Ph.D. Candidate
Research
I studied the mTOR signaling pathway at the University of Minnesota after getting a BS in biochemistry and neuroscience. I focused on finding novel endogenous protein-protein interactions that could explain an inflammatory phenotype in mice with dysregulated mTOR signaling. To better explain the immune system shifts, I collaborated with Edgar Arriaga to use the new CyTOF method, designing high-dimensional leukocyte panels to screen across various tissues. To say the least, the system is intuitive enough that even a neuroscientist can do it!
During my rotation, my aim is to understand how to apply the strong genetic tool of C. elegans for studying how protein folding stress is conveyed across tissues. My goals in the Dillin lab are to learn more about inflammaging, perhaps considering communication between neurons and glia for a resulting stress response in metabolically active peripheral targets. In particular, I think the Nf-kB connection with XBP1 still remains poorly understood. I am curious to see if there is a minimalist scheme from worms to mice that can explain the effects of aging on accumulated errors in cell-to-cell signal propagation.