Understanding the Causes of Birth Defects: Transcriptional Regulators in Neural Crest Cell Development and Pathology

Human pluripotent stem cells expressing pluripotency factors.

Explore the function of genes involved in birth defects while developing skills in embryology, molecular biology, and developmental genomics. Intro text here...

Project description

Abnormal neural crest cell development is associated with numerous pathologies including craniofacial malformations such as cleft lip and cleft palate, rare syndromes, and aggressive cancer. These pathologies are collectively known as neurocristopathies, and affect thousands of children born every year. Using embryology and molecular biology techniques, students will carry out projects investigating the role of transcriptional regulators in the neural crest cell lineage. Students will make use of the chick embryo model to investigate expression patterns in the neural crest, and make use of electroporation techniques to examine the developmental effects following loss-of-function. Finally, students will have the opportunity to use molecular biology techniques to examine the role of these factors in the differentiation of human neural crest cells from pluripotent stem cells. 

Project outcome

Students will present their research in the form of a poster at local symposia. 

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment Year-long (10-12 months)
Start time

Spring (January/February 2025)

Summer (May/June 2025)

Fall (August/September 2025)

In-person, remote, or hybrid? In-Person Project (Can only function with in-person engagement)
Level of collaboration Individual Student Project
Benefits

Academic Credit

Stipend

Who is eligible
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors with basic pipetting and computer skills

Project mentor

Rebekah Charney

Assistant Professor

Biochemistry

Phone: (716) 829-3073

Email: rcharney@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
  2. After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.) 

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

The specific preparation activities for this project will be customized through discussions between you and your project mentor. Please be sure to ask them for the instructions to complete the required preparation activities.

Keywords

Biochemistry, development, stem cells, gene expression, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences