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Scientific Conversations... 

The kind at a pub...

with a DRINK...

or several...

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About Me.

I received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Maryland School of Medicine at Baltimore. While I would like to say that my academic path was straightforward, this was not the case. Initially, I spent my first two years of post-secondary education at DeAnza College at Cupertino, CA. Afterwards, I transferred to the University of California, Davis where I earned my Bachelor's in Biological Sciences, and my Master's in Cell and Developmental Biology. After a brief hiatus, I relocated to the East Coast where I attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine to earn my Doctorate. I now find myself at the University of Florida College of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Associate further expanding my knowledge and technical skills. 

I consider myself a classically trained anatomist, due in part to the countless hours in the human gross anatomy lab learning and teaching. Although my skills have waned somewhat since I last formally taught a class, I believe can still compete in any anatomy-related Jeopardy or pub trivia. As I progressed through graduate school, I became an expert in chemosensation, which encompasses gustation (taste) and olfaction (smell). From then on, I became proficient in cell cultures, neuronal circuitry, electrophysiology, and molecular biology. In terms of technical expertise, I naturally gravitated toward microscopy, functional imaging, and image processing due in part to my personal interest.  

Outside of academia, I am fond of architecture, illustration, photography, as well as the classical and modern arts. I attribute this to my father and other family members who illustrated as a hobby or professionally. When time allows it, I try to keep my skills fresh by dabbling in sketches and graphic design. This was made easier by the flexibility of the recent Adobe suites and Instagram. Luckily, the scientific world has provided ample artistic opportunities in the form of generating figures, posters, and logos. 

Inspiration.

Several years back, a colleague and I were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of research in industry and academia. The conversation became a series of conversations, with multiple facets.

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Gallery.

Beyond the science and late working nights, I like to distract myself with the simple things in life. The gallery below is a snippet of my Instagram feed where I try to document some life experiences, as well, as interesting photography. However, on occasion some scientific pictures do make it in.

Still sorting through some old images from the many random trips to #TheCity, also known as #SanFrancisco. Here we are posing in front of one of the many gates entering the SF’s historic #Chinatown. The stretch of street is dotted with the icon
Still sorting through some old images from the many random trips to #TheCity, also known as #SanFrancisco. Here we are posing in front of one of the many gates entering the SF’s historic #Chinatown. The stretch of street is dotted with the iconic souvenir shops and restaurants. Steadily rising costs in operation and rents has led to the closer of some shops. Despite the changes, the area always has surprises and worth the time to visit. #norcal #bayarea #localtourist #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs
Since growing up in the #BayArea, we never have gone to #SanFrancisco as many times as we did during our first full year back. Food and drinks were definitely on the list, but also just walking around the city, hills and all. Here is a shot from one
Since growing up in the #BayArea, we never have gone to #SanFrancisco as many times as we did during our first full year back. Food and drinks were definitely on the list, but also just walking around the city, hills and all. Here is a shot from one of the rooms in the #HiltonSanFranciscoFinancialDistrict (@hiltonhotels) during the late afternoon. #california #thecity #yayarea #norcal
Haven’t been posting much the later part of this year, but I haven’t stopped taking pictures. Here is a sample of what I saw during my brief trip to #Seoul, #SouthKorea. Specifically from an art gallery in #deoksugung depicting war times
Haven’t been posting much the later part of this year, but I haven’t stopped taking pictures. Here is a sample of what I saw during my brief trip to #Seoul, #SouthKorea. Specifically from an art gallery in #deoksugung depicting war times through a child’s eye. I will definitely return to learn more about the culture and eat more of the food.
Nostalgia is definitely strong. Here we are coming back from a close friend’s baby shower (sprinkle), we stopped by my old stopping grounds at @UCDavis. One of the more iconic spots of the city of #Davis is #ToadHollow and #ToadHollowTunnel. As
Nostalgia is definitely strong. Here we are coming back from a close friend’s baby shower (sprinkle), we stopped by my old stopping grounds at @UCDavis. One of the more iconic spots of the city of #Davis is #ToadHollow and #ToadHollowTunnel. As the story goes, Toad Hollow and it’s tunnel was created in response to the construction of the Pole Line Road overpass, which blocked a natural route taken by the frogs and toads. Ironically, the tunnel and other animal crossings like it serves as a natural bottle neck that predators take advantage of. Irony aside, here we are next to one of the Toad Hollow buildings, but we weren’t allowed inside. #UC #littleme #littleced #littleced #mixeeme #mixeelabs #toscale
Some more pictures from our #NorthernCalifornia adventure. Here we are at #glassbeach, located at the southernmost part of #MacKerricherStatePark in the historic town of #FortBragg, #California. The glass originated from a dump site (Site 1), and was
Some more pictures from our #NorthernCalifornia adventure. Here we are at #glassbeach, located at the southernmost part of #MacKerricherStatePark in the historic town of #FortBragg, #California. The glass originated from a dump site (Site 1), and was steadily smoothened and rounded by the waves. Although the pieces of glass were smaller than we expected, it still played enough with the light to make for interesting shots. #norcal #shiny #beachbums #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs #medicinocounty
Several months ago we stayed at @HotelKabuki in #SanFrancisco’s #JapanTown (@japantownsf). Despite the contemporary design of the lobby and the room, this particular print caught my eye. After much searching, I found out the print was originall
Several months ago we stayed at @HotelKabuki in #SanFrancisco’s #JapanTown (@japantownsf). Despite the contemporary design of the lobby and the room, this particular print caught my eye. After much searching, I found out the print was originally done by @LouiJover who is an Australian painter well know for his work on top of book pages and newspaper print. After falling deeper into his rabbit hole of works, it is time to make wall space. #louijover #newspaperart #bookart #geisha #printart #japantown #hotelkabuki
More pictures from the last #PTO. Here we found ourselves at @PointArenaLighthouse. At least from a distance. We lost track of time and fail to note the closing time. If we arrived 30 minutes earlier, we would’ve checked off another #lighthouse
More pictures from the last #PTO. Here we found ourselves at @PointArenaLighthouse. At least from a distance. We lost track of time and fail to note the closing time. If we arrived 30 minutes earlier, we would’ve checked off another #lighthouse on our list. But at same time, our legs were happy that we didn’t climb the stairs to get to the top. Nevertheless, here we are on the fence overlooking the lighthouse and the cliff side. #PointArenaLighthouse #PointArena #norcal #northerncalifornia #onthefence #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs
Here are some pictures from my last #PTO. It was spent exploring more of #NorthernCalifornia. Believe it or not, this was a long delayed continuation of our #Highway1 trip from over a decade ago. In short, the previous trip was cut short due to an ca
Here are some pictures from my last #PTO. It was spent exploring more of #NorthernCalifornia. Believe it or not, this was a long delayed continuation of our #Highway1 trip from over a decade ago. In short, the previous trip was cut short due to an career opportunity. Traveling from San Diego, the #PacificCoastHighway trip prematurely stopped in the #BayArea as opposed to Northern California. One of our first stops on this trip was the #MuirWoodsOverlook. The morning fog definitely setup an eerie yet calming atmosphere, just watch out for that first step. #marincounty #northbay #norcal #roadtrip #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs
The funny thing about science is that it doesn’t always abide by your schedule. Regardless, we try to make time to get away from it all during some weekends. Here is a shot from our time at @thecastello in the #NapaValley. A lot of things chang
The funny thing about science is that it doesn’t always abide by your schedule. Regardless, we try to make time to get away from it all during some weekends. Here is a shot from our time at @thecastello in the #NapaValley. A lot of things changed since we last in Napa. Amongst them are the now limited and reservation needed wine tasting. Gone are the days of the impromptu winery hoping. It now requires a detailed plan, which is a total buzzkill. Luckily, we came to #Castello early enough in the day and started things right, with tastings and a case. #napawine #winetasting #norcal #northbay #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs
Last weekend’s random #PTO started off by driving through #SanFrancisco and becoming local tourists. As with any #BayArea local, we can never get sick of seeing and walking the #GoldenGateBridge. On a bright and clear day the color of #internat
Last weekend’s random #PTO started off by driving through #SanFrancisco and becoming local tourists. As with any #BayArea local, we can never get sick of seeing and walking the #GoldenGateBridge. On a bright and clear day the color of #internationalorange can be seen as far Berkeley. Here we are that northern end of bridge at the #vista point. Don’t let my appearance fool you, I wasn’t tired. The wear and tear over the years has really done a number on my body. If you look closely enough, you can tell that I am missing some toes. Oh well. #yayarea #thecity #bridge #northbay #california #traveling #littleme #littleced #littlelinda #mixeeme #mixeelabs #lyingaround
This last #Sunday was spent walking #downtown #Merced and checking out the ongoing developments around the area. Although the city has experienced some growth with several new housing developments moving forward, this growth is not as apparent in the
This last #Sunday was spent walking #downtown #Merced and checking out the ongoing developments around the area. Although the city has experienced some growth with several new housing developments moving forward, this growth is not as apparent in the downtown area. There still remains empty buildings and vacant storefronts. But there are some that are undergoing significant renovation spurred in part by the presence of #UniversityofCaliforniaMerced (@ucmerced). One of the newer businesses in the downtown area is @asipcoffeeco injecting a modern coffee bar in the area. #coffeefilter #coffeeplease #onemorecup #filtercoffeenotpeople
#Sunrise in #thecity. Here we are back in #SanFrancisco simply wandering around soaking up the weekend sun. Here is a shot from the San Francisco #Hilton (@hiltonhotels) facing east toward #Chinatown. If you look closely, you can actually see the #si
#Sunrise in #thecity. Here we are back in #SanFrancisco simply wandering around soaking up the weekend sun. Here is a shot from the San Francisco #Hilton (@hiltonhotels) facing east toward #Chinatown. If you look closely, you can actually see the #silhouette of the cityscape across multiple buildings. I especially like the city on #Sunday mornings because of the absence of a lot of people in the streets making the area a little serine and relaxing. #bayarea #localtourists #sf #yayarea #morningsinthecity
Another #latergram from the files. Here is shot of one of the many #almond #farms that occupy #California’s #CentralValley. The almond bloom typically occurs between late February and early March resembling the much more popular cherry blossoms
Another #latergram from the files. Here is shot of one of the many #almond #farms that occupy #California’s #CentralValley. The almond bloom typically occurs between late February and early March resembling the much more popular cherry blossoms. During this period, the Central Valley is covered with white and pink trees. But as quickly as the bloom comes, the end of season is marked by a blanket of white and pink petals at the base of the trees. This shot was also an impromptu one at the side of the freeway and several minutes on a side road. #almondblossoms #almondseason #almondtrees #californiafarming #farmingcalifornia
Another #Saturday walk around town. Here we found ourselves back at #PortsmouthSquarePlaza right next to #SanFrancisco’s iconic #Chinatown. East of the plaza is another city icon, the #TransamericaPyramid. Interestingly, the building is no long
Another #Saturday walk around town. Here we found ourselves back at #PortsmouthSquarePlaza right next to #SanFrancisco’s iconic #Chinatown. East of the plaza is another city icon, the #TransamericaPyramid. Interestingly, the building is no longer the headquarters of @transamerica. They now reside in Baltimore, MD (another city close to my heart), but retains the pyramid as its logo. Here is my attempt of a dynamic black and white shot of the building with #pigeons thrown in. #sf #birds #TransamericaTower #bw #bwphotography #lookingup #thecity #bayarea #citybythebay #california #norcal
Just another day in #SanFrancisco’s #Chinatown. We were simply wandering the streets on a rainy day just checking out the city by the bay. We found ourselves at #PortsmouthSquare where locals often congregate to participate in many games of cha
Just another day in #SanFrancisco’s #Chinatown. We were simply wandering the streets on a rainy day just checking out the city by the bay. We found ourselves at #PortsmouthSquare where locals often congregate to participate in many games of chance. Catching our attention was this interesting mural along one of the side walls, which was done by @tim_the_optimist entitled #Optimistuey. The colors and the patterns really appealed to me, and really lightened up a dreary day. #bayarea #sf #walking #streetart #timtheoptimist #california #norcal
Still sorting through some old images from the many random trips to #TheCity, also known as #SanFrancisco. Here we are posing in front of one of the many gates entering the SF’s historic #Chinatown. The stretch of street is dotted with the icon Since growing up in the #BayArea, we never have gone to #SanFrancisco as many times as we did during our first full year back. Food and drinks were definitely on the list, but also just walking around the city, hills and all. Here is a shot from one Haven’t been posting much the later part of this year, but I haven’t stopped taking pictures. Here is a sample of what I saw during my brief trip to #Seoul, #SouthKorea. Specifically from an art gallery in #deoksugung depicting war times Nostalgia is definitely strong. Here we are coming back from a close friend’s baby shower (sprinkle), we stopped by my old stopping grounds at @UCDavis. One of the more iconic spots of the city of #Davis is #ToadHollow and #ToadHollowTunnel. As Some more pictures from our #NorthernCalifornia adventure. Here we are at #glassbeach, located at the southernmost part of #MacKerricherStatePark in the historic town of #FortBragg, #California. The glass originated from a dump site (Site 1), and was Several months ago we stayed at @HotelKabuki in #SanFrancisco’s #JapanTown (@japantownsf). Despite the contemporary design of the lobby and the room, this particular print caught my eye. After much searching, I found out the print was originall More pictures from the last #PTO. Here we found ourselves at @PointArenaLighthouse. At least from a distance. We lost track of time and fail to note the closing time. If we arrived 30 minutes earlier, we would’ve checked off another #lighthouse Here are some pictures from my last #PTO. It was spent exploring more of #NorthernCalifornia. Believe it or not, this was a long delayed continuation of our #Highway1 trip from over a decade ago. In short, the previous trip was cut short due to an ca The funny thing about science is that it doesn’t always abide by your schedule. Regardless, we try to make time to get away from it all during some weekends. Here is a shot from our time at @thecastello in the #NapaValley. A lot of things chang Last weekend’s random #PTO started off by driving through #SanFrancisco and becoming local tourists. As with any #BayArea local, we can never get sick of seeing and walking the #GoldenGateBridge. On a bright and clear day the color of #internat This last #Sunday was spent walking #downtown #Merced and checking out the ongoing developments around the area. Although the city has experienced some growth with several new housing developments moving forward, this growth is not as apparent in the #Sunrise in #thecity. Here we are back in #SanFrancisco simply wandering around soaking up the weekend sun. Here is a shot from the San Francisco #Hilton (@hiltonhotels) facing east toward #Chinatown. If you look closely, you can actually see the #si Another #latergram from the files. Here is shot of one of the many #almond #farms that occupy #California’s #CentralValley. The almond bloom typically occurs between late February and early March resembling the much more popular cherry blossoms Another #Saturday walk around town. Here we found ourselves back at #PortsmouthSquarePlaza right next to #SanFrancisco’s iconic #Chinatown. East of the plaza is another city icon, the #TransamericaPyramid. Interestingly, the building is no long Just another day in #SanFrancisco’s #Chinatown. We were simply wandering the streets on a rainy day just checking out the city by the bay. We found ourselves at #PortsmouthSquare where locals often congregate to participate in many games of cha
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Posts.

Coming Soon...

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Publications.

Uytingco, C.R., Williams, C.L., Shively, Xie, C., D.T., Green, W.W., Zhang, L, Nishimura, D.Y., Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2018) BBS4 is required for IFT coordination and basal body stability in mammalian olfactory cilia. (Under Revision)

Lewis, W.R., Bales, K.L., Revell, D.Z., Croyle, M.P., Engle, S.E., Song, C.J., Malarkey, E.B., Uytingco, C.R., Shan, D., Nagy, T.R., Kesterson, R.A., Martens, J.R., Mrug, M.M., Berbari, N.F., Gross, A.K., Yoder, B.K. (2018) Mks6 mutations reveal tissue specific roles for the cilia transition zone. FASEB. DOI: 10.1096/fj.201801149R

Green, W.W., Uytingco, C.R., McIntyre, J.C., Ukhanov, K., Kolb, Z., Moretta, J.C., Zhang, L, Martens, J.R. (2018) Peripheral gene therapeutic rescue of olfactory ciliopathy restores sensory input, glomerular number, and odor guided behavior. Journal of Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0084-18.2018

Uytingco, C.R., Martens, J.R. (2018) Chapter: Adenoviral and AAV intranasal delivery and infection of the mammalian peripheral olfactory system. Adeno-Associated Virus: Method and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. (In Press) 

Uytingco, C.R., Green, W.W., Martens, J.R. (2018) Olfactory loss and dysfunction in ciliopathies: Molecular mechanisms and potential therapies. Current Medicinal Chemistry. DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180105102447. (In Press)

Williams, C.L.*, Uytingco, C.R.*, Green, W.W., McIntyre, J.C., Ukhanov, K, Zimmerman, A.D., Shively, D.T., Zhang, L, Nishimura, D.Y., Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2017) Gene therapeutic reversal of peripheral olfactory impairment in Bar­­det-Biedl Syndrome. Molecular Therapy. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.02.006. *Co-first Authors.

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2016) Interglomerular connectivity within the canonical and GC-D/necklace olfactory subsystems. PLoSONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165343.

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2016) Using intrinsic flavoprotein and NAD(P)H imaging to map functional circuitry in the main olfactory bulb. PLoSONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165342.

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Communications.

Uytingco, C.R. (2018) Olfactory Cilia: From morphology to function and the impact of disease. University of Florida College of Medicine, Summer Neuroscience Internship Program. Gainesville, FL (Invited Speaker Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Green, W.W., Ukhanov, K., Kolb, Z., Moretta, J., McIntyre, J.C., Martens, J.R. (2018) Peripheral Gene Therapeutic Rescue of an Olfactory Ciliopathy Induces Central Neural Plasticity and Restores Odor Guided Behavior. American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL (Symposium Speaker Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Ukhanov, K., Zhang, L, Martens, J.R. (2018) Characterization of basal and odorant-induced calcium activity in olfactory sensory neuron cilia (v2). Association of Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting. Bonita Springs, FL (Digital Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Ukhanov, K., Zhang, L, Martens, J.R. (2018) Characterization of basal and odorant-induced calcium activity in olfactory sensory neuron cilia (v1). University of Florida College of Medicine, Celebration of Research. Gainesville, FL (Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R. (2017) Gene therapeutic strategies for congenital anosmias: Peripheral and Central Restoration. European Chemoreception Research Organization Annual Meeting. Cambridge, United Kingdom (Symposium Speaker Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Xie, C., Shively, D.T., Ukhanov, K., Martens, J.R. (2017) Characterization of basal and odorant-induced calcium activity in olfactory sensory neuron cilia. FASEB Scientific Conference – The Biology of Cilia and Flagella Scottsdale, AZ (Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Williams, C.L., Green, W.W., McIntyre, J.C., Ukhanov, K, Zimmerman, A.D., Shively, D.T., Zhang, L, Nishimura, D.Y., Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2017) Gene therapeutic reversal of peripheral olfactory impairment in Bar­­det-Biedl Syndrome. American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy Annual Meeting. Washington D.C. (Symposium Speaker & Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Williams, C.L. Green, W.W., Shively, D.T., Zhang, L, Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2017) Restoration of Olfactory Epithelium Ciliation and Odorant Detection in BBS4 Loss-of-function Model of Bardet-Beidl Syndrome (v2). Association of Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting. Bonita Springs, FL (Digital Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Williams, C.L. Green, W.W., Shively, D.T., Zhang, L, Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2017) Restoration of Olfactory Epithelium Ciliation and Odorant Detection in BBS4 Loss-of-function Model of Bardet-Beidl Syndrome (v1). University of Florida College of Medicine, Celebration of Research. Gainesville, FL (Poster Presentation) 

Uytingco, C.R. (2016) Gene therapeutic restoration of olfactory cilia and odor detection in Bartdet-Biedl Syndrome. Association of Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting. Bonita Springs, FL (Symposium Speaker Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Williams, C.L., Zimmerman, A., Green, W., Zhang, L., McIntyre, J.C., Sheffield, V.C., Martens, J.R. (2016) Gene therapeutic restoration of olfactory cilia and odor detection in Bartdet-Biedl Syndrome. University of Florida College of Medicine, Celebration of Research. Gainesville, FL (Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2014) Understanding the main olfactory bulb circuitry using intrinsic flavoprotein fluorescence imaging. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C. (Poster Presentation) 

Uytingco, C.R. (2014) Characterization of olfactory bulb circuitry using intrinsic flavoprotein fluorescence imaging. Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows – IMSD Speaker Exchange Program. Brown University, Providence, RI (Invited Speaker Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2014) Characterization of olfactory bulb circuitry using flavoprotein fluorescence imaging (v2). Association of Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting. Bonita Springs, FL (Poster Presentation)

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2013) Characterization of olfactory bulb circuitry using flavoprotein fluorescence imaging (v1). Association of Chemoreception Sciences Annual Meeting. Huntington Beach, CA (Poster Presentation)  

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2012) Mapping functional circuitry associated with individual olfactory bulb glomeruli using flavoprotein autofluorescence. International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste. Stockholm, Sweden (Poster Presentation)  

Uytingco, C.R., Puche, A.C., Munger, S.D. (2012) Mapping functional circuitry in the olfactory bulb using flavoprotein autofluorescence. American Society for Neurochemistry Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD (Poster Presentation)