Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2010

Mentor: Joachim Herz
Department: Molecular Genetics
Room number: L5.154
Mail Code: 9046
Phone number: 214 648 5633
E-mail: Joachim.Herz@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Regulation of Glutamate Receptor Trafficking by ApoE receptors

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) basic research

Brief Description of Project:

The project would build on what Anandita did last summer, but now explore how the behavioral changes in the mutant mice come about. We suspect that the phenotype is caused by alteration in the trafficking of AMPA and/or NMDA receptors. The project would entail transfecting primary neurons with fluorescently tagged receptors (using lentivirus) and then monitor the partitioning of the receptors into and out of the synapse upon ApoE receptor activation.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

At least half of my former postdocs, graduate students and summer students were MDs or MD students or incoming MD students.