Primate Stem Cell Culture and Gene Expression
The Babbitt Lab studies primate brain evolution through comparative genomics. Our lab is primarily interested in differences at the gene expression level, and how changes in gene regulation over time can impact phenotypes at even the cellular level. We study a wide array of primate species, including humans. Our lab uses stem cells as a model in order to assess gene expression differences in the primate brain.
Our goal with this project is to generate neural cells for several individuals and species for RNA-sequencing. Undergraduate students will assist graduate students in thawing/growing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs will be induced into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and further differentiated into astrocytes and neurons. From these three cell types, we will collect RNA for sequencing (allowing us to look at gene expression differences) as well as perform immunofluorescence imaging to validate cell type. We will analyze the data for differences in expression that help us to better understand the evolution of primate brains on a cellular level.
These roles have a lot of flexibility (as far as the time commitment and school year) based on your availability, but relative consistency over the semester is best because we grow any one cell line over several weeks to months.
We will ask that all students complete the required EH&S Biosafety training before starting in the lab.
This is a great opportunity for students who would like to get lots of hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture as well as some molecular biology and bioinformatics. Stem cell research is an exciting field with rapid growth. Students interested in graduate school or biomedical research should find mammalian cell culture to be a popular research topic with many career opportunities. Our lab collaborates with many other research groups at institutions across the country, and we participate in research discussions both on campus and at academic conferences every year.
Our lab is at the forefront of primate stem cell research: we are working with an expanded set of primate stem cells that have yet to be neurally differentiated. Expanding our species library will allow us to gain a wider perspective on primate brain evolution, and allow us to see deeper into primate evolutionary history. The study of primate brain evolution in particular is relevant to human clinical research as well. We can use knowledge gained from looking at human’s closest relatives in order to better understand the development of human cognitive behavior as well as neurodegenerative diseases.