NEWS

September, 2024

On September 1, 2024, Dr. Cong Ma officially joined the Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Michigan as an assistant professor. She was the recipient of the Damon Runyon Quantitative Biology Fellowship during her postdoc. Her research focuses on developing advanced mathematical models for spatial transcriptomic and multi-omic data to understand spatial patterns of tissue organization, gene expression gradients, and tumor evolution. She has also worked on probabilistic models for identifying transcript sequence variants and quantifying isoform abundances resulting from alternative splicing. With the advancement of spatial technologies offering higher resolution and richer information, she will continue to develop interpretable mathematical models to integrate genetic evolution, epigenetic features, spatial localization, and cell-cell interactions to understand tissue development and disease progression.

We are very excited to have her join us here and look forward to all the things she will surely accomplish!!

September, 2024

MIT Technology Review’s 2024 Innovators Under 35!!!

Dr. Linghu was nominated for his work on Intracellular Protein Tapes (C. Linghu, et al., Nature Biotechnology, 2023)

His imaging technique could reveal secrets of how the brain works.

Changyang Linghu, 33, is inspired by the concept of emergence: the idea that complex systems can take on properties that cannot be explained by their component parts alone. Understanding how this works in the human brain, which has 86 billion neurons, would entail recording cellular activity at a massive scale. Existing ways of measuring neural activity through electrical or light signals could never work with the brain as a whole, whereas brain-wide imaging tools like CT scans or fMRI lack single-cell precision.

Linghu devised a new approach. Instead of measuring cellular activity with an external interface, he sought to “trick” neurons into recording their activity themselves. To do so, he genetically engineered a set of two proteins that work like a ticker tape. When genes encoding them are delivered to a cell, the cell produces one of the proteins in a continually growing chain and the other only during cellular events, such as activities known to drive memory formation. Later, researchers can view that protein ticker tape under a microscope to get a timeline of the cell’s activity, similar to the way scientists study the rings of a tree.

Linghu has tested this method with both neurons cultured in a lab and in the brains of mice.  He and colleagues at the University of Michigan Neuroscience Institute, where he’s a professor of cell and developmental biology, have begun using AI to look for patterns in this data.

Linghu hopes his technique could unpack one of the scientific world’s great mysteries: how the brain achieves high-level functions such as learning, memory, and consciousness.

If you have a membership you can access the article here: https://www.technologyreview.com/innovator/changyang-linghu/
 
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN DR. LINGHU! 
 

September, 2024

Congratulations to Justin Colacino, SCSAP Leadership Member, on Being Named a

2024 Rogel Scholar! 

We are thrilled to announce that Justin Colacino, PhD, Associate Professor in both Environmental Health Sciences and Nutritional Sciences, has been honored as a 2024 Rogel Scholar!

The Rogel Scholars Awards Program recognizes outstanding faculty who are driving innovative advances in cancer research. This prestigious award provides support for a three-year term, with the possibility of a two-year extension.

Congratulations, Dr. Colacino, on this well-deserved achievement! 

January 16, 2024

The Biosciences Initiative announced the new Mid-career Biosciences Faculty Achievement Recognition Award (MBioFAR) 2024 MBioFar awardees. 

They included 3 of our very own SCSAP Members

July 2023

 

Congratulations to the 2023 BI Innovator Awardee, Evan T. Keller, D.V.M., Ph.D. 

Faculty Innovator

Dr. Keller is the Richard and Susan Rogel Professor of Oncology and serves as Director of the Single Cell Spatial Analysis Program, Director of Research Cores Office, and Associate Director of the Rogel Cancer Center Shared Resources. Dr. Keller obtained a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) (University of California, Davis) and Ph.D. in Developmental Biology (University of Wisconsin, Madison). He is Board Certified in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology). Dr. Keller has published more than 250 publications and his research focus is on the tumor microenvironment. His work extends from basic through clinical studies.

Please join us in congratulating him on this honor!

August 2022

 

Vizgen recently shared access to their FFPE Human Immuno-Oncology Data Release, the third public MERFISH dataset generated by the MERSCOPE Platform™.

The data release contains 16 datasets derived from the MERFISH measurements of 8 different FFPE human tumor sample types including colon, liver, melanoma, ovarian, prostate, lung, breast, and uterine. Check it out today! 

Additionally, they have also announced their “Ask a question” tool, which is a great way to get help or share feedback. You can access that tool HERE

July 2022

 

Evan T. Keller, D.V.M., Ph.D. named as inaugural Richard and Susan Rogel Professor of Oncology!

This professorship, established through the generosity of Susan and Richard Rogel, philanthropists and long-time supporters of the University of Michigan,  is chosen by departmental chairs and the Rogel Cancer Center leadership and recognizes expertise in the field of oncology.

An extraordinarily successful scientist, this is a well-deserved honor as Dr. Keller is a leader both in the field of oncology and as a leader at the University of Michigan. Dr. Keller holds many prestigious titles including Director for the Single Cell Spatial Analysis Program, Director of the Research Cores, Office of the Vice President for Research, the Associate Director of Shared Resources Rogel Cancer Center and the Co-Director, Rogel Cancer Center Single Cell and Spatial Analysis Shared Resource

Please join us in congratulating him on this honor!

BRCF is Partnering with Rogel Cancer Center Shared Resources to Extend Our Reach

Michigan Medicine’s Rogel Cancer Center recently announced several new offerings coming to their Shared Resources program. Two BRCF Cores are now working to provide service to Rogel Cancer Center patrons. The first new offering is the Epigenomics and Epigenetics Shared Resource, …

MIDAS Challenge Grant funds study of single cells

Research led by a team of scientists from across U-M makes the analysis of individual cells possible, unlocking potential advancements in biology research and other disciplines. The study team used seed money from a Michigan Institute for Data Science Challenge Grant to generate more than $37 million in funding.

SCSAP Director Evan Keller, PhD was interviewed for Spatial Transcriptomics in the Clinic: Around the Corner or Pipe Dream? By Julianna LeMieux, Ph.D.

SCSAP Mentioned in  “Scientists map a key circuit of cells in the brain” by  Alison Snyder, author of Science

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