Visitor of the Week: Allan Kalungi

Meet Allan Kalungi! The Ugandan national is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Makerere University (Uganda) and the African Computational Genomics Group at MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit. The postdoctoral researcher joined at us last month’s workshop on Schizophrenia & Related Disorders—his first course at CSHL.

Tell us about your research.
My research is focused on understanding the genetic, biological and environmental factors that underly major and complex psychiatric disorders like depression among African populations from Africa.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
The underrepresentation of Africans in global psychiatric genetics research compelled me to focus on this area. Psychiatric disorders are a growing problem in Africa yet we do not know any of the genes or biological pathways for any of these disorders among populations from Africa, despite recent advances in psychiatric genetics research where the genetic nature of several psychiatric disorder has been illuminated. There is an urgent need to include Africans in global psychiatric genetics research if they are to benefit from recent psychiatric genetics discoveries.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
Africa had generally been left out in psychiatric genetics research. The current global attention to increase the visibility of Africans in global psychiatric research is a big inspiration in my scientific journey. In 2017, I pioneered psychiatric genetics research in East Africa when I produced the first article in the field that reported the association of selected serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms with increased suicidal risk among Uganda adults living with HIV.

Allan hiding in a cactus “forest” somewhere in Cape Town.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope my work will contribute to the understanding of the biology that underlies various psychiatric disorders among populations from Africa. I also hope that my work will refine the global understanding of the biology behind these disorders with the inclusion of the highly diverse genetics data from Africa.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself as an independent researcher on the forefront of psychiatric genetics research in Africa.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love being in an environment where things are not static and your thinking is under stimulation.

What drew you to apply to this course?
I am interested in understanding the nature of the comorbidity between depression and schizophrenia. My desire to understand the phenotypic and genetic nature of schizophrenia and its related disorders compelled me to apply to the course.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
It is crucial to understand mechanisms that link genetic variations to disease. I plan to investigate these as well in my genetics studies.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
This is a great course where you will most likely catch up on recent, worldwide breakthroughs in all aspects of schizophrenia research; from Neuroscience approaches to Genetics/Epigenetics and Neuroimmunology.

Enjoying his last dinner of the course, and his first lobster!

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
Meeting with top investigators in schizophrenia research like Robin Murray, Jeremy Hall, Anissa Abi-Dargham and James Walters among others. The most memorable moment was however the schizophrenia case presentation.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I like the serenity around CSHL. It is isolated with no neighborhoods and is surrounded by trees. I enjoyed the breeze from the ocean. The food was nice and I enjoyed the lobster for the first time in my life!

Allan received a scholarship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to cover his course tuition. On behalf of Allan, thank you to HHMI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Allan for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Images provided by Allan Kalungi

Visitor of the Week: Mohamed "Mo" Gatie

Meet Mohamed “Mo” Gatie of the Sloan Kettering Institute. Mo is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis’ lab. He took part in our 2021 Mouse Engineering Virtual Minicourse and returned last month to train, in-person, at the Mouse Development, Stem Cells & Cancer course last month.

Tell us about your research.
How cells differentiate and acquire specific identities, organize in an orchestrated manner to generate an anatomical, fully functional organ remains an elusive mystery in developmental biology. To understand the mechanisms that govern the formation of endodermal organs, I use high resolution imaging with single-cell genomic technologies, coupled with precision mouse genetics approaches to further our understanding of normal endodermal organ development; a cornerstone for improving the understanding and treatment of congenital birth defects.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
During my graduate training, I focused on trying to understand the role metabolism plays in lineage decision using in vitro systems. However, for my postdoctoral work, I wanted to switch gears and study later stages of development and use the mouse as a model organism. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the lab of Dr. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis who is an expert in mammalian embryo development, with a longstanding interest in the endoderm, the tissue which gives rise to the respiratory and digestive tracts and associated organs.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My earliest childhood inspiration would have to be my uncle. I was always amazed by his ability to take things apart, fix them, and put them back together. This really resonated with me, as in developmental biology, we follow a similar process when we’re trying to understand normal development and/or disease.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
In addition to advancing the field of developmental biology, I would like to provide increased opportunities to marginalized groups, minorities and women in science to remove the barriers these groups face and make science more inclusive and accessible to all.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to have a paper or two published from my postdoctoral work and focus on my career path towards an independent research program to do science and mentor the next generation of scientists.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The scientific freedom to explore the unknown. The most satisfying aspect of research is when you first make a discovery--big or small--and for that moment in time you are the only person who knows about it.

What drew you to apply to this course?
The CSHL Mouse Development, Stem Cells and Cancer course is an intensive, 3-week course that brings together world-class researchers, instructors and students to learn and exchange their unique knowledge and expertise. Coming into this with little mouse experience, this course was exactly what I needed to enhance my competence in this area of science. The instructors and TAs were extremely knowledgeable and approachable, and truly made this experience unforgettable.

What is your key takeaway from the course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The course was designed in a way to expose us to many different techniques. The point is not to be an expert, but perhaps learn and develop valuable skills that we can take back to our own labs and implement into our individual research projects.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
JUST DO IT! The lectures and the technical knowledge and various topics you will learn about during this course are invaluable.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the course?
The most memorable aspect is easily the collaboration I established with the CSHL Metabolomics course. I wanted to expand my knowledge and was lucky enough to interact with the students and instructors from the Metabolomics course, which was taking place at the same time as the mouse course. We were able to work on a project together and present the data to the class. Collaboration is exactly what science is all about, and CSHL is the perfect place for this.

Is this your first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic? If so, any thoughts you’d like to share?
Yes, this is my very first workshop ever. To many around the world, this pandemic has been very difficult. We in science thrive on collaboration, networking, discussing ideas as well as going to conferences to learn and present our work. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the CSHL Mouse Development, Stem Cells and Cancer course to learn from experts in the field and learn from amazing individuals.   

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
Without a doubt, it is the people I met in the course. I really enjoyed being able to thoroughly plan experiments, talk about science and just spend time at the bar relaxing after a long day with all the wonderful folks. The friendships that I have gained from this course will be everlasting.

Mohamed received a scholarship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to cover a portion of his course tuition. On behalf of Mo, thank you to HHMI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Mo for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Image provided by Mohamed Gatie

Visitor of the Week: Kate Nesbit

Meet Katherine “Kate” Nesbit of San Diego State University! Kate is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Nicholas Shikuma’s lab and is taking part in the 2022 course of Advanced Bacterial Genetics. This is her first course at CSHL and the first in-person course since COVID-19 began in 2020. Here is what Kate has to say of her experience so far:

I would just like to commend the instructors and the course organizers from CSHL for all of the work they did to ensure the class ran as smoothly as possible. It was so refreshing to come together for an intensive science experience and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be here and be inspired by everyone’s work.

Tell us about your research.
Bacteria in the ocean play essential roles in the lives of marine animals. I study how larvae (the babies) of marine animals can sense and respond to bacterial cues that drive major changes in development (like turning into an adult).

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
Life evolved in the worlds’ oceans, the epicenter for microbial life. The microbes around us play major roles in our biology. Relationships with bacteria, often thought of as “good” or “bad”, in reality, exist on a spectrum. At the end of my PhD, I was curious to learn more about the context surrounding microbes and their relationships with marine invertebrates. So many marine larvae rely on bacteria during their life cycles and have diverse interactions with bacteria. The opportunity to work with the Shikuma Group and our model system, the tube worm Hydroides and its microbes, was an exciting opportunity. This humble worm is actually a powerful model for understanding symbioses. Bacteria are required for the larva of the worm to undergo metamorphosis which is a process where they transition to the adult body plan. My interests in marine invertebrates, developmental biology, and how animals interact with bacteria all led me to build my research questions around this area.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I have been very fortunate to work with some fantastic mentors during my training, and of course my family has been immeasurably supportive. I also have been learning alongside some really amazing peers, and the summation of my interactions with all of these people have helped keep my excited and motivated to continue moving forward towards a career in science.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope that the work I do will encourage other minority women in science to embrace their curiosity and make new discoveries that help us understand fundamental processes of life. I also hope my work can impact others by encouraging them to protect our oceans and all of the amazing biology that happens within them. Finally, I hope to impact others by making some meaningful scientific discoveries, leaving behind a legacy of collaboration and of creating opportunities for others to be part of science.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I would love to be starting up my own lab. I hope to establish an independent research program that works on answering questions at the interface of marine cell-, developmental-, and micro- biology.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The thing that I love the most about being a researcher is that my days are always different. I never get bored doing the same thing because some days I am reading, some days I am writing papers or working on a presentation for a conference, and still other days I get to be at the bench doing experiments or imaging on the microscope. It never gets dull because there is always something new to do and learn. Also, I have a soft spot in my heart for all the squishy, crunchy, gooey critters of the ocean. There’s so much interesting biology going on in these critters that is understudied.

What drew you to apply to this course?
When I started in research as an undergraduate, I immediately fell in love with developmental biology, but it wasn’t until much later that I started learning about the ways that microbes influence development. The course on Advanced Bacterial Genetics is the ideal way to learn modern tools and techniques for understanding the relationships between bacteria and the animals that they interact with. Without tools for manipulating microbes, we can’t fully grasp the contributions they make at the molecular and genetic level to the biology of their symbionts and hosts. The reputation of CSHL as being an immersive and inspiring place, as well as the fact that I know colleagues who spoke highly of the course, were all contributing factors in my desire to attend this course.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
I think one of the most influential lessons that I have learned in the course is that bacterial genetics offers a multitude of approaches for answering big questions in biology, and these tools can be applied in various permutations to all sorts of different systems. This experience has helped me to brainstorm new ideas for experiments in my own work. For example, I would love to take the tools I’ve learned about here (like generating gDNA libraries, transposon libraries, CRISPRi, and RIVET) and apply them in marine bacteria – which currently lack a lot of the accessible tools that are available to more widely studied model microbes. This would help us to better understand what genes in diverse marine microbes contribute to their ability to induce developmental changes in the tube worm model (and maybe even other invertebrates too).

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
My biggest piece of advice would be to come with an open mind. You will meet so many people with diverse scientific backgrounds and with diverse identities. You can learn so much from your peers and the instructors if you approach the experience with the goal of learning from everyone.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
The most memorable moment of the course for me so far has been the unbridled enthusiasm of one of our instructors over their model microbe – it’s not uncommon to hear her shout “Staphylococcus!” and I think it’s so awesome that people can build their careers and still maintain that level of excitement for their work!

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
My favorite thing about my time at CSHL so far has been the campus. It’s just beautiful and it has been a real treat to see this part of the state, especially since I have never been to New York before!

Kate received a scholarship from the Regeneron to cover a portion of her course tuition. On behalf of Kate, thank you to Regeneron for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Kate for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Images provided by Kate Nesbit

Visitor of the Week: Merissa Xiao

Meet Merissa Xiao of the Van Andel Institute. The postdoc in Dr. Huilin Li’s lab is at Protein Homeostasis in Health & Disease. This is her first meeting at CSHL and she found it “more efficient and convenient to meet and talk with people than virtual meetings. [She] felt the passion, perseverance and critical spirit of science from those attending the meeting.”

Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on understanding the mechanism of protein degradation, disaggregation, refolding and signal transduction in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). During host infection, Mtb encounters various stresses that result in reversible or irreversible damage to proteins, leading to protein misfolding or aggregation. Molecular machinery, such as proteasome-mediated degradation, heat shock protein (Hsp100, Hsp70 and Hsp40) mediated protein unfolding or refolding, and two component system (TCS) mediated regulation of gene expression. Given the importance of the molecular machineries in Mtb virulence in the host, these proteins may present as potential drug targets for TB chemotherapy.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I have been working on the Mtb system--and have been interested in this research field--since I was a graduate student. Starting from then, I was very interested in this research field. Dr. Huilin Li and Dr. Heran Darwin’s lab have been working on the mechanistic studies of potential drug targets in Mtb for many years, which they have reported many exciting findings. Though, there are still many things that need to be addressed, considering the resistance and multi-resistance occurring in Mtb. Continuing from my previous research, I want to dig into this system on the basis of current findings.  

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My long scientific journey was inspired by those who mentored me during my PhD and Postdoc studies, as well as by the research itself. The efforts of my mentors to elucidate the mechanisms of molecular machineries in Mtb and their exciting discoveries inspire me to figure out more from this system and ultimately contribute to the drug design and development of Mtb.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I would like my work to be significant, unique and useful. I hope the systems work well and our findings lead to more drugs being developed for the benefit people suffering from tuberculosis.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I would like to move towards becoming an independent researcher on the basis of being fully skilled and qualified. I hope five years worth of research will allow me to have quality publications and to have a social network with top scientists in my research field.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Doing research shares some common aspects with living:  raising questions, making plans and solving the problem. The process of problem solving could be very tough but through reading and investigating papers, I learn, get inspired, and experience. Other people’s findings help us and our research, in turn, will help other people. That’s the way scientific research moves forward.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
Protein Homeostasis in Health and Disease meeting held by CSHL is famous in this research field. There are intensive talks by great scientists from all over the world. It is a great opportunity to learn new techniques from the talks and posters, and to meet with people.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
My key takeaway is regarding scientific thinking, writing and presenting. I was motivated by the passion of the other participants, and I would definitely like to keep scientific thinking active and critical through my research career. I also received useful suggestions for my project and, such insight will definitely help me and my research going forward.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
I highly recommend people attend this meeting. The number of fantastic talks is astounding that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up.  The active and passionate atmosphere greatly facilitated scientific communications. Prepare to return to your lab inspired and teeming with new techniques and knowledge.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The most memorable thing is meeting and talking to the speakers, whose papers and books I have frequently read and online seminars I have attended. They provided with very valuable suggestions that motivated me a lot.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I like the academic and historic atmosphere in CSHL. The landscape is also amazingly beautiful. All the buildings have special names (after famous scientists) and there are pictures of famous scientists on the walls of the canteen. Walking around CSHL inspired me and my work a lot.

Thank you to Merissa for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Image provided by Merissa Xiao

Visitor of the Week: Allison Jevitt

Meet Allison Jevitt of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. The postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Susannah Rankin’s lab participated in the 2021 virtual meeting  of Eukaryotic DNA Replication & Genome Maintenance and is back, but this time it is for a course and in person, Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease! This was her first in-person event since the pandemic and had this to share, “It was an experience that I will treasure forever. I am so happy to have met so many incredible people from around the world to share in something that is so human; to learn and grow together.” We couldn’t agree more.

Tell us about your research.
My research is focused on understanding how chromatin is packaged and organized during the cell cycle. I investigate this using the clawed frog, Xenopus, a valuable vertebrate model and human cell culture.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
During my doctoral training, I became interested in understanding the factors influencing how and where tumors form. Since disrupting genome organization contributes to tumorigenesis, I was drawn to the Rankin lab to learn how this process is regulated using vertebrate models.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Sabrina Bethurum, ignited my love for Biology and modeled how to ask and answer scientific questions. Since then, I have been and continue to be supported by so many great mentors, and I will remain eternally grateful for their influence.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope that my work will help us to better understand and treat cancer.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love that being a researcher means I never get to lose that childlike sense of wonder about the world around me.

What drew you to apply to this course?
Since I have switched model systems from Drosophila to Xenopus, I wanted to learn more about what Xenopus could offer and to learn of other techniques we do not currently use in the lab.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
My key takeaway from this course is the knowledge of just how versatile the Xenopus embryo is as a vertebrate model for studying not only cell and developmental biology but also human disease. I have learned how to target single cells of the developing embryo using microinjection to perform CRISPR/Cas9 based gene depletion, mRNA overexpression, and MUCH more that I plan to apply to my ongoing research.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
I cannot recommend this course enough. Not only have I learned a lot, both in lectures and at the bench, but being surrounded by encouraging instructors, TAs, and fellow students who want to see you succeed is such an incredible experience. Be prepared to work hard, explore new techniques and tools, get outside your comfort zone, and leave with a hard drive full of beautiful microscopy images, new ideas, and a network of incredible friends and peers.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
On the final day of the course, one of the students was determined to finish their in situ hybridization experiment even though time was running out and the TAs had already begun to clean up the lab. When she finished, she rushed to tell the rest of the group that her experiment had worked and everyone began to cheer. What a moment of victory!

Is this your first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic?
Yes. This was my first in-person event since the pandemic. It was an experience that I will treasure forever. I am so happy to have met so many incredible people from around the world to share in something that is so human; to learn and grow together.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
CSHL has an energy that is completely contagious. I enjoyed walking to the beach, gazing at the harbor through the rain, and meeting the other course and meeting attendees. It was a great place to get away and feel inspired about science again after the isolation and uncertainty of a global pandemic.

Thank you to Allison for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Image provided by Allison Jevitt