Elena joined the lab in 2021 as a Life Science Research Professional. Prior to the Mahajan Lab, she was a research associate in Genentech's Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology group where she developed ELISAs and mass spectrometry assays for pharmacokinetic analysis of preclinical samples. She earned her BS in biochemistry from UCLA in 2020 and plans to pursue a Ph.D. Her research focus is investigating retinal disease pathways through in vitro assays.