Sonia M. Scaria
Helped identify CASTOR1, the direct arginine sensor for mTORC1, as an MIT undergraduate
BS Biological Engineering, MIT (2017; undergrad researcher, Sabatini lab) · MD/PhD, UCSF MSTP — PhD in Tward lab, UCSF Otolaryngology (2019–2022, tympanic-membrane regeneration) · now UCSF medical student, continuing hearing-loss genetics research
Tward Lab alumni record, UCSF Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery ↗
As MIT undergrad, second author on CHA2016 (CASTOR1 discovery) and contributor to GU2017 (SAMTOR) in her final year — two direct amino-acid sensors before finishing her degree.
Switched fields entirely: UCSF MD/PhD, studying how the eardrum regenerates (Cell Stem Cell 2020, npj Regen Med 2023 first-author).
2025 first-author paper in Ear and Hearing on genetic-testing equity for hearing loss in underrepresented-minority children.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | M | The CASTOR Proteins Are Arginine Sensors for the mTORC1 Pathway CHA2016 Contributed to identifying CASTOR1 as the direct arginine sensor for mTORC1. |
| 2017 | M | SAMTOR is an S-adenosylmethionine sensor for the mTORC1 pathway GU2017 Contributed to identifying SAMTOR as the SAM sensor linking methionine metabolism to mTORC1. |