Maria de Los Angeles Serrano, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Serrano’s research program at BU aims to develop pioneering work toward understanding shared cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopment and vasculogenesis in the context of rare diseases with an epigenetic basis. Examples of these are Kabuki Syndrome, caused by pathogenic variants in the KMT2D gene, and KAT6-related disorders.

Dr. Serrano created the stable null KMT2D zebrafish mutant line and fully characterized multiple novel cardiovascular phenotypes for the first time in zebrafish. In addition, her work led to her discovery that KMT2D directly modulates Notch signaling and that some of the Kabuki Syndrome phenotypes can be alleviated by controlling levels of the Notch pathway.

Her research interest focuses on studying non-canonical epigenetic mechanisms regulating neuronal differentiation and blood vessel patterning. This is specifically during cell differentiation, migration, and cell cycle progression. To reach this goal, Dr. Serrano combines her expertise in rare disease modeling in zebrafish, cardiovascular and neurobiology techniques, and human iPSC-derived nervous system organoids.

One of Dr. Serrano’s goals is to bridge the gap between basic research, clinicians, and patients by building a research network that will encourage interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of rare diseases. Her work in the field of rare diseases, commitment to mentoring, and advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical elements of Dr. Serrano’s professional goals and lab vision.

Publications

  • Published 7/8/2026

    Beacham GM, Ingram ZS, Elrefaie RA, Enkhbayar K, Zener ZR, Affini L, Wasim ZN, Dodge MC, Sreerama S, Serrano MA, Hagedorn EJ. The endothelial scavenger receptor stab2 is required for proper hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development in the fetal blood stem cell niche. bioRxiv. 2026 Jul 08. PMID: 42465474.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/4/2026

    Golden CS, Williams S, Sreerama S, Blankevoort S, Yost HJ, Tristani-Firouzi M, Belkina A, Serrano MA. Nuclear Histone 3 Post-Translational Modification Profiling in Whole Cells using Spectral Flow Cytometry. bioRxiv. 2026 Feb 04. PMID: 41676480.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/13/2025

    Carly S. Golden; Pushpinder Bawa; Feiya Wang; Sandra Sulser Ponce De Leon; Olaf Bodamer; H. Joseph Yost; Maria A. Serrano. KMT2D-deficiency destabilizes lineage progression in immature neural progenitors. Epigenetics Reports. 2025; 3(1).

    Read at: Custom

  • Published 11/1/2024

    Moreira-Bouchard JD, Cunha J, Tao BS, Kim H, Lepson J, Nessen EJ, Milstone ZJ, Fisher N, Clinton N, Roberts LM, Serrano MA, Gopal DM, Benjamin EJ, So-Armah K, Fetterman JL. Creating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility statements for your CV: a resource guide to effectiveness and comprehensiveness. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 Dec 01; 327(6):H1376-H1383. PMID: 39485298.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/9/2023

    Golden CS, Williams S, Serrano MA. Molecular insights of KMT2D and clinical aspects of Kabuki syndrome type 1. Birth Defects Res. 2023 Nov 15; 115(19):1809-1824. PMID: 37158694.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 14 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Websites

Education

  • Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, PhD
  • Universidad Nacional de Misiones, BS

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