PRISM Mentors

Several studies have now shown the importance of Wnt signaling for heart tissue repair in the left ventricle, but fewer studies have been done to understand Wnt’s role in right ventricle hypertrophy. The remodeling of the right ventricle during pulmonary hypertension leads to changes and impairment in the vasculature, cardiomyocyte dysfunction and fibrosis.  Our lab has shown the importance of Wnt signaling in pulmonary angiogenesis and we hypothesize that Wnt expression in the cardiac cells is critical to improve their response to the pressure load and with this, prevent heart failure. Using cardiac muscle cells and endothelial cells derived from healthy and idiopathic PH patients; we are screening and comparing the expression of several Wnts between the two groups in order to find Wnt candidates for our study. We aim to find a Wnt-associated gain of function in heart cells after injury during PH

Stanford Training Program in Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research

• Co-Principal Investigators and Program Co-Directors:  Mildred Cho, PhD, Holly Tabor, PhD
• Funding source: NIH National Human Genome Research Institute
• Appointment:  One year, renewable for up to three years
• Qualifications: The NIH requires that candidates must have a PhD or MD (JD or Master’s degree only not accepted) prior to starting the fellowship, and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for funding.  We are seeking candidates with a background in social science, ethics, philosophy, history, health services research, public policy or other related disciplines.

Job description: 

The postdoctoral fellow will conduct independent research on ethical, legal and social considerations arising from genetics and genomics.  The fellow will be part of an interdisciplinary community including faculty and fellows from this program and other affiliated programs. Fellows are expected to gain practical experience in professional activities through programs such as the Stanford Benchside Ethics Consultation Service, a research ethics consultation program to assist life sciences researchers in the resolution of ethical concerns in their research, one of the Stanford-affiliated clinical ethics consultation services, and/or teaching.

In addition to participating in SCBE and CIRGE activities, fellows will have access to a full range of courses at Stanford University, which includes genetics, social science, humanities and law courses.  It is expected that the fellow may need formal coursework in genetics, ethics, or ELSI research methods.  Mentors will assist the fellow in formulating an individualized curriculum and career strategies.  All trainees will be expected to present their research in scholarly venues.  Fellowship support includes a stipend, tuition, and health insurance. Funds will be provided by the fellowship for each fellow to travel to one meeting per year.

For more information, please see our website. 

The Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics (SCBE) is an interdisciplinary hub for faculty who do research, teaching, and service on topics in bioethics and medical humanities. SCBE researchers have pioneered new approaches to studying the ethical issues presented by new technologies in biomedicine, including Artificial Intelligence, CRISPR and Gene Therapy, Stem Cell Research, Synthetic Biology, and the Human Brain Initiative. To benefit patients, SCBE has undertaken novel, ground-breaking research to improve clinical care, including end of life care, communication between patients and physicians, care for disabled patients, and organ transplantation processes. SCBE offers postdoctoral fellowships in Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Research and Clinical Ethics. We currently have an opening for a postdoctoral fellow in Clinical Ethics. View more information here. 

We study hematopoiesis which is the complex process of producing blood cells that are essential for maintaining our basic health and well being. Our mission is to learn how these individual cells change as people age and develop cancer. Blood cell production is driven by the hematopoietic stem cell which gives rise to an incredible diversity of cells throughout life. Our research focuses on how dysregulation of this process leads to cytopenias and hematologic malignancies. We have expertise that spans clinical medicine, functional hematology, molecular and cellular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, and machine learning. By integrating advanced experimental and computational methods, we are examining blood cell development and function at single-cell resolution to advance patient diagnostics and treatment.

Our group is diverse and interdisciplinary, and we maintain active colaborations with investigators in the Division of Hematology, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Stanford Cancer Institute.

My lab is focused on understanding host-pathogen interactions with a particular focus on innate immune responses. We apply omics approaches to dissect these interactions, performing in vivo profiling and building in vitro systems to define host-pathogen interactions. We have a particular passion for understanding the mechanisms by which NK cells recognize and respond to pathogens. We currently have projects evaluating immunity to SARS-CoV-2, HIV, influenza, and tuberculosis.

Department URL:
https://medicine.stanford.edu/

The research group of Dr. Nathan Lo is based in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University. Our group studies the transmission of infectious diseases and impact of public health strategies with an ultimate goal of informing public health policy. Our current research focuses on tropical diseases, vaccine-preventable infections, and COVID-19.

I am an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist    OUr lab is well know internationally in two major areas:  1.  The role of infections in chronic diseases and 2.  Physiologic changes in humans over time, specifically the decrease in human body temperature.  3. Novel surveillance projects, especially serosurveys done through the mail and  the use of wastewater to track infections.  Right now, projects that could integrate a post-doctoral fellow include:  In addition, my research group works on gun violence prevention.  

1.  Analysis of a California population-based serosurvey on SARS-COV2 infection, including information on human behaviors (mask wearing, social , vaccination) and demographics (age, race, education),  We could expand this study to look at other infectious diseases as well.

2.  Research assessing the association between high normal body temperature and longevity.

3.  Gun violence prevention.  Gun violence is a national tragedy.  We have two major projects in this area:

     a.  A project with Santa Clara County Department of Public health that combines the many data sources on gun violence across the county (Police, hospitals,EMT, schools, health departments), bring together stakeholders at community organizations across the county fighting gun violence and work with health care workers to identify strategies to educate patients on gun violence prevention.

     b.  Educational project development to teach physicians across the county how to talk to patients about gun violence

The primary research focus of the Relman Lab is the human indigenous microbiota (microbiome), and in particular, the nature and mechanisms of variation in patterns of microbial diversity within the human body as a function of time (microbial succession), space (biogeography within the host landscape), and in response to perturbation, e.g., antibiotics (community robustness and resilience). One of the goals of this work is to define the role of the human microbiome in health and disease. We are particularly interested in measuring and understanding resilience in the human microbial ecosystem. Our work includes the human oral cavity, gut, and female reproductive tract, as well as an analysis of microbial diversity in marine mammals. This research integrates theory and methods from ecology, population biology, environmental microbiology, genomics and clinical medicine.

Building synthetic solids with atomic precision from layered sheets and other nanomaterials. Scanning probe characterization of atomic-scale electronic and opto-electronic phenomena. 2D materials and thin film growth.

Current Research Projects

• Pediatric Research Immune Network on SARS-CoV-2 and MIS-C (PRISM)
• Work with our team to consent subjects, obtain and process samples for immune assays to determine the immune responses in children with COVID.

• Identification and Therapeutic Targeting of a Novel Cell Population in Rejection of Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation
• Work with our microsurgeon to establish the cell populations, using CyTOF, important in the initiation of T cell‒mediated rejection of vascularized composite allotransplantation.

• Exosomes as a Reliable Noninvasive Method for Monitoring VCA Graft Rejection
• Work with our microsurgeon to assess the importance of exosomes and their cargo in graft rejection in a novel experimental model of vascularized composite allotransplantation

• Exosomes and the Immune Response in Allograft Outcomes in Pediatric Transplant
Recipients
• Work with a senior postdoctoral fellow to determine the impact of an allograft on the early post-transplant immune response.

My laboratory investigates the immune response to viruses and allogeneic tissues. We are interested in characterizing the human immune response to EBV, CMV, and SARS-CoV-2 to distinguish features that are associated with control of the virus or result in pathologies including COVID-19, MIS-C, and post-transplant viral disease. Projects that are available include 1) analysis of the diversity of TCR usage in the response to EBV, CMV, and SARS-CoV-2 through the use of next generation sequencing and single cell approaches to evaluate T cell phenotype and function; 2) characterization of the natural killer (NK) cell populations that participate in the response to viruses; 3) determining the role of the viral protein LMP1 in activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and the effect of targeting this pathway in EBV-associated  B cell lymphoma development. 4) identification of novel host gene targets and pathways of oncogenesis utilized by EBV.  Human immunology projects utilize cell lines as well as existing extensive repositories of  human blood and tissue samples. Animal models of transplant immunology and tumor immunology are also established in the lab.

Molecular and Cellular Immunobiology

The lab's current research is aimed primarily at understanding how hematopoietic stem cells interact with their microenvironment in order to subsequently modulate these interactions to ultimately improve bone marrow transplantation and unlock biological secrets that further enable regenerative medicine broadly. We are primarily focused on studying the cell surface receptors on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and bone marrow stromal cells, and are actively learning how manipulating these can alter cell state and cell fate.  We have also pioneered several antibody-based conditioning methods that are at various stages of clinical development to enable safer stem cell transplantation.

There are many exciting opportunities that stem from this work across a variety of disease states ranging from rare genetic diseases, autoimmune diseases, solid organ transplantation, microbiome and cancer. While we are primarily focused on blood and immune diseases, the expanded potential of this work is much broader and can be applied to other organ systems as well and we are very eager to develop collaborations across disease areas. The Czechowicz lab hopes to further add in the field of translation research.

Goals
We aim to increase our understanding of the basic science principles that govern these cells and then exploit these findings to develop improved therapies for patients
We are particularly focused on pediatric non-malignant bone marrow transplantation with a strong interest in genetic blood/immune diseases and bone marrow failure, but do complementry work on solid tumors with marrow disease, solid organ tolerance induction, autoimmune diseases and gene therapy/gene editing.

We study hematopoiesis which is the complex process of producing blood cells that are essential for maintaining our basic health and well being. Our mission is to learn how these individual cells change as people age and develop cancer. Blood cell production is driven by the hematopoietic stem cell which gives rise to an incredible diversity of cells throughout life. Our research focuses on how dysregulation of this process leads to cytopenias and hematologic malignancies. We have expertise that spans clinical medicine, functional hematology, molecular and cellular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, and machine learning. By integrating advanced experimental and computational methods, we are examining blood cell development and function at single-cell resolution to advance patient diagnostics and treatment.

Our group is diverse and interdisciplinary, and we maintain active colaborations with investigators in the Division of Hematology, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Stanford Cancer Institute.

The main focus of Dr. Gomez-Ospina’s lab is to develop therapies for patients with genetic neurodgenerative diseases. The lab uses genome editing and stem cells to produce definitive treatments for childhood neurodegenerative diseases, many of which are lysosomal storage disorders.

Current projects in the lab include developing autologous transplantation of genome-edited hematopoietic stem cells for Mucopolysaccharidosis type I, Gaucher, Krabbe disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Friedreich's ataxia.

Although there is a strong translational focus to the lab, we are also pursuing basic science questions to understand and enhance our therapies including: 1) increasing the efficiency of genome editing tools, 2) understanding microglia turnover in response to conditioning before hematopoietic stem transplant, and 3) stablishing brain-specific conditioning regimens to neurometabolic diseases.

How the richly varied cell-types in the human body arise from one embryonic cell is a biological marvel and mystery. We have mapped how human pluripotent stem cells develop into over thirty different human cell-types. This roadmap allowed us to efficiently and rapidly generate human liver, bone, heart and blood vessel progenitors in a Petri dish from pluripotent stem cells. Each of these tissue precursors could regenerate their cognate tissue upon injection into respective mouse models, with relevance to regenerative medicine. In addition to our interests in developmental and stem cell biology, we also harbor an emerging interest in deadly biosafety level 4 viruses, such as Ebola and Nipah viruses.

Our group combines computational and experimental techniques to study the cellular organization of complex tissues, with a focus on determining the phenotypic diversity and clinical significance of tumor cell subsets. We have a particular interest in developing innovative data science tools that illuminate the cellular hierarchies and stromal elements that underlie tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy. As part of this focus, we develop new algorithms to resolve cellular states and multicellular communities, tumor developmental hierarchies, and single-cell spatial relationships from genomic profiles of clinical biospecimens. Key results are further explored experimentally, both in our lab and through collaboration, with the goal of translating promising findings into the clinic.

As a member of the Department of Biomedical Data Science and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and as an affiliate of graduate programs in Biomedical Informatics, Cancer Biology, and Immunology, we are also interested in the development of impactful biomedical data science tools in areas beyond our immediate research focus, including developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and systems immunology.

Our translational research laboratory endeavors to bring breakthroughs in stem cell biology and tissue engineering to clinical ophthalmology and reconstructive surgery. Over 6 million people worldwide are afflicted with corneal blindness, usually caused by chemical and thermal burns, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, microbial infections, or chronic inflammation. These injuries often result in corneal vascularization, conjunctivalization, scarring, and opacification from limbal epithelial stem cell (LSC) deficiency (LSCD), for which there is currently no durable treatment.

The most promising cure for bilateral LSCD is finding an autologous source of limbal epithelial cells for transplantation. Utilizing recent advances in the field of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), our research aims to create a reliable and renewable source of limbal epithelial cells for potential use in treating human eye diseases. These cells will be grown on resorbable biomatrices to generate stable transplantable corneal tissue. These studies will serve as the basis for human clinical trials and make regenerative medicine a reality for those with sight-threatening disease. On a broader level, this experimental approach could serve as a paradigm for the creation of other transplantable tissue for use throughout the body. Stem cell biology has the potential to influence every field of medicine and will revolutionize the way we perform surgery.

Tom's current research focuses on studying the formation and evolution of galaxies with new numerical techniques, however, he enjoys all areas of non-linear physics which can be addressed using supercomputer calculations! His research interests span dark matter dynamics, the physics of collisionless shocks, investigating the role that cosmic rays and magnetic fields play in the formation and evolution of galaxies, modeling the formation of stars and black holes as well as turbulence, and applications of numerical general relativity.

Steve is interested in the physics of the most massive objects in the Universe and how we can use them to probe how the Universe evolved. Steve and his group are currently focused on understanding the astrophysics of galaxies and of galaxy clusters using multi-wavelength observations, and on using large, statistical samples of these objects to probe the natures of dark matter, dark energy and fundamental physics. More information regarding ongoing research and a list of Steve's current group members can be found here.

Pat and her research group are currently working hard as part of the exciting Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Dark Energy Science Collaboration in the general area of gravitational lensing. Her group is using analytic calculations, simulations and existing astronomical images to thoroughly understand potential systematic biases and challenges in extracting accurate and precise measurements of cosmic shear from gravitational lensing with current and future surveys. Current projects include the study of chromatic effects and blended objects.

Susan is broadly interested in astrophysical magnetism and the physics of the interstellar medium (ISM), from diffuse gas to dense, star-forming regions. Susan’s research tackles open questions like the structure of the Milky Way’s magnetic field, the nature of interstellar turbulence, and the role of magnetism in star formation. These big questions demand multiwavelength observations and new data analysis techniques. Susan is particularly interested in deciphering the magnetic ISM using sensitive measurements of synchrotron and polarized dust emission made by cosmic microwave background experiments like the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Simons Observatory (SO).

Chao-Lin’s group use the most ancient light, the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, emitted when the universe was in its infancy to shed light on the question of how the universe began. Currently Chao-Lin's group are involved in a number of experiments such as BICEP/BICEP2/Keck Array and have been working hard on detecting primordial B-mode polarization. His group are involved in both he design and construction of instruments as well as the data analysis and theoretical interpretation.

Roger is interested in a variety of topics in high energy astrophysics and cosmology. Much of Roger's group are currently focused on understanding the cosmic gamma-ray sources discovered by the Fermi Space telescope, principally pulsars and blazars. This inherently multi-wavelength question requires them to use telescopes all over the world and in space in order to assemble data on these objects and then to develop and test theoretical models to explain what we see.

Phil's main research interests are in the structure and dynamics of the interior of the sun, how this affect solar activity and through this its effects on terrestrial systems. Phil's group’s primary emphasis is on the structure and dynamics of the solar interior using techniques of helioseismology. His group are interested in both developing instrumentation for solar observatories and in the data analysis of solar magnetic fields from space and from the ground.