The Grillo-Hill lab is working to understand how changes in acid levels inside a cell, also called intracellular pH, can change the behavior of cells. Cell generate acids as a result of normal cellular processes, and acid production can increase in responses to certain stresses or cues. The resulting change in acid levels can cause the cell to behave differently, and may contribute to progression of diseases such as cancer.
Our lab is staffed by a very talented group of diverse students who are undergraduate and masters level students at SJSU. We investigate a variety of different research directions, including: (1) identifying pH-sensitive molecules; (2) characterizing changes in protein biochemistry at different pH levels; (3) bioenginering fluorescent probes and tools to measure and alter intracellular pH; and (4) investigating pH dynamics during development and in disease states. We use a broad range of techniques to address our questions, including Drosophila genetics, mammalian cell biology, light and fluorescent confocal microscopy, and protein biochemistry.
If you are a current or future SJSU student interested in joining the lab, please go to the Contact page and read more.
The Grillo-Hill lab is committed to increasing diversity, inclusivity, and anti-racism in STEM. Our lab seeks to recruit, support, and retain members from diverse backgrounds and groups that have historically been underrepresented in the sciences. We see a necessity in standing against all forms of oppression, understanding the intersectionality of classism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, and racism.
We acknowledge the origins of systemic racism and how it impacts our society, communities, and STEM fields today. As individuals in the Grillo-Hill Lab, we are committed to reflecting on our own biases and will continue to examine ways we can use our voices to help amplify the voices of marginalized communities. We work to foster an environment of safety for everyone and condemn racism and racist acts. The discrimination and violence against families and communities are not unheard of nor is it a new event in our history. We recognize and mourn the murders of countless innocent Brown and Black individuals, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and countless others that were not documented. We support the vigorous efforts of the Black community to abolish white supremacy, and end police brutality. Black Lives Matter!
-Encourage and welcome respectful dialogue and exploration of diverse ideas, topics, perspectives, and issues to enrich our campus community
-Promote equitable access to all in academics, leadership opportunities, and employment
-Enhance opportunities by encouraging all to share their cultural experiences and identities, allowing others to learn from this exchange
-Strive to prepare students from all backgrounds to foster respect, understanding, awareness, pluralism, and cooperation in an increasingly complex, diverse, global society
-We embrace individuals from different backgrounds who wish to pursue higher education regardless of traditional academic success
NIH Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Program (Director Dr. Cleber Ouverney): https://www.sjsu.edu/biology/special-programs/undergraduate-research-programs/index.html
NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) (Director Dr. Karen Singmaster): https://www.sjsu.edu/biology/special-programs/undergraduate-research-programs/index.html
Department of Education McNair Scholars Program (Director: Dr. Maria Elena Cruz): https://www.sjsu.edu/mcnair/
UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center : https://www.sjsu.edu/diversity/diversity-equity-inclusion/immigrant/
SJSU PRIDE Center : https://www.sjsu.edu/pride/
International Student and Scholar Services : https://www.sjsu.edu/isss/
Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center : https://www.sjsu.edu/chicanxlatinxssc/
African American/Black Student Success Center : https://www.sjsu.edu/africanamericanblackssc/
Mosaic Cross Cultural Center : https://www.sjsu.edu/mosaic/
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, SJSU Chapter : https://linktr.ee/sacnaschapteratsjsu
Spartan Food Pantry: https://www.sjsu.edu/sjsucares/get-assistance/spartan-food-pantry.php
https://www.sjsu.edu/wellness/
SJSU Cares: https://www.sjsu.edu/sjsucares/
Grillo-Hill Lab News
September 2024 - Congratulations to lab member Laura Martins, alum Ramy Wong, collaborate Dr. Fred Larabee and Dr. Bree for our manuscript acceptance at JoVE!
June 2024 - Congratulations to current and former lab members for the publication of our latest research article at MBoC!
June 2024 - Congratulations to lab alumni Tommy Luong for receiving the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Scholarship to pursue his MS at SFSU!
May 2024 - Congratulations to MS student Luz Arvizu for being awarded a CSUPERB Faculty-Graduate Student Research Collaboration Program Award!
March 2024 - Congratulations to lab member James Tower for being awarded a CSUBIOTECH Howell Scholarship!
November 2023 - Congratulations to Carly Montan for successfully defending their masters!
September 2023 - Congratulations to Blake DuPriest for successfully defending his masters!
June 2023 - Congratulations to lab member Laura Martins for being awarded a CSUPERB Faculty-Graduate Student Research Collaboration Program Award!
May 2023 - Congratulations to lab member Alan Wong for being awarded a CSUPERB Presidential Scholarship!
April 2023 - Congratulaions to Carly Montan Stein and Liz Lopez for acceptance to PhD programs at Stanford University! And to lab alum Harnoor Virk for acceptance to UC San Francisco for a PhD program! And to lab alum Tommy Luong for acceptance to an MS program at San Francisco State University!
January 2023 - Congratulations to lab member Rachel Soriano for being awarded a CSUPERB Howell Scholarship!
September 2022 - Congratulations to Blake DuPriest for getting a talk at this year's CSU Interdisciplinary Cancer Meeting!
September 2022 - Congratulations to Juan Reyna Pacheco for getting a talk at this year's ASCB Conference!
August 2022 - Welcome to new lab members Kim, Charm, Alan, Ramy, and Emilio!
May 2022 - Congratulations to Barbara Sandoval for successfully defending her masters!
December 2021 - Congratulations to Joanne Mendez for acceptance to a PhD program at UC Davis!
December 2021 - Congratulations to Bianca Flores for graduating!
March 2021 - Congratulations to Harnoor Virk, Tania Mancilla and Bianca Flores for admission to graduate programs!
December 2020 - Congratulations to Daniel Orozco for for successfully defending his MS thesis project this week!
May 2020 - Congratulations to Roman Bandy, Armando Martinez and Taylor Tungasmita for graduating!
May 2020 - Congratulations to Harnoor Virk and Blake DuPriest for receiving a CSUPERB Travel Grant to attend CellBio2020!
December 2019 - Congratulations to Ismahan Chire and Hillary Gates for successfully defending their MS thesis projects this week!
September 2019 -
May 2019 - Congratulations to Vivian Bui and Jobelle Peralta for successfully defending their MS thesis projects this week!
February 2019 - Congratulations to Blake and Jobelle for their selection as finalists in the SJSU Student Research competition!
November 2018 - Congratulations to Blake and Martey for having their abstracts selected for presentation at the UC Santa Cruz Symposium for Undergraduate Research!
September 2018 - Congratulations to Hillary for being awarded a Graduate Equity Fellowship! Congratulations to Lyzett for having her abstract accepted for presentation at ABRCMS!
March 2018 - Congratulations to our graduate student fellowship recipients: Ismahan, Jobelle and Vivian! And thanks to the Albert & Dorothy Ellis Fellowship and the Cancer Federation Scholarship!
March 2018 - Congratulations to Myia, our Spartan student-athletes who received her fourth Academic All-MW honor!
March 2018 - Congratulations to Martey (President's Scholar) and Hillary (Dean's Scholar) for their academic achievements!
January 2018 - Dr. Grillo-Hill was awarded a CSUPERB Faculty Travel Grant to attend the Annual Drosophila Research Conference! Vivian Bui and Jobelle Peralta will present posters at the meeting.
Our lab is generously supported by the National Institutes of Health SC3 grant, Biology Department at SJSU, the SJSU College of Science, the Bio-Link Depot, the SJSU Office of the Provost, CSUPERB, the F. Albert & Dorothy Ellis Graduate Fellowship and the Cancer Federation Scholarship.