Molly McCloskey
Postdoctoral Fellow
Smith Lab
Postdoctoral Fellow
Smith Lab
Year awarded 2024
As a Postdoctoral Fellow, McCloskey is part of a team developing gene therapeutics to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disease. In order to combat challenges in drug development, the researchers are creating a high throughput, three-dimensional (3D) model of the key functional unit impacted by ALS, namely, the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Using a human stem cell-derived model with contractile capabilities, they can directly evaluate how gene therapies that target disease-causing mutations in motor neurons impact skeletal muscle function. The ultimate goal is to develop therapies that reverse muscle weakness and prolong patient lives.
Alex Elbahr
ISCRMU Fellow
Escobar Lab
Alex Elbahr
ISCRMU Fellow
Escobar Lab
Year awarded 2024
With the support of the ISCRM Fellowship, Alex Elbahr will delineate the proteolytic processing of Nucleophosmin (NPM1) in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), employing recombinant NPM1 constructs and targeted protease assays. This study seeks to unravel the molecular underpinnings of NPM1 cleavage, offering potential insights into its role in HSC regulation and the pathogenesis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The findings could pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions targeting AML.
Angelica Ramos
University of Texas, San Antonio
REU Fellow
Young Lab
University of Texas, San Antonio
REU Fellow
Young Lab
Year awarded 2024
Clinical studies have linked anticholinergic drugs to dementia risk. However, it remains unclear whether this is due to the direct effects of these medications or a predisposition to dementia in the participants. Angelica Ramos is investigating whether different classes of anticholinergics induce molecular phenotypes related to Alzheimer’s disease. Using human iPSC-derived neurons from study participants, she treats the cells with various anticholinergic classes and evaluates the levels of phosphorylated Tau, beta-amyloid, and cytotoxicity, along with changes in synaptic gene expressions.
Rachelle Soriano
California State University, Los Angeles
REU Fellow
Davis and Regnier Labs
California State University, Los Angeles
REU Fellow
Davis and Regnier Labs
Year awarded 2024
In the Davis and Regnier Labs, Rachelle Soriano is helping to characterize human beta myosin mutation E525K to determine its effects on sarcomere contraction and organization. The characterization of this mutation will aid in informing drug therapeutics, specifically for myosin activator drugs, and determining this mutations role in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
Sarah John
Graduate Student Fellow
Yadav Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Yadav Lab
Year awarded 2024
With support from the ISCRM fellowship, Sarah John aims to investigate how the dysfunction of TAOK1 kinase results in perturbed early brain development and macrocephaly. Sarah will utilize hiPSCs harboring TAOK1 NDD associated mutations to generate dorsal forebrain neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and cortical brain organoids. Together with mass spectrometry and high-resolution imaging, she aims to identify signaling deficits that can be therapeutically targeted to treat macrocephaly caused by TAOK1 associated mutations.
Sahana Subramanian
ISCRMU Fellow
Zheng Lab
Sahana Subramanian
ISCRMU Fellow
Zheng Lab
Year awarded 2024
With funding from the ISCRM Undergraduate Fellowship, Sahana Subramanian will identify healthy and unhealthy endothelial cell flow conditions within a perfusable engineered heart tissue, hypothesizing that physiologically relevant shear stress will lead to endothelial cell alignment and strong barrier properties while predicting that low shear stress will lead to signs of endothelial dysfunction, such as permeable barriers and inflammatory signaling. The goal of this project is to interrogate endothelial function under several hemodynamic conditions in this perfusable model.
Jordan Vanni
Pacific Lutheran University
ISCRM REU Fellow
Robinson Lab
Pacific Lutheran University
ISCRM REU Fellow
Robinson Lab
Year awarded 2024
As a primarily cell-sparse and regionally-limited space, the meniscus has poor regenerative qualities after injury. As an ISCRM REU student in the Robinson Lab, Jordan Vanni is focusing on characterizing the primary cells of meniscus tissue: meniscal fibrochondrocytes (MFCs). This characterization process is supported by immunofluorescent antibody staining, flow cytometry, and the use of quantitative software such as CellProfiler. The long-term goal is to promote better healing in the meniscus, especially considering surgical options and tissue removal efforts prove to be unsuccessful.
Christian Paulos
Bothell Fellow
Sniadecki and Qu Labs
Bothell Fellow
Sniadecki and Qu Labs
Year awarded 2024
As an ISCRM-Bothell Fellow, Christian Paulos will conduct research with the Sniadecki and Qu Labs, where is working on developing engineered human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived tendon constructs as an in vitro strategy for studying tendon mechanobiology and physiology. His work involves applying an established protocol for tenogenic differentiation using biological morphogens and embedding the differentiated cells into 3D collagen hydrogels suspended between flexible PDMS posts.
Birva Pinto
Stevens Institute of Technology
ISCRM REU Fellow
Moussavi-Harami Lab
Stevens Institute of Technology
ISCRM REU Fellow
Moussavi-Harami Lab
Year awarded 2024
As an ISCRM REU Fellow, Birva Pinto will investigate the genetic mutation G159D in cardiac troponin C (cTnC) related to Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), a disease that enlarges the heart chambers, reduces its pumping capacity, and potentially leads to heart failure. She will also test how both mutant and wild-type cTnC respond to a troponin-activating drug. The goal is to uncover insights into the pathogenesis of DCM and contribute to potential therapeutic treatments.
Lily Nguyen
ISCRMU Fellow
Kong Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Kong Lab
Year awarded 2024
As an ISCRM Undergraduate Fellow, Lily Nguyen aims to address the role of two core signaling pathways (Notch and Hedgehog) in maintaining the structural integrity of the developing nervous system. In the Kong Lab, she will treat cortical spheroids derived from embryonic stem cells with specific inhibitors to observe changes in cell adhesion and polarity. The long term goal is to establish cortical spheroids as a model in which to screen for disease-causing mutations and the pathogenesis of diseases such as hydrocephalus.
Riya Keshri
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ruohola-Baker Lab
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ruohola-Baker Lab
Year awarded 2024
As a postdoctoral fellow, Riya Keshri will be developing treatment for various muscle atrophies including Sarcopenia using synthetic AI-designed proteins. Dr. Keshri will be identifying synthetic designed binders against RTKs/RSTKs that can robustly promote direct reprograming of fibroblast into skeletal muscles. In collaboration with the Institute of Protein Design, she will be forcing non-pairing receptors in a complex using synthetic AI-designed designed binders to induce novel unprecedented signaling pathways that will ultimately change the cell fate to muscles. The project aims to drive advancements in personalized regenerative medicine with usage of powerful AI-designed proteins.
Jasmine Villegas
Graduate Student Fellow
Freedman and Fu Labs
Graduate Student Fellow
Freedman and Fu Labs
Year awarded 2024
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting genetic disease caused by a mutation of CFTR, eventually leading to respiratory failure. With an ISCRM fellowship award, Jasime Villegas aims to create a CRISPR-Cas9 CF mutant iPSC-derived lung organoid model that reflects the pathophysiological responses of CF, such as reduced mucociliary clearance and respiratory infection responses. These LOs exhibit important cellular phenotypes, such as mucins and goblet cells, that are essential to understanding these responses. Success of this project will create novel platforms for investigating cellular mechanisms and developing CF therapeutics.
Scott Schactler
Graduate Student Fellow
Shechner Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Shechner Lab
Year awarded 2024
As an ISCRM Fellow, Scott Schactler is characterizing the microenvironment of the lncRNA Xist during X-chromosome inactivation using photocatalyst-powered super-resolution proximity-labeling tools. Using Oligonucleotide-directed proximity-interactome MAPing (O-MAP) in a cell model of early embryogenesis will reveal a pioneering map of the X-chromosome inactivation assembly pathway. Further developing the O-MAP method for even higher-resolution analysis of RNA-chromatin dynamics during cell fate determination will elucidate fundamental molecular mechanisms of stem cell biology and establish powerful tools for probing the RNA interactions that control stemness.
Manith Atapattu
ISCRMU Fellow
Cherry Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Cherry Lab
Year awarded 2024
With ISCRM Fellowship funding, Manith will investigate the role of a microRNA called miR9-2, an important genetic regulator in brain development. Using a mouse model the Cherry Lab has generated, he will study the transitions of cell fate in neuronal STEM cells as well as the development of the vasculature in the brain of mutant mice without miR9-2. The long-term goal of the project is to better understand the genetic causes of congenital hydrocephalus as well as how non-coding elements influence mammalian brain development.
Jack Hoye
Graduate Student Fellow
DeForest Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
DeForest Lab
Year awarded 2024
As an ISCRM fellow, Jack will explore using synthetic biology tools to control stem cell differentiation in 3 dimensions. By genetically engineering stem cells to uptake and use new-to-nature amino acids, they can be made responsive to light and induced into a targeted cell fate. If successful, this approach can be used to create organoid co-cultures with diverse cell types to enable more advanced in vitro disease models or to build more complex tissue architectures in lab-grown tissue engineering constructs
Kathryn (Kat) Powers
Graduate Student Fellow
Bermingham-McDonogh Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Bermingham-McDonogh Lab
Year awarded 2024
Unlike non-mammalian vertebrates, hair cell damage in the mature mammalian cochlea leads to permanent hearing loss. There is great need for the discovery of new factors that promote hair cell and support cell generation in addition to their survival. This project aims to shed light on a new potential target for regenerative therapeutics, early B cell factor 1 (EBF1), which my experiments indicate promotes proper cochlear patterning by regulating prosensory domain establishment.
Brad Hansen
Graduate Student Fellow
Kelly Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Kelly Lab
Year awarded 2024
In his fellowship project, Brad will investigate methods to generate spermatogonial cells (the base cell of spermatogenesis) from induced pluripotent stem cells using directed stem cell differentiation alongside a complex culture model to mimic the in vivo environment and developmental dynamics. The long-term goal is to provide a screening system for toxicology, fertility, and drug development.
Morgan Jones
Graduate Student Fellow
Escobar Lab
Morgan Jones
Graduate Student Fellow
Escobar Lab
Year awarded 2022
ISCRM fellowship funds will enable Morgan Jones to determine how a poised chromatin state is initially formed as well as how terminal effector and memory precursor CD8+ T cells maintain the intermediate chromatin state of bivalent chromatin. In the investigation, they will identify differential regions of poised chromatin between TE and MP states and employ a CRISPR-Cas based technology to discover protein complexes permitting bivalent chromatin.
Willow Chernoske
ISCRMU Fellow
Escobar Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Escobar Lab
Year awarded 2022
With ISCRM fellowship funding, Willow Chernoske will develop and conduct a proof of concept for a CRISPR-Cas12a biotinylation system designed by the Escobar Lab to determine the epigenetic mechanisms that maintain the poised chromatin state of memory CD8+ T cells. The goal is to produce insights relevant to the fields of immunology and chromatin biology.
Jayma Erker
Bothell Fellow
Marcinek Lab
Jayma Erker
Bothell Fellow
Marcinek Lab
Year awarded 2023
As a Bothell Fellow, Jayma Erker and colleagues in the Marcinek Lab tested a hypothesis that mitochondrial substrate utilization following contraction in aged 3D-Engineeed muscle tissue (EMT) will be decreased compared to young 3D-EMT. The researchers adapted in vivo high-intensity stimulation protocol for use on in vitro 3D-EMT using the Mantarray platform, a system that allows stimulation and monitoring of contractile properties of engineered muscle tissue.
Joanna Agana
Bothell Fellow
Davis Lab
Bothell Fellow
Davis Lab
Year awarded 2023
As a Bothell Fellow, Joanna Argana and a team of researchers from the Davis Lab examined the importance of external cues from the myocardium and extracellular environment in regulating how the fibroblast responds to repeat injury stimuli. By developing a protocol to isolate discrete populations of fibroblasts and study them in hearts void of injury, the researchers demonstrated that cardiac fibroblasts from the same strain can be isolated and transplanted to other hearts, without exogenous extracellular matrix.
Salvador Escamilla
Bothell Fellow
Mack Lab
Bothell Fellow
Mack Lab
Year awarded 2023
As a Bothell Fellow, Salvador Escamilla was part of a research team that attempted to better characterize a novel CRISPR edited iPSC line developed in the Mack Lab to model Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in skeletal muscle. Among other findings, immunohistochemistry and a western blot revealed a significant decrease in Fusion Efficiency of myotubes which has been identified as a measure of DMD impact.
Hailemikael Yirdaw
ISCRMU Fellow
Kueh Lab
Hailemikael Yirdaw
ISCRMU Fellow
Kueh Lab
Year awarded 2022
As an ISCRM Fellow, Hailemikael Yirdaw will develop and test designed protein scaffolds that greatly enhance the sensitivity of CAR T cells to tumor antigens. Achieving a new generation of CARs with improved sensitivity would open the door to more effective therapeutics for a wide variety of tumors.
Ashi Jain
ISCRMU Fellow
Wills Lab
Ashi Jain
ISCRMU Fellow
Wills Lab
Year awarded 2022
Ashi Jain will use ISCRM fellowship funding to investigate a hypothesis that two splice variants of the transcription factors Meis1 and Pbx3 have different gene expression patterns in different cell types over regenerative time. The goal is to advance the long-term mission of the Wills Lab to understand the factors and processes that enable complex tissue regeneration in the spinal cord and limbs.
Lauren D’Amico
ISCRMU Fellow
Moussavi-Harami Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Moussavi-Harami Lab
Year awarded 2022
An ISCRM fellowship will allow Lauren D’Amico to study sarcomeric mutations that cause alterations to tension-time index (TTI). Understanding how these variations are linked to disruption in the force-generation capacity of cardiomyocytes will help inform future studies aimed at developing more effective treatments for cardiomyopathies. She is currently pursuing a Bioengineering Masters in Precision Medicine with an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.
Leona Binyam-Temelso
ISCRMU Fellow
Murry Lab
Leona Binyam-Temelso
ISCRMU Fellow
Murry Lab
Year awarded 2022
ISCRM fellowship funding will enable Leona Binyam-Temelso to identify the minimal set of gene edits possible to generate human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes that will not produce arrhythmias once transplanted into large animal models. The goal is to advance the Murry Lab’s effort to develop a safe, effective cell therapy for heart disease.
Kalen Robeson
Graduate Student Fellow
Davis and Regnier Labs
Graduate Student Fellow
Davis and Regnier Labs
Year awarded 2022
To improve the field’s understanding of MBNL1-directed transcriptome maturation, Kalen Robeson will use human iPSC models to determine the role of MBNL1 in differentiation into skeletal muscle and to determine the function of MBNL1 in the muscle tissue resident stem cell response to injury. The goal is to produce insights that will advance regenerative treatments to restore lost muscle function.
Alex Ochs
Graduate Student Fellow
Boyle Lab
Alex Ochs
Graduate Student Fellow
Boyle Lab
Year awarded 2022
Alex Ochs will use his ISCRM fellowship to conduct a proof-of-concept computational modeling evaluation of whether subthreshold optogenetic stimulation to induce a weak repolarizing current could suppress engraftment arrhythmia. The goal is to validate a potential approach that could improve the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy for heart attack victims.
Brizzia Munoz Robles
Graduate Student Fellow
Brizzia Munoz Robles
Graduate Student Fellow
Year awarded 2022
With her ISCRM fellowship, Brizzia Munoz Robles will develop a generalizable strategy to customize the biochemical properties of cell-laden biomaterials in 4D through functional protein photoassembly. The goal is to reveal new methods to recapitulate signaling over shorter biologically relevant time scales.
Heber Lara
Graduate Student Fellow
Moltke Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Moltke Lab
Year awarded 2022
Heber Lara will use ISCRM fellowship funds to uncover the role of a growth factor in the small intestinal epithelium. His aims are to establish this growth factor as an important intestinal epithelial signal and to characterize it as a supportive signal in Type 2 immunity.
Ross Bretherton
Graduate Student Fellow
Davis and DeForest Labs
Ross Bretherton
Graduate Student Fellow
Davis and DeForest Labs
Year awarded 2022
Funding will allow Ross Bretherton to explore the role of dilated cardiomyopathy and cardiac fibrosis in heart failure. In his investigation, Bretherton will characterize crosstalk between cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, and extracellular matrix in DCM and subsequent heart failure and will identify the cellular mechanisms underlying enhanced ECM alignment using an in vitro engineered heart tissue model.
Giulia Spennati
Postdoctoral Fellow
Freedman and Fu Labs
Giulia Spennati
Postdoctoral Fellow
Freedman and Fu Labs
Year awarded 2023
With an ISCRM fellowship, Giulia Spennati, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Freedman and Fu Lab, aims to identify the molecular and mechanical mechanism leading to podocyte injury in kidney organoids exposed to hyperglycemic conditions. The long-term goal is to develop a human kidney organoid model of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to assess the risk of progression and test treatment responses.
Arafat Fasuyi
Graduate Student Fellow
Stevens Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Stevens Lab
Year awarded 2023
Arafat Fasuyi will test her hypothesis that generating hardware and bioinks for a 3D bioprinting (SLATE) that can achieve higher resolution printing of microvasculature will enable the Stevens Lab to produce more functional artificial liver tissues. In her project, Arafat will aim to improve 3D printed tissue resolution and achieve vessel diameters on the order of venules/arterioles and create functional artificial liver tissues by integrating hepatocyte organoids into biocompatible hydrogel.
Mark Andrade
Graduate Student Fellow
Cirulli Lab
Mark Andrade
Graduate Student Fellow
Cirulli Lab
Year awarded 2022
With a goal of advancing regenerative medicine approaches to treating diabetes, ISCRM fellow Mark Andrade will explore the feasibility of activating Sonic Hedghog and/or Wnt signaling in pancreatic beta-cells “after” they have differentiated into endocrine cells and will test whether the competency of beta-cells to replicate as a result of αE-catenin downregulation may change as a function of age, and/or in response to injury and metabolic stressors.
Marina Pavlou, PhD
Reh Lab
Postdoctoral Fellow
Weill Neurohub Postdoctoral Fellow
Reh Lab
Postdoctoral Fellow
Weill Neurohub Postdoctoral Fellow
Year awarded 2022
ISCRM fellowship funding will allow Marina Pavlou, PhD to test the potential of growth factors Ascl1 and Atoh1 to reinstate developmental plasticity in adult non-human primate Müller glia. The goal is to regenerate neurons from glia in the retina and recover the cell classes that die in blinding diseases and to ultimately recover vision.
Rohda Yase
ISCRMU Fellow
Kwon Lab
Rohda Yase
ISCRMU Fellow
Kwon Lab
Year awarded 2023
Building on preliminary data showing that the gene efemp1 is dispensable for the first phase of spine mineralization—Rohda Yase will study the 2nd phase of skeletal development by determining the role of efemp1 in osteoblast recruitment. In her project, Yase will generate efemp1 zebrafish mutants with a transgenic reporter for osteoblasts to determine if osteoblasts are affected. By understanding the role of efemp1 in spine development, Yase aims to elucidate the role of fibulins in skeletal development and their influence on skeletal traits.
Jamie Yang
ISCRMU Fellow
Boyle Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Boyle Lab
Year awarded 2023
In the Cardiac Systems Simulation Lab, Jamie Yang is conducting a computational study to establish the feasibility of using optogenetic stimulation to suppress ventricular arrhythmias associated with human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hPSC-CM) engraftment. Engraftment arrhythmias (EAs) are currently a major roadblock preventing in-human clinical trials of stem cell therapy that could regenerate tissue following a heart attack. In her project, she will further research the origin of EA development, characterize early EA dynamics, and establish the ideal opsin characteristics for experimental optogenetic suppression of EAs. The long-term goal is to develop a potential solution to engraftment-related arrhythmias that can be explored further in large animals and possibly humans.
Flora Hu
ISCRMU Fellow
Mathieu Lab
Flora Hu
ISCRMU Fellow
Mathieu Lab
Year awarded 2023
In her fellowship project, Flora Hu will develop a novel 3D in vitro model of the fallopian tube epithelium by combining iPSC and engineering technologies. Her specific aims to recapitulate the polarized structure of FTE through microfluidic design (in partnership with the Zheng Lab) and to differentiate FTE from iPSCs and incorporate them into the designed device.
Anika Ghelani
ISCRMU Fellow
Sniadecki Lab
ISCRMU Fellow
Sniadecki Lab
Year awarded 2023
As an ISCRM Undergraduate Fellow, Anika Ghelani will investigate the biomechanical role of the chaperone protein melusin in humans using engineered heart tissues (EHTs) created from wild-type hiPSC-CMs and hiPSC-CMs that lack melusin and their isogenic controls. By examining and measuring contractile force and observing the structure of these tissues for signs of dilation or thinning of the tissue, Ghelani aims to determine whether the presence of melusin produces a protective response in EHTs.
Dania Ahmed
ISCRMU Fellow
Yang Lab
Dania Ahmed
ISCRMU Fellow
Yang Lab
Year awarded 2023
Funding will allow Dania Ahmed to test a hypothesis that restoring typical desmin levels in cardiomyopathic cells with the MYH7 E848G mutation – associated with dilated cardiomyopathy – will help recover contractile function. In her project, Ahmed will restore wild type desmin protein levels in hiPSC-CMs expressing the mutation, and assess the contractile effects of desmin upregulation on cardiomyopathic iPSC-CMs by measuring single cell contractile force.
Anjali Patni
Graduate Student Fellow
Ruohola-Baker Lab
Anjali Patni
Graduate Student Fellow
Ruohola-Baker Lab
Year awarded 2023
With a long-term goal of improving dental health outcomes, ISCRM Fellow Anjali Patni will generate functional enamel layer in order to study the congenital tooth disorder amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) and to generate living fillings in the future. In her project, Patni aims to identify the signaling factors crucial for the maturation of induced secretory ameloblasts (isAM) and investigate the underlying mechanisms of Amelogenesis Imperfecta (AI) using an iAM 3D organoid model. As part of her investigation, Patni will utilize previously AI-designed Delta scaffolds to activate the Notch pathway in target cells. By utilizing these innovative scaffolds, Patni will explore whether Notch pathway activation alone is sufficient to induce the maturation of ieAM into isAM. Through these comprehensive efforts, Patni’s research holds potential to advance our understanding of amelogenesis imperfecta and contribute to the development of innovative strategies for dental health improvement.
Jenny Nathans
Graduate Student Fellow
Shendure Lab
Jenny Nathans
Graduate Student Fellow
Shendure Lab
Year awarded 2023 and 2024
With support from an ISCRM Fellowship, Jenny Nathans aims to further develop and deploy molecular recording for the precise reconstruction of signaling history in development. She will first establish this system in a well-characterized organotypic epidermal model to study epidermal fate specification in collaboration with the Simpson lab. More broadly, she aims to apply molecular recording to the study of diverse organoids and cell types.
Elisa Clark
Graduate Student Fellow
Kueh Lab
Elisa Clark
Graduate Student Fellow
Kueh Lab
Year awarded 2023
As an ISCRM Fellow, Elisa Clark will undertake a project aimed at improving efficacy of engineered T cell therapies against solid tumors using cytokine pre-treatment. Clark will test how cytokines impact two critical but opposing aspects of T cell differentiation: stemness and effector function, and how cytokines can be combined to maximize both desired T cell properties. This work will utilize both ex vivo high throughput screening methods in collaboration with UW Genome Sciences, and in vivo mouse tumor models in collaboration with Fred Hutch Cancer Center. If successful, this work will inform cytokine effects on T cell differentiation and also generate cells for antitumor therapy in a manner that could be easily translated into clinical studies.
Sophie Blackburn
Graduate Student Fellow
Freedman Lab
Graduate Student Fellow
Freedman Lab
Year awarded 2023
In her fellowship project, Sophie Blackburn will generate glomerulus-like structures in vitro by recapitulating physiological growth confinement of kidney organoids during differentiation and induce vasculogenesis of endothelial cells across microfluidic chips containing kidney organoids to create a perfusable vascular network. The longer-term goal is to provide an unparalleled tool for predicting renal toxicity and efficacy of new drugs, with possible future directions including urine production and organoids as a renal replacement therapy.
Erik Black
Graduate Student Fellow
Rasmussen Lab
Erik Black
Graduate Student Fellow
Rasmussen Lab
Year awarded 2023
Using zebrafish as an in vivo model, ISCRM Fellow Erik Black will advance research efforts underway to better understand the mechanisms underlying the transition from stem cells to specialized cells by studying the development of mechanosensory Merkel cells in the skin. In his project, Black will focus on molecular and morphological characterization of the transition from stem cell to Merkel cell and will further analyze how the peripheral neurons in the skin influence this process and other stem cell processes. Findings from this research will provide insights into skin homeostasis, development, and related diseases, while also shedding light on the role of the microenvironment on stem cell dynamics and cell differentiation.
Christian Mandrycky, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mack and Regnier Labs
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mack and Regnier Labs
Year awarded 2023
As a postdoctoral fellow, Christian Mandrycky will test a hypothesis that MYH3 mutations (implicated in the skeletal muscle disorder Distal arthrogryposis) alter both the mechanics of the contractile apparatus as well as the maturation of skeletal muscle. In his project Mandrycky aims to determine the effect of mutation on the contractile function of normal and mutant skeletal muscle and to investigate the effect of MYH3 mutations on the transcriptome of both hiPSC-derived skeletal myoblasts and skeletal muscle. Together these results will provide a more complete view of the effect of MYH3 mutations on contractile function and their cascading effect on skeletal muscle development and maturation.
Damien Detraux, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mathieu and Ruohola-Baker Labs
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mathieu and Ruohola-Baker Labs
Year awarded 2023
In collaboration with the Institute for Protein Design (IPD – UW), postdoctoral fellow Damien Detraux will use synthetic AI-designed proteins to robustly and specifically target signaling pathways though RTKs-modulating mini-binders and control the direct conversion of fibroblasts across different lineages. Specific aims of the project include investigating the role of signaling pathways in cell fate conversion and bifurcations and the role of TrkA signaling in neuron conversion.