Identify Gene Targets and Develop Gene Editing Strategies for Cellular Therapies

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the only cure for patients with blood, bone marrow and immune disorders. Understanding the underlying molecular biology behind HSC function, expansion, and differentiation is critical to improve cellular therapies for multiple diseases. In this Build Project, you will wear the hat of a Molecular Research Associate to perform RNA sequencing analysis and then identify relevant pathways and genes of interest in HSC functions. All this will happen in an environment that simulates the operations of a real Research team.

By the end of the 8-week project, students will develop deliverables for this project are focused on building artifacts that you can use to showcase your work in a job application. By the end of the micro-internship, you'll review an RNAseq gene pathway from human hematopoietic stem cells, perform a comparative analysis between multiple conditions, and develop gene knockout and genotyping designs. In the final project session, you'll present your results to the Project Leader in a format that mimics a job interview (so you’re ready to discuss your work in real-life interviews).