Eleven participants presented posters at event marking the end of six weeks of hands-on biomedical research experience at Sanford Burnham Prebys
The institute welcomed its fourth cohort of interns this year for the Summer Program to Accelerate Regenerative Medicine Knowledge (SPARK). SPARK is an initiative by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) that provides research opportunities for high schoolers from underrepresented groups throughout California.
The SPARK participants completed six-week internships at Sanford Burnham Prebys and completed projects under the supervision of their faculty mentors.
“My internship experience has been terrific,” said Aanika Tipirneni, a rising senior who worked in the lab of Evan Snyder, MD, PhD. “I learned about stem cells a few years ago in school, and I never thought I’d actually have a chance to work with them as a high school student.”
“I was able to do a ton of research and even had my own project, which was a truly rewarding experience,” said Ananya Asudani, a rising senior who interned in the lab of Sanjeev Ranade, PhD, director of the SPARK internship program.
“I met a lot of interesting people from all over the world this summer,” said Daniel Ruiz, who will be attending Loyola University of Chicago this fall after his internship in the lab of Xueqin (Sherine) Sun, PhD. “I also enjoyed learning the sterile procedures for growing cells in culture and how to prepare gels for my experiments.”
Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys
The interns delivered poster presentations at an event held on campus on August 1, 2025. The students detailed their projects and what they had learned over the course of their internships.
“These students are amazing,” said Ranade. “They are so motivated already as high school students, and they all will go on to do great things.”
Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys
“I think the most important thing I learned this summer was the ability to design and carry out a research project,” said Asudani. “It also was motivating to see how everyone in the lab brings different expertise to the table, and yet they all work together cohesively for the overall goal of studying congenital heart defects in Down Syndrome.”
“I’m hoping to continue working in the Snyder lab throughout the school year while applying to universities with opportunities to continue studying stem cells and regenerative medicine,” said Tipirneni.
The SPARK internship culminated with CIRM’s annual SPARK conference at The Alexandria at Torrey Pines from August 3-4, 2025. The participants from Sanford Burnham Prebys presented their work and networked with more than 110 interns from other institutions across the state.
“I would definitely recommend the SPARK internship to any high school student interested in biology, stem cells and regenerative medicine,” said Ruiz. “It’s such an outstanding opportunity to learn, gain experience and get connected in the field, and it absolutely was a highlight of my summer.”
2025 Sanford Burnham Prebys SPARK interns
- Ananya Asudani, Ranade lab
- Prakruti Bhatt, Deshpande lab
- Risha Guha, Huang lab
- Irene Huang, Adams lab
- Shawn Kim, Dhar lab
- Isela Ordonez, Sacco lab
- Eshika Pallapotu, Sinha lab
- Zoe Primosch, Tharp lab
- Daniel Ruiz, Sun lab
- Aanika Tipirneni, Snyder lab
- Kellen Uhegbu, Will Wang lab