Education
BS, Behavioral Neuroscience, Rider University, 2019
MS, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Delaware State University, 2021
PhD student, Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 2021 - present
Research Interests
Neurogenesis, Organoids, NSPCs/iPSCs, Spinal Cord Injury, Chimeric Models, Single-Cell Transcriptomics.
Research Summary
For my research, we are targeting endogenous cell populations in the mammalian spinal cord to generate better-translating gene therapy treatments. Through activation of the Gsx1 gene, a gene known for inducing differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells into neurons and deciding between an excitatory or inhibitory fate, we plan to reprogram cells around the glial scar and generate functional recovery. To accomplish this, our group primarily utilizes clinically-relevant animal injury models of specifically generated mouse models to allow for targeted activation of Gsx1 around the time of injury to simulate a clinical setting. In vitro validation of genetic manipulations on target cell populations will also be performed through the development of transduced cell cultures, and organoids. Finally, we will utilize scRNA sequencing to determine how a Gsx1-based gene therapy functions for spinal cord injury.