Marj attended college at Mankato State and the University of Minnesota. She has worked at the University of Minnesota for 21 years. The last 2 years Marj has been working for Dr. Taylor setting up and running specimens for a fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) protocol. The lab is currently involved in numerous human clinical studies using this protocol to measure different cell populations in bone marrow and peripheral blood to see if these populations change with health and disease.

Stefan graduated Grinnell College 1978 with a B. A. in psychology. Stefan has over 30 years of research experience in the Department of Medicine, and the CCVR. Additionally, he has extensive expertise in animal research, digital imaging, experimental apparatus construction, and quantitative analysis.

Sarah Haecker, PhD is involved with the Center for Cardiovacular Repair in a business development role. Her primary responsibilites are to facilitate and enable the commercialization of technologies innovated in Dr. Daylor's laboratory. She serves as an interface between the scientific lab and the Office for technology Commercialization and the Venture Center at the University. Her training is both technical and business with a PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics with a minor in Bioethics from the University in 1994.

Udo Obodo obtained a B.A. in Biology from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. As a junior scientist in the Center for Cardiovascular Repair, she mainly processes specimens for several clinical trials by flow cytometry. She is interested in medicine and in research, specifically in the ways in which knowledge from research can be applied in cinical settings. Outside of work she enjoys shopping and watching chick-flicks.

As the executive assistant to Doris A. Taylor and the Center for Cardiovascular Repair, Teague interfaces with all areas of the University, lab personnel, and outside interests to coordinate projects both large and small.  

Jesse Peterson is a junior scientist in the Center for Cardiovascular Repair who is involved in the decell|recell project. Currently he is working to optimize the decellularizing conditions. Additionally, he performs microscopy, including light and SEM. Outside of work, he enjoys playing and watching a lot of basketball.

Katrina Rhett studied Biology and Physiology and taught human anatomy for the undergraduate gross anatomy lab at the University of Minnesota. She recently joined Dr. Taylor's team as a junior scientist. She contributes to the research goals of the CCVR by preparing and studying decellularized matrices.

Matthew Robertson, PhD is a Post-Doctoral fellow in the Center for Cardiovascular Repair who received his PhD at University of California Berkeley. He is studying the application of perfusion decellularized tissue to the generation of nascent tissue. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 2007, and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2001. His research interests include adult stem/progenitor cell biology, cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Matt is leading the effort in decellularized tissue recellularization.

Claudia joined the Taylor lab in the summer of 2008 as the Scientific Director for the CCVR. She directs endothelial and vascular progenitor cell profiling of peripheral blood and bone marrow for the human clinical trials for the CCVR. The CCVR acts as the Biorepository for the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network and is additionally involved in a UMN-Mayo partnership grant to determine a prognostic and diagnostic profile for cardiovascular disease based on circulating progenitor cells. Other projects include being involved in collaborations that examine progenitor cell profiles of a whole spectrum of patients, from healthy individual to heart failure patients.

Lola Oshodi is a 19 year old undergraduate student in her first year at the University. She works at the Center for Cardiovascular Repair as an office assistant and helps out with administrative work. She one day hopes to get a PHD and become a pediatrician.

Michael Arenson helps out in the lab assisting scientists as needed. Outside of science, his interests include playing ultimate frisbee at the U of M, travel, music, family, friends and biology!

Daphne is a Biomedical Engineering graduate student in the Center for Cardiovascular Repair. This is her first year in Minnesota. She likes the lovely fall here and enjoys fall and is glad to find out that the winter is not as bad as what people said. In the lab, she is currently working on the decell|recell project.