Aarnav Sareen

Grover Cleveland Charter High School — Humanities Magnet

Los Angeles, CA

Expected June 2027

• Weighted GPA 4.66 · AP Calculus BC: 5 (AB subscore: 5)

Research Intern, Ho Laboratory — CIRM SPARK Program

Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

June 2026 – Present · Mentors: Ken Ning; Ritchie Ho, PhD

Manuscript in preparation: “Epigenetic Regulation of Caudal Motor Neuron Identity by PRC2 Inhibition in Human iPSC-Derived Motor Neuron Progenitors”

• Investigated how Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) gates rostrocaudal HOX patterning in human iPSC-derived motor neurons, testing four epigenetic inhibitors across six age-matched, sex-balanced donor lines.
• Executed end-to-end RT-qPCR workflows — RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, plate design, and ΔΔCt analysis normalized to GAPDH — quantifying six caudal HOX genes and five motor neuron identity markers.
• Performed SDS-PAGE and Western blotting (H3K27me3, H3, EZH2, OLIG2, β-actin) with ChemiDoc imaging, establishing that PRC2 inhibition reduces global H3K27me3 in motor neuron progenitors.
• Stained and imaged multichannel immunofluorescence panels (H3K27me3, OLIG2, SMI32, HOXC9, HOXC10) by confocal and widefield microscopy; processed and quantified signal in ImageJ/Fiji.
• Ran a six-condition retinoid-depletion matrix (± vitamin A, ± all-trans retinoic acid, ± PRC2 inhibition), showing caudal HOX induction requires both exogenous and ALDH1A2-derived retinoic acid.
• Interpreted VST-normalized bulk RNA-seq alongside qPCR to identify PRC2-dependent remodeling of the retinoid network.
• Authored the project abstract and built a five-figure poster from raw data; presented weekly in lab meeting and journal club.

Student Researcher — Automated Quantification of Microvilli Morphology in SEM Images

Independent Computational Research Project — faculty-mentored, remote

April 2026 – Present

Manuscript in preparation: “Quantitative Morphometric Analysis of Microvilli Phenotypes Using Scanning Electron Microscopy”

• Building a reproducible ImageJ/Fiji pipeline to quantify microvilli morphology in scanning electron micrographs of retinal pigment epithelium, replacing manual scoring with standardized texture measurements.
• Wrote two ImageJ macros that batch-process image folders end to end — metadata cropping, Gaussian-division background normalization, contrast enhancement, rolling-ball subtraction, median filtering — exporting intensity, skewness, and kurtosis metrics to CSV.
• Developed a companion Python script (pandas, NumPy, SciPy, statsmodels) that screens each metric with Shapiro-Wilk and Levene’s tests, then routes it to ANOVA with Tukey post hoc or Kruskal-Wallis with Holm-adjusted Dunn, reporting effect sizes.
• Applied the pipeline to roughly 100 images across three datasets and four morphology classes; analysis ongoing.
• Review methodology, statistical choices, and figures with a research mentor weekly; maintain versioned documentation.

Sareen A, Ning K, Tindel I, Singh BK, Zogu B, Ho R. “PRC2-Mediated Chromatin Repression Gates Retinoic Acid–Dependent Caudal HOX Induction in iPSC-Derived Motor Neurons.”

• Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting (Neuroscience 2026) — Washington, DC. Abstract accepted for poster presentation, November 14–18, 2026.
• Cedars-Sinai Research Poster Symposium — Los Angeles, CA. Institution-wide poster session, August 7, 2026.
• CIRM SPARK Annual Conference — University of California, Berkeley. Poster presentation to the statewide CIRM SPARK cohort, August 1, 2026.
• Cedars-Sinai CIRM SPARK Research Symposium — Los Angeles, CA. Poster presentation and judged Q&A with institute faculty, July 30, 2026.

Team Captain, Boys Varsity Tennis

Jan 2026 – Present

• Lead daily practices, set singles and doubles lineups, and coordinate match strategy across the competitive season.
• Mentor underclassmen on technique and match preparation; primary liaison between players and coaching staff.

Varsity Athlete, Boys Varsity Tennis

Nov 2023 – Present

• Three-year varsity competitor; Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons and winner of the team singles ladder.

Class Representative, Freshman Council

Aug 2023 – June 2024

• Represented the freshman class in student government and helped organize class events and school-wide initiatives.

Volunteer — Normandie Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church Food Program

Sept 2025 – Present · Los Angeles, CA

• Assemble and distribute food packages to families across a range of income levels, manage donation intake and sorting, and support recurring operations that reduce local food insecurity.

Volunteer — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Annual Holiday Event

December 2024 · Los Angeles, CA

• Distributed meals and refreshments to patients, families, and hospital staff.

Volunteer Tutor & Youth Tennis Coach

Ongoing · Los Angeles, CA

• Coach younger players on stroke mechanics and match strategy; tutor students in writing and essay structure.

Student Participant — Amgen Biotechnology Summer Program

July 2024 · Thousand Oaks, CA

• Toured research laboratories and manufacturing facilities to study how a therapeutic moves from discovery to production, and examined applications of artificial intelligence to healthcare delivery and health equity.
• Developed and pitched a biotech business model with a student team to Amgen scientists and business staff.

Investment Club — Member

Jan 2026 – Present

• Analyze individual equities and market trends; study valuation fundamentals, index investing, and macroeconomic drivers.

Rock and Roll History Club — Member

Sept 2025 – Present

• Examine the cultural and historical impact of popular music through discussion-based projects and presentations.