Catherine Branda

Senior Manager, Radiation Signatures and Detection S&T

Portrait of Catherine Branda

The Applied Bioscience & Engineering group at Sandia is comprised of three departments: Systems Biology, Biomass Science & Conversion, and Biotechnology & Engineering, located across two sites in Livermore and Emeryville, CA, with expertise in microbiology, virology, phycology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, engineering, and modeling. Her multidisciplinary team addresses a number of key problems impacting national security, including algal biomass fuel and chemical development, biodefense and emerging infectious disease, and real-time health and performance monitoring. Key sponsors include DoE Office of Science, DoE Office of Energy and Renewable Energy, DoD Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the Sandia Lab Directed Research & Development Program.

Branda has been at Sandia over twelve years; in addition to her management roles, she has held a variety of positions including Technical Staff, Reducing Global Biological and Chemical Mission Area Goal Lead, and Chair of the Sandia Women’s Connection.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree: Cognitive Science, Vassar College

Doctoral Degree: Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine

Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellowships: Cytogenetics, Harvard Medical School

Selected Publications

  • Harmon B, Kozina C, Maar D, Carpenter TS, Branda CS, Negrete OA, Carson BD. (2013) Identification of critical amino acids within the nucleoprotein of Tacaribe virus important for anti-interferon activity. J Biol Chem. 2013 Mar 22;288(12):8702-11.
  • Wu M, Perroud TD, Srivastava N, Branda CS, Sale KL, Carson BD, Patel KD, Branda SS, Singh AK. (2012) Microfluidically-unified cell culture, sample preparation, imaging and flow cytometry for measurement of cell signaling pathways with single cell resolution. Lab Chip. 2012 Aug 21;12(16):2823-31
  • N’Diaye EN, Branda CS, Branda SS, Nevarez L, Colonna M, Lowell C, Hamerman JA, Seaman WE. (2009) TREM-2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) is a phagocytic receptor for bacteria. J Cell Biol. Jan 26;184(2):215-23.
  • James CD, Moorman MW, Carson BD, Branda CS, Lantz JW, Manginell RP, Martino A, Singh AK. (2009) Nuclear translocation kinetics of NF-kappaB in macrophages challenged with pathogens in a microfluidic platform. Biomed Microdevices. 2009 Jan 24.
  • Perroud T.D., Kaiser J.N., Sy J.C., Lane T.W., Branda C.S., Singh A.K., Patel K.D. (2008) Microfluidic-Based Cell Sorting of Francisella tularensis Infected Macrophages Using Optical Forces. Anal. Chem. May 30.
  • Lo, T., Branda, C.S., Huang, P., Sasson, I.E., Goodman, S.J., and Stern, M.J. (2008) Different Isoforms of the C. elegans FGF Receptor are Required for Attraction and Repulsion of the Migrating Sex Myoblasts. Dev. Biol. 15: 268-275.
  • Branda, C.S. and Dymecki, S.M. (2004) Talking about a revolution: The impact of site-specific recombinases on genetic analyses in mice. Dev. Cell 6:7-28.
  • Goodman, S. J., Branda, C. S., Robinson, M. K., Burdine, R. D. and Stern, M. J. (2003) Alternative splicing affecting a novel domain in the C. elegans EGL-15 FGF receptor confers functional specificity. Development 130: 3757-3766.
  • Branda, C.S. and M.J. Stern (2000) Mechanisms controlling sex myoblast migration in Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites. Dev. Biol. 226: 137-151.
  • Branda, C.S. and M.J. Stern (1999) Cell migration and axon growth cone guidance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 9: 479-484.
  • Burdine, R.D., Branda, C.S. and M.J. Stern (1998) EGL-17 (FGF) expression coordinates the attraction of the migrating sex myoblasts with vulval induction in C. elegans. Development 126: 1083-1093.
  • Harfe, B.D., Branda, C.S., Krause, M., Stern, M.J. and A. Fire (1998) MyoD and the specification of muscle and non-muscle fates during postembryonic development of the C. elegans mesoderm. Development 125: 2479- 2488.
  • Chen, E.B., Branda, C.S. and M.J. Stern (1997) Genetic enhancers of sem-5 define components of the gonad- independent guidance mechanism controlling sex myoblast migration in Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites. Dev. Biol. 182:88-100.