Washington University NF Center Winter 2014 Newsletter
2014 might be winding down, but the Washington University NF Center is still hard at work in our research laboratories and at our innovative outreach programs, like Beat NF and Club NF!
Check out the winter 2014 newsletter for some of our most popular research articles, a reflection on our successful fall Beat NF event and more! Some of the highlights include:
Walk Family Makes Donation to Support NF Research
Understanding the Diverse Clinical Features of NF1
Researcher Profile: Sidney Williams, PhD
New Drug Shows Promise for NF1 Plexiform Neurofibromas
Post-Doc Profile: Joe Toonen – Understanding NF1-Associated Vision Loss
Joe Toonen, PhD, is interested in understanding how optic gliomas cause nerve cells in the eye to malfunction and lead to vision loss. Using novel Nf1 mouse strains, Dr. Toonen’s research is focused on defining the mechanisms that control nerve cell function in the eye (retina) relevant to the development of better treatments for the visual decline resulting from NF1-associated optic glioma.
Grad Student Profile: Cynthia Garcia – Studying Spinal Tumor Formation in NF2
Cynthia Garcia is focused on understanding why spinal tumors form in people with NF2. Using a combination of methods, she has identified a promising drug target for potential treatment of NF2-associated ependymoma.
Cynthia is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Washington University. She will present her dissertation in June 2014.
Grad Student Profile: Anne Solga – Studying Non-Cancerous Cells in Optic Pathway Gliomas
Anne Solga is studying the role of non-cancerous cells in NF1-associated optic glioma as an initial step towards identifying new treatments for these common childhood brain tumors. Using advanced sequencing and mouse modeling strategies, she has found a number of promising candidates for future drug design.
Anne Solga has her MS in Biotechnology and is currently pursuing her PhD.