CAILIN HOANG

B.S. Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 2025

During my undergraduate years I became enamored with the concept of “molecular empathy,” as coined by professor Enrique De La Cruz, which led me to pursue my major in molecular biophysics and biochemistry (MB&B). I became particularly interested in how molecular changes in protein and nucleic acid structure lead to macroscopic presentations of disease. I took that interest to joining the lab of Dr. Caitlin Davis, where I worked on characterizing the phase-change properties of CAG repeat-expanded RNA sequences in hopes of better understanding the molecular basis of RNA foci formation, a hallmark process in neurodegenerative disorders such as Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and Huntington’s disease. I additionally studied how varied extents of macromolecular crowding and chemical interactions in different zebrafish tissue environments impact the stability and dynamics of proteins, particularly the glycolytic enzyme PGK and bacterial lipoprotein VlsE. My interest in immunology sprouted through learning more about how VlsE functions as an antigen of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium associated with Lyme Disease, and how it undergoes rapid antigenic variation to escape host immune responses. 

In my time at the Littman Lab, I hope to expand my understanding of immunology and learn more about how the gut microbiome interacts with the immune system! In my free time, I love painting, making art, climbing trees, tide pooling, and stalking birds.