adenosine deaminases acting on dsRNA (ADARs), focusing on how the functional domains of human ADAR2 contribute to substrate recognition and exploring the mechanistic basis for the distinct adenosine selectivity of ADAR1 versus ADAR2. My work contributed to ongoing efforts to better define RNA editing specificity, and I presented my research at ABRCMS, the UC Davis Chemical Biology Program Retreat, and the R. Bryan Miller Symposium. In recognition of my research potential, I was awarded an NIGMS Diversity Supplement Scholar position in 2024.

I am now a Chemistry and Chemical Biology PhD student at the University of California, San Francisco, where I aim to apply biochemical, structural, and chemical biology approaches to understand RNA-protein interactions and their implications in human health. Beyond the lab, I’m an IMSD fellow and an active member of the RNA Society. When I’m not doing science, I enjoy exploring new cafés, spending time with friends and family, and finding creative outlets outside the bench.