Lucas Santos

Experience

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  Johnson & Johnson

  Jun 2012 - Aug 2012

  Intern - Models & Methods

  Developed protocols with diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to improve the accuracy of testing SPF of sunscreen products.

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  Rutgers University–New Brunswick

  Sept 2012 - May 2014

  Undergraduate Student Researcher

  Developed two computational models that informed development of a perfusion system to treat fatty livers for transplantation, resulting in two publications.

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  The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

  Jan 2015 - Mar 2019

  Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) during training has been shown to enhance learning, a process known as targeted neuroplasticity training (TNT). We established this paradigm in marmoset monkeys, showed acute plasticity in auditory cortex, and with the behavior team showed it can accelerate learning a new 'language' (Mandarin tones) by up to 30%. -Established the first SOPs of a marmoset monkey model of VNS.-Identified biomarkers to monitor electrode status and map out stimulation 'dosage' profiles.-Showed auditory cortical neurons tune to a new, target frequency after a passive TNT session.-Made key contributions to the behavioral study design and training a new student to work on the project.-Managed the lab's regulatory compliance, equipment install/repairs, and purchasing/accounting (>$200k) Show less Could vibrations in the gastrointestinal tract modulate the gut-brain axis as a form of treatment? I conducted proof-of-concept studies to find out, by testing the effect of gastric vibratory stimulation on vagus nerve activity in rats. Side projects: -validated a transgenic mouse model to target vagal sensory neurons-explored a novel gut-cerebellum neural circuit using anatomical tracers in transgenic mice-tested vagal transport of prion-like proteins from the stomach to the brain in mice, which is one possible pathophysiological origin of Parkinson's disease-developed a customized 3D-printed tissue culture system for a patch-clamp experiment Show less

  • Research Technician

    Jul 2017 - Mar 2019

  • Graduate Research Assistant

    Jan 2015 - Jun 2017
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  Autonomous Healthcare

  Jun 2019 - Dec 2019

  Research Engineer

  -Managed a clinical research study at a health tech startup partnered with Stanford Medicine to investigate an objective pain assessment product using sensors and machine learning.-Improved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) data quality and patient recruitment by 150% via remote collaboration with the clinical team.-Built a data pipeline using open-source APIs and identified 6 features from biosignals that can assess pain levels in infants.

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  GutSense

  Jan 2020 - Aug 2020

  Founder

  -Developed a prototype wearable gut sensor to explore digital health solutions that empower people with chronic gut disorders to live healthier lives.-Conducted an at-home clinical study with FDA guidance (14 participants) to validate the prototype and test concepts, detecting digestive events with 90% accuracy.-Preliminary insights resulted in a pivot to partner with others in the industry to aggregate a larger gut data repository that will train future AI models.

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  Integral Learning

  Sept 2020 - Dec 2021

  Founder

  -Started an e-learning platform to tutor and teach STEAM subjects to students in middle through graduate school.-Created an interactive online course where 100+ pre-college students learned programming (Python) by building a simple video game, which was licensed out to a learning center servicing 10k students in Northern California.

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  Soul Gate

  Jan 2022 - now

  Founder, Game Developer

  -Founded a gaming studio building digital card games that empower players with creator tools leveraged by blockchain and GenAI-Acquired a web3 brand (Sneks; $150k market cap) with established community & marketing channels (Discord: 10k, Twitter: 30k) to catalyze product development & go-to-market strategy-Led development & launch of a decentralized app (dApp) that generated $10k in annual revenue

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  The Kingdom, RPG Labs

  Mar 2023 - Dec 2023

  Consultant

  -Led the Community & Gaming departments for a gaming startup through zero-to-one launch-Implemented a data-driven user incentives program to grow the community and all marketing channels by 300%+, resulting in 10k+ sign-ups on the website-Secured partnership deals & represented the company on outreach, including being hosted on X Spaces (fma Twitter) to audiences of 1k+ people-Assisted the team in setting up user data analytics