Maria de Los Angeles Serrano, PhD
Assistant Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Medicine
Vascular Biology

PhD, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán
BS, Universidad Nacional de Misiones

Pronouns: she/her/hers



Dr. Serrano’s research program at BU aims to develop pioneering work toward understanding shared cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and vasculogenesis in the context of rare diseases with an epigenetic basis. Examples of these are Kabuki Syndrome, caused by pathogenic variants in the KMT2D gene, and KAT6-related disorders.

Dr. Serrano created the stable null KMT2D zebrafish mutant line and fully characterized multiple novel cardiovascular phenotypes for the first time in zebrafish. In addition, her work led to her discovery that KMT2D directly modulates Notch signaling and that some of the Kabuki Syndrome phenotypes can be alleviated by controlling levels of the Notch pathway.

Her research interest focuses on studying non-canonical epigenetic mechanisms regulating neuronal differentiation and blood vessel patterning. This is specifically during cell differentiation, migration, and cell cycle progression. To reach this goal, Dr. Serrano combines her expertise in rare disease modeling in zebrafish, cardiovascular and neurobiology techniques, and human iPSC-derived nervous system organoids.

One of Dr. Serrano’s goals is to bridge the gap between basic research, clinicians, and patients by building a research network that will encourage interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of rare diseases. Her work in the field of rare diseases, commitment to mentoring, and advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical elements of Dr. Serrano’s professional goals and lab vision.


Histone Marks Profiling: Decoding Cellular Mechanisms in Congenital Rare Disorders Caused by Pathogenic Variants in Chromatin-Modifier Genes
01/01/2025 - 12/31/2026 (PI)
Charles H. Hood Foundation


Discovering mechanisms of Kabuki Syndrome neurodevelopmental defects in zebrafish and human iPSC-derived brain organoids
01/01/2022 - 12/31/2022 (PI)
Warren Alpert Foundation




Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.


This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 6 publications over 6 distinct years, with a maximum of 1 publications in 2010 and 2011 and 2013 and 2018 and 2019 and 2023

YearPublications
20101
20111
20131
20181
20191
20231

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2023 Boston University: Janetos Climate Action Prize
2022-2023 Boston University: CCL Grant
2022 KAT6 Foundation: KAT6A and KAT6B patients iPSC bank
2020-2022 Warren Alpert: Warren-Alpert Distinguished Scholar Transition Grant
2018-2020 American Heart Association : Postdoctoral Fellowship
2017-2018 American Association of Anatomists: Postdoctoral Fellowship

I aspire to be a “transitional mentor,” someone whose mentees are in the process of continual improvement throughout their professional journey to become better mentors and leaders themselves. Equally, I am always something of a mentee myself, someone who teaches her students and learns from them. I also guide mentees to achieve professional goals while establishing clear expectations. I encourage independence and ownership of scientific projects while promoting accountability. I nurture creative thinking while offering guidelines to thrive in the wider scientific community. I promote mentoring teams so that my mentees can benefit from diverse leaders in our field. I cultivate a safe environment where failure engenders the opportunity to learn. I promote openness, and I try to spark commitment and passion in each mentee and among each other by encouraging them to contribute to the development of the strategic plan for the lab.

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
  • Advisor
  • Career Mentor
  • Co-Mentor or Peer Mentor
  • Diversity Mentor
  • Project Mentor
  • Research / Scholarly Mentor
  • Work / Life Integration Mentor
Contact for Mentoring:
  • Email (see 'Contact Info')

670 Albany St
Boston MA 02118
Google Map

617.358.0820
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