My research has focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms in autoimmunity and intestinal fibrosis
Dr. Jacob graduated cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley where he studied philosophy and molecular biology. He then investigated immunologic mechanisms involving cytokines central to T cell, B cell and innate immune function in autoimmune diseases at the University of Southern California, prior to earning his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at USC. He completed specialty training in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York and then joined UCLA as a gastroenterology fellow in 2014. He pursued additional research training at UCLA through the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) program where he received his PhD in molecular, cellular and integrative physiology. His doctoral work focused on the effects of tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A and the microbiome on intestinal fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease. He joined the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases faculty at UCLA as an assistant professor-in-residence in 2018.
Bo Qiano, MD
Research Associate
Dr. Qiao earned his medical degree at Zhangjiakou Medical School in China, followed by an MS in biochemistry at Beijing University. He served as a research associate at USC in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and subsequently joined the Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center. Dr. Qiao then joined the laboratory of Tomas Ganz, PhD, MD, UCLA Center for Iron Disorders, where he developed an interest in liver disease. He is now joining the laboratories of Jihane N. Benhammou, MD, PhD, and Noam Jacob, MD, PhD, to continue his work on metabolism and the gut-liver axis.
Farzaneh Sedighian
Research Associate
Farzaneh will be working as a research associate with Dr. Jacob, investigating cellular and molecular pathways involved in the gut microbiome's impact on intestinal fibrosis in Crohn's disease. She will examine the effects of specific bacterial species and microbial metabolites on fibroblast function in models of IBD. She will also evaluate how pro-fibrotic/inflammatory cytokines and the gut microbiome may work in concert to promote intestinal fibrosis.
Farzaneh has a master’s degree in medical microbiology, and holds a U.S. Patent for a medical biosensor kit. Her bachelor's degree is in cellular- molecular biology and microbiology. Before joining the department, Farzaneh worked with UCLA MIMG (Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics) department labs.
