![group of students standing on staircase](/sites/default/files/styles/featured/public/2024-06/2024%20Summer%20Scholars%20group%281%29.png?itok=CJ3SkVD7)
Ireoluwatomi Doherty
University: North Carolina State University; Class of 2026
Major: Computer Science
Mentor: Adrianna San Roman, PhD
Project Title: Investigating the influence of the SMC1A gene on the inactive X chromosome across the entire genome
Project Summary: We are studying whether the gene SMC1A,which is part of the cohesin complex, specifically accounts for the effects of the inactive X chromosome across the entire genome. To test this, we will use a lentiviral vector carrying deactivated CRISPR/(d)Cas9 and the repressive KRAB domain (repressor domain), to repress the expression of SMC1A.
Justin Fraser
University: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Class of 2027
Major: Biology
Mentor: Bernadette O'Donovan, PhD & Ornit Chiba-Falek
Project Title:In Vivo Validation of an α-synuclein-targeted Epigenomic Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease.
Project Summary: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease distinguished by the overaccumulation of the protein α-synuclein encoded by the SNCA gene in the substantia nigra (SN). This leads to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons which interferes with neuronal functions. Our study uses an all-in-one lentiviral vector (LV) carrying deactivated CRISPR/(d)Cas9 and synthetic repressor molecules to suppress the expression of α-synuclein. Utilizing a PD mouse model induced by the AAV-A53T-human SNCA vector, we will assess the efficacy of the vector with immunohistochemistry to analyze the expression of α-synuclein in the brain. We will also measure the distribution of the vector in several brain regions and the liver. This study will provide in-vivo proof-of-concept for our LV repressor system, advancing the research’s potential as treatment for PD.
Riley Taylor Heeb
University: Meredith College; Class of 2026
Major: Biology & Psychology
Mentor: Hiro Matsunami, PhD
Project Title: Antagonistic Interactions of Mammalian Odorant Receptors
Project Summary: The Matsunami Lab focuses on elucidating the biochemical and pharmacological characteristics of odorant receptors (ORs) responding to odors, enabling perception of the chemically complex world. It is hypothesized that odor mixtures can alter OR responses through antagonistic interactions, thereby affecting odor perception. In this study, we aim to identify antagonists for select ORs with well-established ORs studied previously. Establishing a link between our discovered pharmacological inhibition of ORs at the receptor level and observations from our collaborators for in vivo odor responses may support or challenge the role of pharmacological inhibition in odor sensation.
Faith Johnson
University: Alabama State University; Class of 2026
Major: Biology Pre-Health
Mentor: Asiya Gusa, PhD
Project Title: Evaluating phenotypic traits of Cryptococcus deneoformans environmental isolates
Project Summary: Due to rising global temperatures, environmental fungi that typically thrive in cooler climates are adapting to growth at higher temperatures. Evolved thermal tolerance may lead to increased fungal disease since our core human body temperature (37°C) serves as one of the primary defenses against fungal infection. To better understand the effects of heat stress and heat adaptation on disease-related traits in fungi, the Gusa lab is studying Cryptococcus deneoformans, a species of fungi that can cause infections of the skin, lungs and brain, primarily in those with weakened immune systems. C. deneoformans causes fewer invasive infections compared to closely-related Cryptococcus species and is also less thermotolerant. My summer project will characterize environmental isolates of C. deneoformans from Saudi Arabia, a country where average summer temperatures reach the mid-40s°C, well above human body temperature. These isolates survived in a hot and dry desert climate, making them suitable models to study heat adaptation and impact on pathogenic traits and virulence. This work will contribute to our understanding of climate change impacts and fungal threats to human health.
Tracey Mirembe
University: Davidson College; Class of 2027
Major: Chemistry
Mentor: Craig Lowe, PhD
Project Title: Exploring Gene Regulatory Elements in the Human Genome
Project Summary: Gene regulatory elements serve a critical role in gene expression and aid in cell differentiation, making them essential to human development. In the Lowe Lab, we are exploring what happens to gene regulatory elements in the human genome after they duplicate. More specifically, we are investigating the functional differences between these human regulatory elements at their ancestral location, which is shared with chimpanzees, and their duplicated location that is unique to humans.The goal of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the effects that variations in regulatory elements have on gene expression. This improved understanding of gene regulation may lead to the creation of more effective therapies for the treatment of diseases like neurological disorders and cancer.
Debbie Mojekwu
University: Yale College; Class of 2027
Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Mentor: Anne West, MD, PhD
Project Title: Exploring Arc’s Role in Neural Circuit Plasticity and Addiction-Related Behaviors using CRISPR
Project Summary: The West lab studies the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in regulating neuronal plasticity and development in an effort to understand those conditions where proper neuronal function is disrupted, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and addiction. My project is working to uncover the role of an immediate-early gene called Arc or, Activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein, which is responsible for AMPA receptor endocytosis upon neuronal firing. In testing Arc's role in neural circuit plasticity, we aim to learn more about how Arc expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) contributes to addiction-related behaviors and affects synaptic plasticity and responses to cocaine.
Shanell St. Brice
University: Duke University; Class of 2026
Major: Biology & Global Health
Mentor: Raphael Valdivia, PhD
Project Title: Investigating mucin degradation capabilities of the Akkermansia muciniphila effector protein Amuc_0646
Project Summary: What specific amino acid residues in the Akkermansia muciniphila protein Amuc_0646 influence its ability to bind and degrade mucin, and what implications might this have for understanding mucin-microbe interactions in the gastrointestinal tract? In the Valdivia lab, my project focuses on creating catalytically inactive Amuc_0646 mutants to determine which residues are responsible for mucin degradation activity. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which A. muciniphila degrades mucin can aid in developing strategies to understand the gut microbiota. Increasing levels of bacteria like A. muciniphila in the gut may confer protection against diseases where mucin degradation is implicated, such as inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer.
Brielle Thrasybule
University: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Class of 2026
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Paul Magwene, PhD
Project Title: Understanding How Co-Infection Influences Antifungal Susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans
Project Summary: Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungus that causes cryptococcal meningitis, a fatal disease if not readily treated. Once inside the human host, Cryptococcus can evade the immune response and antifungal therapies via undergoing genomic changes and adopting virulence phenotypes.
By utilizing various methods of genomic and phenotypic analysis, the Magwene lab aims to understand how genetic variation influences pathogenicity of the cryptococcal species.
Analysis of serial clinical isolates from a patient struggling with cryptococcal meningitis for more than two years revealed the development of multiple unique genomic changes that were linked to specific virulence phenotypes. My project focuses on studying how co-infection of genotypically and phenotypically distinct strains affects antifungal susceptibility.
I will characterize the dynamics of persistent infection by examining antifungal susceptibility of evolving genotypic and phenotypic co-infections, informing future research on the host-pathogen relationship of Cryptococcus.