Ashley Mello

Ashley graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in 2020 with a B.S. in Biochemistry. While at XULA, Ashley was a part of the National Institutes of Health Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (NIH BUILD) Initiative, which was aimed at engaging students from diverse backgrounds in biomedical research, and worked in the lab of Dr. Thomas Huckaba. In the Huckaba lab, Ashley studied the neuronally enriched kinesin motor protein KIF5A, one of 87 genes known to cause a progressive neurodegenerative disease called hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) when mutated. She also studied functional relationships between all 87 HSP-related genes. Additionally, Ashley studied the microtubule associated protein tau and protein kinase casein kinase 1 in the context of Alzheimer's disease. During an internship at the University of California, Davis in the summer of 2019, Ashley worked in the lab of Dr. Jamal Lewis and studied changes in the calcium concentration of phagosomes in macrophages during a cellular process called vomocytosis after fungal cell or microparticle uptake. Ashley joined the University of Michigan's Graduate Program in Immunology in the fall of 2020.

Ashley's research focuses on understanding how hypoxia regulates tumor immune microenvironments through the crosstalk between tumor cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells.

3D Pancreas Organoids, Orthotopic Transplantation Models, GEMMS, qRT-PCR, Co-IF, Fluorescence Microscopy, Western Blotting

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes inflammatory fibroblast formation in pancreatic cancer,” American Association for Cancer Research Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2023 (Oral and Poster Presentations).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes inflammatory fibroblast formation in pancreatic cancer,” Department of Biology Seminar Series, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2023 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes inflammatory fibroblast formation in pancreatic cancer,” Office and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Poster Night, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2023 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes inflammatory fibroblast formation in pancreatic cancer,” 21st Annual Immunology Retreat, Oregon, Ohio, 2023 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes inflammatory fibroblast formation in pancreatic cancer,” American Association of Immunologists Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2023 (Oral and Poster Presentations).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxia promotes an inflammatory phenotype of fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer,” Cancer Hematopoiesis & Immunology Program Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2022 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxic regulation of inflammatory fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer,” 19th Annual Festival of Scholars, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Tenzin Ngodup, and Kyoung Eun Lee. “Hypoxic regulation of inflammatory fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer,” Pancreatic Disease Initiative Meeting, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2022 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Using Protein Interaction Networks to Understand Kinesin-based Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia,” American Society for Cell Biology and European Molecular Biology Organization Joint Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2019 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Melissa Cruz-Acuña, and Jamal Lewis. “Investigation of Calcium Fluxes in Macrophages After Fungal Cell or Microparticle Uptake,” Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, 2019 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Melissa Cruz-Acuña, and Jamal Lewis. “Investigation of Calcium Fluxes in Macrophages After Fungal Cell or Microparticle Uptake,” Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, Anaheim, California, 2019 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Determining a Shared Cellular Process Among Spastic Paraplegia Genes,” Department of Chemistry Seminar Series, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana 2019 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Bioinformatic Analysis of Spastic Paraplegia Gene Interactions,” 16th Annual Festival of Scholars, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2019 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Determining the Subset of Cellular Cargoes Transported by KIF5A,” Beta Kappa Chi and the National Institute of Science Joint Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, 2019 (Oral Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Determining the Subset of Cellular Cargoes Transported by KIF5A,” Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, Indianapolis, Indiana, 2018 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Identifying Mislocalized Cellular Cargoes in Patients with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia,” Summer Research Symposium, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2018 (Poster Presentation).

Ashley Mello, Angel'Niqua Dixon, Jedera Nwoke, and Thomas Huckaba. “Identifying Mislocalized Cellular Cargoes in Patients with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia,” BUILD Interdisciplinary Seminar, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2018 (Oral Presentation).

Marquis Bell, Ashley Mello, Taryana Peterson, and Tiffany Phillips. “2, 4, 6, 8 The Air Quality in St. Rose is Not So Great,” 14th Annual Festival of Scholars, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2017 (Poster Presentation).

American Association for Cancer Research Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award (2023)

Rackham International Conference Travel Grant (2023-2024)

Rackham Graduate Student Candidate Research Grant (2023)

Monte V. Hobbs Student Award (2023)

American Association of Immunologists Trainee Abstract Award (2023)

American Association of Immunologists Minority Scientist Travel Award (2023)

Rackham Conference Travel Grant (2022-2023)

Graduate Program in Immunology Outstanding Graduate DEI Award (2022)

Rackham Graduate Student Precandidate Research Grant (2022)

University of Michigan Rackham Merit Fellow (2020-Present)

American Chemical Society Louisiana Local Section Outstanding Chemistry Student (2020)

Xavier University of Louisiana Department of Chemistry Service Award (2020)

Clare Boothe Luce Scholar (2019-2020)

University of California, Davis HBCU Initiative Summer Research Program Completion Award (2019)

Beta Kappa Chi and the National Institute of Science Joint Annual Meeting Oral Presentation Award (2019)

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students Poster Presentation Award (2018)

National Institutes of Health Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity Scholar (2018-2020)

Xavier University of Louisiana Rousseve Scholar (2017-2020)

Mello, Ashley. "The Pink Winged Penny Angel", Baltimore: Scriber Graphics & Publishing, 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1jKRi4JZVEAsED/bibliography/public/

Outside of lab, Ashley enjoys video chatting with her twin brother and other family members, watching anime, reading (mainly manga), and trying new things. She also enjoys activities that allow her to combine two of her biggest passions: science and serving others.