Lab News

14 July 2026

Huge congratulations to Professor Avalon on being selected for the Rose Hills Innovator Grant Award to support her project, "Leveraging Coral Interactomes to Identify Molecules that Reduce Neuronal Stress". Sponsored by the Rose Hills Foundation, this project-based funding will support the Avalon Lab's efforts to explore how integrating genomic, metabolomic, and functional screening approaches help to identify natural products with the potential to modulate cellular pathways involved in neuronal stress. We're so proud to see Professor Avalon's research bridging ecology and medicine taking such an exciting new direction!

1 July 2026

We are excited to welcome Kaylee Moreno and Joann Pham to the Avalon Lab as undergraduate researchers!

As a biological science major at UCI, Kaylee is excited to explore the biological perspective of natural products and is eager to continue developing her laboratory skills.

Joann Pham transitioned from a temporary position as a part of the Irvine Valley College Summer Projects Advancing Research & Knowledge (SPARK) Program and officially joined the lab as a biological science transfer student at UCI. She is excited to continue learning different chemistry techniques and exploring the intersection of biology and chemistry within natural products research.

30 June 2026

Jeremiah Meloch and Désirée Schlemper-Scheidt represent the Avalon Lab at the Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences’ Graduate Student and Post-Doc Symposium. Jeremiah presented his work on the neuroprotective potential of metallophores, while Désirée showcased her research on the novel drug potential of marine cyanobacteria. We couldn't be prouder to have them share their research alongside fellow students and researchers. Way to go, Jeremiah and Désirée!

26 June 2026

Avalon Lab postdoctoral researcher, Désirée Schlemper-Scheidt presented her research at the 2nd Greater Los Angeles Area Chemical Biology Symposium.

Representing the Avalon Lab's continued push to expand the field of natural products research, Désirée shared her current work exploring Cabo Verdean marine cyanobacteria as a drug scaffold with promising therapeutic potential. We're excited to see her research make an impact beyond the lab!

25 June 2026

A huge congratulations to Professor Avalon on the publication of "AI-Accelerated Structure Elucidation of Boavistamides A–C, Cyclic Depsipeptides from a Marine Filamentous Cyanobacterium Collected in Cabo Verde" in the Journal of Natural Products! This work was led by first author, Marine Cuau, and represents an ongoing collaboration with our incredible colleagues in the Leão Lab at CIIMAR and with the Gerwick Lab at SIO. This study highlights the power of integrating metabolomics and machine learning to accelerate natural product discovery. Congratulations to everyone for their collaborative efforts that led to this exciting advancement! DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6c00391

15-19 June 2026

The Avalon lab members, Jana Mitrevska and Riley Benedict attended the 5th International Summer School on Non-Target Metabolomics for Natural Products and Microbiome Research at the University of Denver. It was a great opportunity to present their research and be inspired by other researchers and leading experts in the field of natural products.

11 June 2026

The Avalon Lab was thrilled to have Dr. Byeol Ryu and Dr. Evgenia Glukhov from the Gerwick Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography! Their expertise and insight offered valuable support to the lab's ongoing efforts to explore the pharmaceutical potential of marine cyanobacteria. Dr. Ryu gave a talk on the cutting-edge tools she is developing to accelerate discovery of natural products.

Thank you, Dr. Ryu and Dr. Glukhov, for spending the day with us!

26 May 2026

Congratulations to Avalon Lab members Jeremiah Meloch, Riley Benedict, and Jana Mitrevska on earning their PADI Open Water Diver Certification!

Whether pursuing discoveries in lab coats or new missions in wetsuits, their curiosity continues to take them to new depths. This certification marks the first step on their journey toward becoming scientific divers. Congratulations on this exciting milestone!

15 May 2026

Avalon Lab undergraduate researchers and UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) scholars, Julian Masloub and Nayoung Chung, presented their research at the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster and Performance Showcase.

Representing both the Avalon Lab and UCI's next generation of scientists, Julian and Nayoung shared their work with fellow students, faculty, and researchers from across campus. We are proud of their hard work and dedication to research and congratulate them on this achievement!

8 May 2026

The Avalon Lab celebrated the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough by gathering to watch Ocean with David Attenborough (2025)!

Few individuals have inspired a greater appreciation for the natural world than Sir David Attenborough. For many of us, Sir David's work sparked a lifelong fascination with the natural world and the oceans we study today.

Here's to 100 years of curiosity, wonder, and nature advocacy!

15 April 2026

The Avalon Lab is excited to welcome Dr. Désirée Schlemper-Scheidt as a Postdoctoral Researcher!

Désirée recently earned her Ph.D. in the von Reuss Lab at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and will share her expertise in isolation, characterization, and total synthesis of secondary metabolites bringing valuable new perspectives to the lab's ongoing efforts to explore bioactive natural products and their applications in human health.

We are thrilled to have Désirée join our team and look forward to the scientific discoveries and collaborations ahead. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome to the Avalon Lab and to UCI!

1 April 2026

UPCOMING EVENT! Professor Avalon is co-leading Oceanic Impressions: Cyanotypes of Cyanobacteria with artist and marine scientist Oriana Poindexter. This interdisciplinary workshop funded by UCI Illuminations will bring together students across UC Irvine for an interactive and collaborative event blending art, marine science, and the wonders of the ocean. Participants will create cyanotype prints of cyanobacteria while exploring ocean conservation and the role of science in shaping a more sustainable future. Making waves at the intersection of art and drug discovery!

20 February 2026

A huge congratulations to Julian Masloub on the publication of his review article with Dr. Avalon in the Journal of Natural Products: “Diversity in Structure and Function: How Cyanobacterial Metallophores Reveal a Broadening Perspective of Microbial Metal-Chelators” (2026). As an undergraduate researcher, Julian worked with Professor Avalon to develop this scholarly review, highlighting the expanding structural and functional diversity of cyanobacterial metallophores. We are incredibly proud of this outstanding achievement!

10 February 2026

We are excited to welcome Mia Muzitani to the Avalon Lab as an Undergraduate Researcher. Mia, a first year Biological Sciences major, is interested in biotechnology and biopharmaceutical research and is eager to explore new techniques in the Avalon Lab!

9 February 2026

We are excited to share that Jeremiah Melcoh and Riley Benedict have officially joined the Avalon Lab, where they will pursue their Ph.D. research. We look forward to seeing their projects in neurotherapeutics and marine natural products advance in the coming years! Congratulations on this exciting milestone!

6 January 2026

Dr. Avalon contributions to “MITE: the Minimum Information about a Tailoring Enzyme database for capturing specialized metabolite biosynthesis” in Nucleic Acids Research (2026) represents an important step towards improving data integration and accelerating discovery across natural products research. This international collaborative effort introduces MITE, a framework and database designed to advance annotation and understanding of tailoring enzymes in specialized metabolite biosynthesis. Congratulations, Professor Avalon!

5 January 2026

Riley Benedict, a first-year Ph.D student in Pharmacological Sciences, has joined the Avalon Lab for his five-week rotation. Riley earned his B.S in Chemical Biology from UC Berkeley, where he conducted research in Professor Jay Keasling’s lab on microbial platforms for producing complex natural products. In the Avalon Lab, he is focusing on accelerating the discovery of novel marine natural products. Welcome, Riley!

9 December 2025

Published in Nature Communications (2025), “A resource to empirically establish drug exposure records directly from untargeted metabolomics data.” features Professor Avalon as part of a large-scale collaborative effort to integrate metabolomics into clinical research. We celebrate Professor Avalon’s role in advancing this transformative publication!

31 October 2025

A viewpoint article published in Current Opinion in Biotechnology (2025), “Molecules to medicine: advances in metabolomics for natural product drug discovery,” highlights emerging strategies that integrate metabolomics into modern drug discovery pipelines. Co-authored by Professor Avalon, this work underlines the growing power of metabolomics to bridge the gap between chemical diversity and therapeutic innovation.

15 October 2025

The Avalon Lab is excited to announce the arrival of our new Orbitrap Exploris 240 system! This powerful addition significantly expands our capabilities in high-resolution mass spectrometry and will accelerate our discovery efforts. Because every peak has a story!

3 October 2025

Our group attended the Third Annual Symposium for the Center for Neurotherapeutics: “Shifting Paradigms in Neurotherapeutics” hosted by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC Irvine. The symposium provided an opportunity for our group to learn about the latest translational neuroscience research happening at UC Irvine and beyond, connect with fellow researchers, and explore emerging strategies in neurotherapeutics.

18 September 2025

This fall, the Avalon Lab welcomed first-year Ph.D students Adelynne Wagner and Jeremiah Meloch for their five-week rotations. Adelynne, a recent Chemistry and Psychology graduate from UC Merced, is interested in neurotherapeutic drug discovery, while Jeremiah brings industry experience in CNS drug development and natural products research. Welcome, Adelynne and Jeremiah!

8 September 2025

Jana Mitrevska joins the Avalon Lab as Junior Specialist. Jana previously worked under the mentorship of Dr. Nicole Avalon during her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography and has now joined the lab at UC Irvine to continue her research in marine natural products :)

19 August 2025

Co-authored by Professor Avalon, a new study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (2025), “Cyanobacteria Join the Kahalalide Conversation: Genome and Metabolite Evidence for Structurally Related Peptides,” showcases the discovery of new cyanobacterial peptides related to the kahalalides. We are excited to see Professor Avalon adding new waves to the kahalalide story!

1 August 2025

The Avalon Lab is delighted to have Nayoung Chung join the group as an Undergraduate Researcher. A Pharmaceutical Sciences major at UCI, Nayoung is especially interested in the role of marine-derived compounds in drug discovery, and we look forward to her contributions to our growing research efforts.

15 July 2025

Dr. Avalon co-authored a comprehensive review in Natural Products Reports (2025) titled “Green genes from blue greens: challenges and solutions to unlocking the potential of cyanobacteria in drug discovery.” This collaborative work brings together leaders in the field to address key barriers and emerging strategies for advancing cyanobacteria as platforms for natural product discovery and therapeutic development. Helping unlock the blue-green blueprint for tomorrow’s therapeutics!

1 July 2025

We are thrilled to welcome Julian Masloub, a second-year Biological Sciences undergraduate, to the Avalon Lab! Julian joined the group with a strong curiosity for the chemical foundations of biological processes, and we are excited to have him contribute to our work in bioactive molecule discovery!

24 May 2025

Nature Communications (2025) publication “Enabling pan-repository reanalysis for big data science of public metabolomics data,” features Professor Avalon introducing tools to integrate and reanalyze public metabolomics datasets at scale. Congratulations!

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