National Institutes of Health
Appointed in 1981
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1980
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1980
New York University
Appointed in 1958
Boston Children's Hospital
Appointed in 2015
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Boston Children's Hospital
Appointed in 2015
One crucial pathway that marks damaged mitochondria for removal involves constant mitochondrial import and degradation of the PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), a protein compromised in a hereditary form of Parkinsons disease. My current research focuses on how the PINK1 pathway is activated in the axonal compartment of neurons._x000D_
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Growing up as the daughter of two math and science teachers my curiosity for science was nurtured from the very beginning. I pursued my interest for the workings of the cells in our body by studying Molecular Medicine in Freiburg/Germany, finally joining the lab of Nikolaus Pfanner and Chris Meisinger. During my PhD there I demonstrated that mitochondrial functions such as energy production and metabolite transport could be controlled by phosphorylation of the import pathway for mitochondrial proteins._x000D_
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Having fallen in love with mitochondria, I am continuing my research as a Post-Doc in the lab of Tom Schwarz and am extending my research on protein import towards transport of mitochondria, mitochondrial proteins and RNA in neurons and implication of transport in Parkinsons disease.
Harvard University
Appointed in 2020
Understanding how the brain drives natural behavior is a central question in neuroscience. This quest is made particularly difficult by the fact that animal behavior is highly adaptable, thus requiring underlying neural circuits to alter the information they compute or represent depending on the task at hand. In my research, I examine how neurons in the motor pathway represent natural behaviors, and how these representations may change depending on the task the animal must perform. I investigate these questions using a combination of in vivo electrophysiology, machine vision, and computational models.
California Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1977
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California Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1977
Carnegie Institute for Science
Appointed in 1986
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Carnegie Institute for Science
Appointed in 1986
Stanford University
Appointed in 2008
My current research focuses on understanding the relationship between the signaling and cytoskeletal functions of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a ubiquitously expressed tumor suppressor commonly mutated in cancers.
I developed curiosity and enthusiasm for science at a young age. My father and I spent many hours performing “experiments” at home, such as making soap-powered boats to explore the principals of surface tension, and building potato clocks to learn about redox reactions. These experiences sparked my passion for science and led me to pursue a career in research. I went on to receive my B.S. in biology from the University of New Hampshire, and my Ph.D. in biochemistry from Dartmouth Medical School. In addition to research, I enjoy teaching and mentoring young people. Outside of the laboratory I love to garden, cook, and hike with my dog.
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1965
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1965
Johns Hopkins University
Appointed in 1977
Stanford University
Appointed in 1982
Columbia University
Appointed in 2010
University of Colorado, Boulder
Appointed in 1970
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University of Colorado, Boulder
Appointed in 1970
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1984
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1984
University of Washington School of Medicine
Appointed in 2003
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University of Washington School of Medicine
Appointed in 2003
National Institute for Medical Research, England
Appointed in 2000
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National Institute for Medical Research, England
Appointed in 2000
State University of New York, Stony Brook
Appointed in 1980
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State University of New York, Stony Brook
Appointed in 1980
State University, Gent, Belgium
Appointed in 1966
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State University, Gent, Belgium
Appointed in 1966
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1988
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1988
Carnegie Institute for Science
Appointed in 1988
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Carnegie Institute for Science
Appointed in 1988
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1987
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 1987
Rockefeller University
Appointed in 2003
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Rockefeller University
Appointed in 2003
University of California, San Diego
Appointed in 1974
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University of California, San Diego
Appointed in 1974
Johns Hopkins University
Appointed in 1972
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1988
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1988
University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Appointed in 1971
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University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Appointed in 1971
State University of New York, Stony Brook
Appointed in 1999
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State University of New York, Stony Brook
Appointed in 1999
Harvard University
Appointed in 1974
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Appointed in 2017
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Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Appointed in 2017
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most aggressive gynecological malignancy for which few targeted therapies exist. The poor prognosis associated with this disease underscores the importance of targeting critical determinants of tumor relapse and therapeutic resistance, which account for the high morbidity rate. Given our lab’s findings that acquisition of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows carcinoma cells with enhanced tumor-initiating potential and therapeutic resistance, I propose to identify novel mechanisms to reverse the EMT program by performing a pooled CRISPR/Cas9-based screen using a genome-wide sgRNA library optimized for high target cleavage efficiency. Candidate hits will be functionally characterized to ascertain their role in EMT-associated phenotypes and the mechanism by which their depletion elicits a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). Furthermore, I will investigate the potential translation of these findings for therapeutic utility by evaluating the efficacy of tumor-targeting Layer-by-layer (Lbl) nanoparticles that deliver siRNAs or drugs that induce an MET alone or in combination with platinum-based drugs using clinically relevant HGSOC patient-derived xenograft mouse models and genetically engineered mouse models._x000D_
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University of Colorado, Boulder
Appointed in 1973
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University of Colorado, Boulder
Appointed in 1973
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1974
Cambridge University, England
Appointed in 1963
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Cambridge University, England
Appointed in 1963
Harvard University
Appointed in 1994
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Appointed in 2009
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Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Appointed in 2009
Current research: Identification of the machinery involved in H3K79 methylation and development of small molecular inhibitors against H3K79 methylation.
My interest in biology was awakened during my childhood, mainly through my grandfather who introduced me, through books, to the animal world. Through hobbies like fishing this interest was enforced and carried over into my adolescence. After high school, I started to study classical biology but realized early that I had a more pronounced interest in molecular biology. Starting to make fly food as an undergrad in a lab at the University of Heidelberg in Germany ultimately got me involved in the field of Drosophila genetics and development, and served as the springboard for my decision to move to Houston for my graduate studies. Part of my PhD work was to perform genetic screens to identify cell death regulators in Drosophila. One of the identified candidates turned out also to play a role in the regulation of chromatin. To further expand my experience in biochemical research I joined the lab of Ali Shilatifard in Kansas City. My work here is focused on better understanding the mechanisms by which certain factors regulate transcription through chromatin modification.
Center for Blood Research, Boston
Appointed in 1988
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Center for Blood Research, Boston
Appointed in 1988
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Appointed in 1994
University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 2014
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University of California, Berkeley
Appointed in 2014
An array of actin modulators promotes actin filament assembly, disassembly, and organization. However, a detailed understanding how this vast network of factors work in concert to precisely regulate actin dynamics is at best incomplete. Many insights into actin regulation have been derived through examining how microbial pathogens manipulate the actin cytoskeleton during infection. The bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium marinum, a close relative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has the rare ability to stimulate actin-based motility in the host cytoplasm. However, the bacterial and host factors that contribute to this phenomenon are largely unknown.
Circumstantial evidence suggests M. marinum recruits the actin nucleation promoting factors WASP and N-WASP through an unusual ability to synthesize phosphorylated phosphoinositol (PIP) lipids. Subsequently, M. marinum activates WASP and N-WASP to nucleate actin filaments through an unfamiliar pathway. The goal of this work is to define M. marinum actin-based motility to further illuminate actin regulation at cellular membranes.
Yale University
Appointed in 2024
Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. All glioblastomas contain fast-growing and aggressive tumor cells. The current standard of care, temozolomide (TMZ), extends patient’s lives by a median of 7 months; however, this chemotherapy only works for a subset of patients, and many of those patients rapidly acquire resistance to this treatment. Additional, more efficacious treatments are direly needed for glioblastoma patients.
Dr. Jarvis Hill’s postdoctoral research in Dr. Seth Herzon’s lab at Yale University aims to enable the next generation of glioblastoma therapies. The Herzon lab recently identified a novel small molecule, KL-50, that is effective against glioblastomas lacking the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT). However, this small molecule does not work on MGMT-positive glioblastomas. In this research, Dr. Hill will develop tumor-specific MGMT inhibitors that can be combined with KL-50 to treat patients with MGMT-positive glioblastoma.
Part of Dr. Hill’s interest in brain tumors grew out of his Ph.D. research in Dr. David Crich’s lab at the University of Georgia. As an organic chemist, Hill devised a novel synthesis for trisubstituted hydroxylamines. Recognizing that these are underrepresented functional groups in medicinal chemistry, Hill next evaluated the drug-like properties of molecules where he replaced hydrocarbons, ethers, or amines with a trisubstituted hydroxylamine. In contrast with long-standing expectations, Hill found that these substitutions were stable and generally well tolerated. Then, Hill used the trisubstituted hydroxylamine motif as a key structural unit to develop an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor with excellent brain penetration, which may be useful for treating brain metastases driven by aberrant EGFR. Now, Dr. Hill will turn his dual focus on synthetic medicinal chemistry and neuro-oncology towards finding glioblastoma therapeutics during his postdoctoral research.
University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1994
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University of California, San Francisco
Appointed in 1994
Stanford University
Appointed in 2024
Neural circuits have been honed by evolution to enable animals to instinctively survive and reproduce in the world that surrounds them. Mammals, however, also have a distinct ability to weigh primal instinct against experience, allowing us to learn how to appropriately respond based on our unique knowledge of the dynamic world around us. However, how the mammalian brain balances the innate robustness of neural circuits with the flexibility afforded by learning remains unclear.
Dr. Tom Hindmarsh Sten aims to answer these questions as a JCC-HHMI Fellow in Dr. Liqun Luo’s lab at Stanford University. To investigate how instinctive behaviors can be modified by learning, Dr. Hindmarsh Sten will leverage natural variation in the ability of mice to suppress their innate fears and learn how to hunt live prey. He will delineate an anatomical blueprint of neural circuits that mediate evasion and predation, and pinpoint the plastic nodes impacted by learning. These studies will reveal how neural circuits, which have been refined by eons of evolution, are modulated to meet immediate and novel demands in the present.
As a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Vanessa Ruta’s lab at Rockefeller University, Hindmarsh Sten investigated neural circuits mediating reproduction in fruit flies. He pioneered a novel virtual reality-based behavioral preparation which revealed that sexual arousal in male flies reconfigures how they see and respond to female flies. Additionally, Hindmarsh Sten examined how male flies coordinate aggression amongst rivals with courtship towards females in competitive environments where more than one male fly is vying for each female’s attention. This study revealed neural populations that allow males to rapidly switch between aggression and courtship. With this background, Hindmarsh Sten is primed to investigate how learning modulates innate instinct in mammals.
University of Basel, Switzerland
Appointed in 1988
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University of Basel, Switzerland
Appointed in 1988
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1971
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1971
Cornell University /
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1980
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Cornell University / Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1980
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1970
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Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1970
Portsmouth Polytechnic, England
Appointed in 1975
Harvard University Medical School
Appointed in 1958
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1976
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1976
Stanford University
Appointed in 2019
Both neural activity in different brain regions and behavior change over time and in disease states in both humans and animals, but how exactly activity of single neurons and their associated network dynamics change and directly affect such altered behavior is largely unknown. I am using single-cell optical and electrophysiological neural recording and perturbation techniques to study changes in neural circuit dynamics that control changes in animal behavior.
Previously, I completed a four-year joint bachelor’s/master’s degree program at Harvard University in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology/Bioengineering, and then I received my PhD in Biophysics from UCSF studying stem cell aging in the lab of Dr. Emmanuelle Passegue.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Appointed in 1952
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Appointed in 1952
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1986
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Appointed in 1986
Yale University
Appointed in 1967