Erinne Cherisse Ong

EDUCATION

College / University

De La Salle University (DLSU)

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Biology

Country

Philippines

Lab Experience

Cell culture revival and maintenance, cell viability assays, genotoxicity assays, DNA extraction, PCR, sequence analysis, protein homology modelling, gel electrophoresis, fluorescence microscopy, spectrophotometry, analysis: GraphPad Prism and Python

Projects / Research

2019 – 2020: "Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Citrus microcarpa (Calamansi) juice and essential oil on small cell lung carcinoma, acute monocytic leukemia, and colon adenocarcinoma cell lines"; Thesis under Dr. Ma. Luisa Enriquez, Molecular Science Unit Laboratory, DLSU
2016: "Formative assessments as scaffolds in increasing mathematics achievement of Grade 11 students"; St. Stephen’s High School, paper presented at the DLSU Research Congress

Scholarships / Awards

2022 – 2023:	Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School
2017 – 2021:	Brother President Scholarship, DLSU
2015 – 2017:	Merit scholarship from the St. Stephen’s High School North America Alumni Association

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

The brain has always fascinated me: it is central to who we are, tying complex biological interactions to how we lead our lives. I am especially intrigued by synaptic plasticity—how experiences reshape the wiring of the brain and how such intricate neural circuitry facilitates higher cognitive functions like memory. By investigating changes to synapses in normal and pathological contexts, I hope to better understand the regulatory components and molecular machinery involved in reinforcing or pruning these synaptic connections. This can then serve as a foundation for exploring interventions against dysregulated circuitry. Aside from synaptic physiology, my interests also include the intersections between neuroscience and oncology, such as the crosstalk between neurons and cancer cells that can influence brain circuit remodeling and tumor progression.