Professor Theo Palmer, Stanford University
Palmer Lab Summary: Neural precursor cells (NPC) possess the ability differentiate into mature neurons. Transplantation of NPCs may help to alleviate conditions of diminished neurogenesis and neurodegenerative
disease by providing a source of new neurons. My work is focused on understanding how the immune system reacts to transplanted NPCs in a murine model.
Professor Pamela Denbesten, University of California, San Francisco
The Denbesten lab focuses on whole‐tooth regeneration, both for direct clinical application and as a model for organogenesis in general. A major hindrance to the goal of tooth regeneration is that Ameloblasts (the cells
responsible for secreting proteins which direct the formation of tooth enamel) are no longer present after teeth have erupted. My lab is currently engaged in efforts to identify the factors capable of promoting Ameloblast differentiation from human embryonic stem cells.
The essence of a cell’s identity and function lies in its transcriptomic landscape, including the variety of protein isoforms that arise from alternative splicing (AS). Of all protein-coding genes in the human genome, greater than 90% undergo post-translational AS, giving rise to many unique isoforms from a single gene. Through rearrangement of functional domains prior to translation, AS allows a single gene to encode a variety of proteins that may function in varying degrees of similarity or differ entirely in their activity.
Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) are the leading cause of childhood brain cancer-related deaths and have limited therapeutic options. A novel approach to treating DIPG is CAR T-cell therapy, a therapy already in use for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patients that undergo CAR T-cell therapy often experience important side effects, including cognitive dysfunction. Here we sought to understand how cancer immunotherapy impairs cognition, and how to restore cognition following CAR T-cell therapy.