Characterization of Sex-specific Hormone and Gene Expression Alterations in Experimental Model of Traumatic Brain Injury Purpose/Objective: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) results from a blow or jolt to the head and leads to complex pathologies that can extend years after the initial injury. Unfortunately, current treatments for TBI focus on managing symptoms such as edema and…

Open Lab https://2024.igem.wiki/asu/education Open lab offers an interactive and collaborative experience for students to engage in hands-on experiments and explore the practical applications of synthetic biology concepts. Workshops are designed for peer instruction instead of a lecture style, one-way transfer of information. Open Lab is organized as an interactive, collaborative experience where both instructors and…

Drug synergy demonstrated between EGFR inhibitors and CRIPTO antagonist ALK4L75A-Fc in patient-derived triple-negative breast cancer organoids Breast cancer is diagnosed in approximately 2.3 million women and takes the lives of about 685,000 women each year (Alam 2022). Among the breast cancer subtypes, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis, with a five-year mortality…

Exploring the impact of subarachnoid hemorrhage on neural tissue Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a type of stroke that occurs when there is bleeding in the subarachnoid space, the area between the brain and the skull. After the SAH, there is a secondary injury driving negative neurological outcomes, yet the molecular drivers of this neurological injury…

Evaluating the Molecular Impact of PTEN Heterozygosity on Cortical Cell Populations via mTOR Signaling in ASD Brain Organoids The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the human cerebral cortex, which has increased progenitor, neuronal, and glial cell number and diversity compared to other species. Progenitor cells, including the outer…

The role of glycolysis in human cerebral cortex development using in vitro and in vivo PSC models Cellular metabolism is essential for tissue formation, energy production, and systemic homeostasis and becomes dysregulated in many disease states. Glucose metabolism dysregulation is a common phenotype across human neurodevelopmental disorders. In the context of human cerebral cortex development,…

Unveiling microglial heterogeneity in spatial context Microglia exhibit remarkable plasticity, transitioning between diverse functional states in response to their surrounding environment via molecular mechanisms that remain only partially described. Transcriptomics remains the best available means of describing microglial state transitions, with spatially resolved methods offering the necessary environmental context. Multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization…

Maternal Obesity Programs Intestinal Stem Cells and Epithelial Composition in Offspring, Driving Long-term Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility Maternal obesity has been epidemiologically linked to an increased risk of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) in offspring, the third most prevalent cancer globally. This correlation underscores the profound influence of early-life exposures on long-term health and disease susceptibility. Intestinal…

Overrepresentation analysis of inferred Ligand – receptor pairs between JAR cells and immune receptors unveil a role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in delaying xenograft rejection Pregnancy is a Hallmark state of acquired immune tolerance for humans. Proteins secreted from the placenta have shown to be crucial in the modulation of pregnancy. Determining the ligand – receptor…

Tolerogenic Human Placental Trophoblast Survival and Engraftment in a Xenograft Model Cell and tissue transplantation is hindered by graft rejection, which necessitates lifelong chronic systemic immunosuppression. Placental pregnancy is the only natural state of de novo tolerance against allogeneic tissue in adult mammals, and is mediated by placental trophoblast cells, which use diverse mechanisms to…