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Section of Developmental Biology News
Dev Bio students awarded T32 training fellowships
Natalia Weinzierl, an Integrated Physiology student in the Roberson Lab, received a PHHD T32 fellowship. Her research investigates the role of Hedgehog signaling on uterine smooth remodeling during pregnancy and its implications on labor outcomes. Sean Lee is a CSD student in the Mosimann lab. His project will use zebrafish to study the transcriptional regulation and differentiation of hindbrain structures during early development. Alyssa is a CSD student in the Franco and Green labs, was reappointed to the GDDR T32. Her research uses an in-utero electroporation mouse model of pediatric diffuse midline glioma to investigate the molecular and microenvironmental mechanisms that drive tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance, with the long-term goal of identifying new strategies to improve patient outcomes. Kaia, a CSD student graduate student in the Sagerstrom lab studies the role of TALE transcription factors in neural development, from the initial specification of neurons in embryos to the formation of neural circuits and the emergence of behavior in larvae.
Ashlyn Meinecke, an MD/PhD candidate has been a F31 from NICHD
Ashlyn Meinecke, an MD/PhD candidate in the Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development program in the Roberson lab has received an NRSA F31 fellowship from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development for her project entitled “The role of Gli2 in uterine remodeling and gestation maintenance”. She will use mice to study the relationship between hedgehog signaling and endometrial thickness, focusing on impacts in fertility.
Milagros Pereira Luppi, a Postdoctoral Fellow has been awarded a T32 from NICHD
Milagros Pereira Luppi, a postdoctoral fellow in the Franco Lab, has been awarded a T32 NRSA Institutional Research Training Grant in Perinatal Biology from the NICHD. Her research will investigate how histone mutations alter chromatin states and gene expression during the formation of pediatric diffuse midline gliomas. Her project aims to define the developmental origins of these aggressive tumors and to determine how interactions with the tumor microenvironment contribute to tumor initiation and growth.
Danae Mitchell, PhD candidate has been awarded an F31 from NINDS
Danae Mitchell, a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience graduate program, has been awarded an F31 from NINDS. Her project titled "Investigating Molecular Mechanism of Meningeal Fibroblast Development" will use mouse models to uncover the transcriptional role of Foxc1 in meningeal fibroblast development as well as the signaling pathways responsible for meningeal fibroblast differentiation and specification.
Han Zhu, Assistant Professor has been awarded an SRA from Breakthrough T1D
Han Zhu, Assistant Professor has been awarded an SRA from Breakthrough T1D. The project is titled “Genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells enabling programmable β-cell differentiation for type 1 diabetes therapy.” The project will combine single-cell genomics, artificial intelligence, and genome engineering to redesign regulatory DNA that controls pancreatic cell fate, with the goal of improving the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of stem cell-derived islet production for type 1 diabetes cell replacement therapy.
Amanda Garfield, PhD candidate has been awarded an F31 from NICHD
Amanda Garfield, a Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development graduate student in the Mosimann lab has received an NRSA F31 fellowship from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Disease for her project entitled “Mechanisms of Hand2-mediated cell migration in mesothelia”. She will use zebrafish to study the mechanisms driving mesothelial cell migration and organ formation early during embryonic development.
Lillian Folts, PhD candidate has been awarded an F31 from NICHD
Lillian Folts, a PhD candidate in the Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Program, has been awarded a NRSA F31 from NICHD. Her project aims to uncover the function of the rete ovarii, a recently “rediscovered” epithelial appendage of the ovary, in progesterone signaling and ovarian folliculogenesis.
Nature Communications publication from the Appel Lab, August 2026
Natalie Carey, PhD, Caleb Doll, PhD, and Bruce Appel, PhD, published a manuscript in Nature Communications entitled “Zebrafish oligodendrocyte lineage cells use the postsynaptic protein Gephyrin to myelinate GABAergic axons and limit myelin sheath growth” (Nat Commun. 2026 Jun 29;17(1):8123. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-74902-3. PMID: 42373637). Their work provides evidence that myelinating cells use a shared postsynaptic-like mechanism with neurons to help direct the myelination of specific types of axons and regulate the amount of myelin formed around them. These findings raise the possibility that genetic variants that alter synaptic protein function may also disrupt myelination, potentially contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders associated with these variants.
Jen McKey, Assistant Professor has been awarded an R01 from NICHD
Jen McKey, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics just received an R01 from NICHD to investigate the mechanisms driving functional regionalization of the mammalian ovary. This project aims to expand our knowledge of the developmental origins of ovarian health and disease by defining the molecular links between ovarian architecture and the specification of regionalized cell subtypes during the establishment of the ovarian reserve.
Faculty Promotions
Julie Siegenthaler, PhD, and Christian Mosimann, PhD, were recently promoted to Professor, with Tenure. These promotions and the award of tenure are tributes to their outstanding research and scholarship, excellence in teaching and mentorship, service to the institution and their scientific communities, and national and international recognition for their accomplishments.
Raisa Bailon Zambrano, Postdoctoral Fellow has been awarded F32 from NINDS
Raisa Bailon Zambrano was awarded a F32 from NINDS and will explore how microglia, the resident immune cell of the central nervous system, are involved in the regulation of myelin, the membrane deposited by oligodendrocytes that provides insulation to axons, during development. My proposal seeks to shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which microglia regulate myelination and keep brain development on track
Marycruz Flores Flores, Postdoctoral Fellow has been selected as a Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences 2025
Marycruz Flores Flores, Ph.D., will explore how membrane potential—the distribution of ions across cell membranes that triggers various physiological functions—helps to orchestrate cardiac development. https://www.pew.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases-and-statements/2025/08/12/pew-supports-10-latin-american-fellows-pursuing-scientific-advances