GIDAS at UMich

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Genes in Diseases and Symptoms (GIDAS) aims to advocate genetic research for diseases through high school outreach and our own research! We lead biology-focused educational programs in local high schools, some of which include teaching wet-lab techniques and computational biology/programming concepts. We invite guest speakers involved in the computational biology and genetics fields to expose undergraduates to research/interdisciplinary career pathways in healthcare. We're affiliated with the 501(c)(3) research organization miRcore, whose mission is to democratize medical research so that anyone can initiate research that matters to them.Please email **[email protected] ** to be added to our mailing list.

Research Subteams

Project 1: tRF (tRNA-Derived Fragment) Analysis

-tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are small pieces cut from transfer RNAs and have a diverse range of functions, such as influencing translation and RNA stability.
-Because tRF levels often shift during stress, infection, or disease, they can reveal what might be driving a condition and how cells are responding to a stimulus or disease.
-Will use the GEO database to find transcriptomic case-control data on the disease of focus and SRA Run Selector to gain individual sequencing data for each sample.
-Raw reads will be processed, filtered, and analyzed for significant differences in expression of tRFs, using tools such as Galaxy and DESeq2, allowing us to propose specific mechanisms by which particular tRFs may be related to the disease state.
-Intended for students primarily interested in biology/medicine or who are new to UM GIDAS, and/or have limited interest in coding and software

Project 2: Bulk RNA Sequencing

-Will use publicly available datasets that show the prevalence of certain genes with respect to a particular disease.
-Once we identify if these genes might be implicated in the mechanism of the disease, we investigate what biological pathways they may play a role in disease pathology.
-This helps us find novel information about potential implications or treatments of the disease, so we conduct a literature review in order to corroborate our understanding and ultimately generate new knowledge.
-Intended for students who want to develop their skills with R and other bioinformatics coding tools, with a healthy balance of computational rigor and biomedical concepts

Project 3: Single Cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq)

-This group will conduct a year-long research project on a biological phenomenon or disease manifestation by utilizing publicly-available RNA-sequencing datasets at the single cell level.
-Students will learn computer programming as it relates to scRNA-seq analysis in R and Python computing languages.
-Additionally, students can anticipate learning how to manage data analysis in the Linux environment of a high-performance computing cluster.
-The group will work together to identify a topic of interest, develop a specific analysis pipeline in Python.
-Intended for students with a strong interest in coding and computational tools, and/or those who have been in UM GIDAS in the past and are looking for a more challenging computational pipeline

Member Resources

Publicly-available data & tools

Genome browsers

Data

Genetic information & biological processes

Scientific research papers

High School Outreach

The majority of our events are hosted by our parent organization, miRcore. If you are interested in helping out with any of these events, please email [email protected] for more details.

Genes and Health Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . January 24th, 2026

Lab on Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TBD

miRcore Summer Camps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . June-August

Executive Board

Clarissa May Babila

Clarissa is a senior studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with minors in business, French, and computer science. She has been part of miRcore since 2015 and a teaching assistant for miRcore summer camps since 2017. Outside of GIDAS, Clarissa conducts computational research in the pediatric neuro-oncology focused Koschmann Lab, longboards(where there are no cracks or bumps in the road), and enjoys reading a good sci-fi book when she has the time.

Philip Huang

Philip is a senior majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in business. He has been involved with GIDAS since 2017 and has TA'd at miRcore's summer camps since 2019. Philip is also the president of the LSA Student Honor Council and conducts cancer research at the Rual Lab. During his free time, he enjoys creating and teaching music, traveling to new places, and playing basketball and FIFA.

Katherine Mudge

Katherine is a sophomore studying Informatics and Biochemistry. She’s been a part of GIDAS for a year and worked as a teaching assistant at miRcore’s summer camp this summer. Last year she helped high school students write a paper about genetic expression in opioid addiction. Outside of GIDAS, Katherine conducts RNA research at the Walter Lab studying miRNA detection using fluorescent probes. She enjoys petting cats and dogs, watching indie movies, and meeting new people. She dislikes milk and pineapple pizza.

Leanne Henry

Leanne is a junior double majoring in Computer Science and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She joined GIDAS in 2020 and since then, she has mentored high school students in RNAseq research as a part of the miRcore Volunteer Program and helped teach at multiple miRcore summer camps. In addition to participating in GIDAS, Leanne works in a bioinformatics lab to better understand the biology of HPV-related head and neck cancers. In her free time, Leanne enjoys reading and watching mystery thrillers, going on scenic runs, and eating yummy food.

Rohit Goru

Rohit is a junior majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in business. He has been involved with GIDAS and has mentored miRcore students since 2020. Rohit is also the treasurer of Seven Mile and is a lead of M-HEAL PeriOperative. He has done RNAseq and differential gene expression analysis research projects at the Kanthi Lab. During his free time, he enjoys playing and teaching the violin, reading technology news, and playing tennis.

Leo Tunkle | Advisor

Leo is a senior studying Nuclear Engineering and Computer Science Engineering. He's led workshops for high schoolers, college students, and post-docs in topics relating to computational biology and has been involved with miRcore summer camps since 2014. This year, he directed miRcore's first online summer camp. Leo enjoys a good math proof, dance, and meeting new people. Leo's dislikes include writing about himself in the third person...

Cristina Castillo | Advisor

Cristina is a research fellow in the Department of Molecular Integrative Physiology. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017 with degrees in Cellular Molecular Biology and Biomedical Engineering in 2017. Cristina joined miRcore as a research assistant and fell in love with the program and its purpose. Since then, she has been trying to help out in all ways possible in new miRcore initiatives and growth. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her pet rabbits and cooking Peruvian food.

Contact

Send us an email at [email protected]