Directory - Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund

Status

Year Appointed

Institution

Name

Clear Filters

Allison Kann, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 2023

How to build (and rebuild) an animal

Many animals are capable of whole-body regeneration, enabling the regrowth of missing structures to their original size and shape after major amputation. Most studies investigating this phenomenon have focused on the transcriptional control of differentiation from adult pluripotent stem cells. However, Dr. Allison Kann predicts that an important, yet underappreciated, aspect of regeneration is the role of cell adhesion. Regeneration from stem cells requires free progenitor cells to unite and integrate into multicellular tissues and organs. Dr. Kann will use Hofstenia miamia, a genetically tractable invertebrate model system to investigate the disassembly, formation, and remodeling of cellular junctions during regeneration. Kann will conduct these studies in Dr. Mansi Srivastava’s lab at Harvard University. These studies will reveal new principles of regeneration and identify mechanisms that cells use to converge into multicellular structures.

As a graduate student in Dr. Robert Krauss’ lab at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Kann investigated the activation of muscle stem cells. She identified that cytoskeletal regulation is a key driver of muscle stem cell fate decisions and demonstrated how stem cells transduce injury signals into activation. With her background in adult stem cell biology, Dr. Kann is now ready to investigate how cellular interactions between progenitor cells regulate organismal regeneration.

Heidi B. Kaplan Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1986

Developmental regulation of an A-factor-dependent gene in Myxococcus

Joshua M. Kaplan Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1989

Mechanosensory cell function in C. elegans

Harris Kaplan Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 2020

Functional development of social behavior circuits

Mammalian social behaviors change dramatically over the lifespan: infants rely on their mothers for food and warmth, adolescents engage each other in social play, and adults mate and parent. This highly conserved social niche trajectory consists of dynamic motivational drives and behavioral repertoires and co-occurs alongside rapid changes in brain organization. However, it remains unclear how developmental changes in behavior result from transformations of the underlying brain circuits.
As a postdoctoral fellow in Catherine Dulac‚Äôs lab, I am dissecting these developmental transitions in mammalian brain and behavior. Focusing on the mouse hypothalamus, I am charting the coordinated emergence of transcriptional cell-type identities, spontaneous and stimulus-evoked neuronal activity patterns, and corresponding changes in behavior. Further, I am exploring the robustness and plasticity of these trajectories by manipulating the animal‚Äôs sensory and social rearing environment. This work will provide novel insights into the developmental processes that build animal behavior.

Avnish Kapoor Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Appointed in 2013

Delineate mechanisms of oncogenic KRAS independent effector pathways of pancreatic cancer

Eva Karasmanis Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Diego

Appointed in 2020

Cellular regulation of cargo motility

David A. Karnofsky Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Memorial Hospital, New York

Appointed in 1946

Cancer chemotherapy

Robert W. Karp Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Cambridge, England

Appointed in 1978

Molecular cloning of the Adh locus of D. melanogaster

Timothy L. Karr Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1981

Organization of the cell cytoplasm

Kathleen M. Karrer Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Indiana University

Appointed in 1976

Nuclear proteins of Drosophila pole cells

Maya M. Kasowski Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 2018

Variation in chromosomal interactions in 10 human populations

A lesson of the genome wide association study (GWAS) era is that _x000D_
approximately 90% of causal disease variants influence gene expression. Mapping genetic variants that influence molecular-level phenotypes has elucidated various mechanisms underlying gene expression diversity. Recently, we showed that genetic variants coordinate histone modifications at sites of intra-chromosomal interaction, thereby providing a mechanism for variation in the activity of regulatory elements that lack local sequence variation [15]. We hypothesize that genetic variants influence distal sites by affecting the stability of chromosomal contacts (“loops”) and that this is a common mechanism for gene expression variation. The_x000D_
location of loops is sequence-specific, mediated by transcription factors (TFs) that bind specific DNA motifs. Genetic variants that disrupt binding sites could therefore be expected to destabilize loops and prevent enhancer-promoter contacts. We propose to map genetic variants affecting chromosomal interactions in order to characterize this novel mechanism for gene expression diversity. We will employ an efficient pooling strategy, which will enable us to map variants in an expanded set of 1000 people belonging to 10 populations. We will leverage the genetic loci we identify to fine-map GWAS hits and discover causal variants that confer disease risk through effects on 3D genome architecture.

David Kastner Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 2016

Neural activity underlying individual variability in spatial decisions

Memory informs how animals interact with the world. It provides an expectation of the future based upon past experience. With navigation, animals draw upon a memory of their surroundings to inform their decisions. The hippocampus is critical for spatial decision-making by providing multiple ways to recall surroundings. Yet, why the hippocampus has multiple recall strategies remains unknown. To test the hypothesis that different recall strategies provide the substrate for individual variability, I will explore the behavior and hippocampal neural activity of both male and female rats during different spatial tasks. Beyond just recording the differences between animals, I will also specifically block hippocampal recall activity to determine their necessity for individual behavior. Studying individual decision-making will explore the range of neural computations that are consistent with normal functioning, and further our understanding of the complex relationship between the internal representation of the world and its external manifestations

Alexander Katsov Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Rockefeller University

Appointed in 2010

Functional maturation of the nervous system in the nematode C. elegans

Jon R. Katze Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Appointed in 1966

Structure of the coat protein of the f2 phage of E. coli

Stephen J. Kaufman Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1971

Amino acid sequence of myeloma immunoglobulins

Lawrence M. Kauvar Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

California Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1978

Genetic dissection of the neuromuscular junction

Justus Kebschull Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 2018

Investigating cell type and brain circuit evolution in the cerebellum

Brain circuits and the neuronal cell types that form them are not static over evolutionary time. Rather, they cause and reflect the changing repertoire of animal behavior. How circuits and cell types change from their ancestral state to support novel behaviors during evolution, therefore, gives us important clues as to their current function. In my project, I will investigate the interaction between the cerebellum and the rest of the brain from this evolutionary angle by studying the progressive expansion and elaboration of the deep cerebellar nuclei, the output pathway of the cerebellum. I will profile transcriptional and protectional cell types of the DCN across species to probe changes in the DCN over deep evolutionary time. I will then integrate this dataset with developmental trajectories of the identified cell types in mouse, to provide mechanistic insight into how brain regions specialize on the level of single cells and circuit wiring to support new functions over the course of evolution.

James. L. Keck Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 1997

Structure and function of the RecQ helilcase

James J. Keirns Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Appointed in 1972

Role of adenyl cyclase in the excitation of vertebrate photoreceptors

Gregory Kellogg Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 1993

Interaction of cyclophilin, CsA and calcineurin

C. Lindley Kemp Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Universite de Geneve, Switzerland

Appointed in 1963

Ultrastructural behavior of chromosomes

Jon A. Kenniston Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Pennsylvania

Appointed in 2006

Investigating dynamin as a model for functionality important low-affinity PH domain/phosphoinositide interactions

Joan L. L. Kent Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Appointed in 1963

Biosynthesis of bacterial lipopolysaccharides

Cynthia J. Kenyon Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

MRC Center, University Medical School, England

Appointed in 1981

Development of genetic mosaic analysis in C. elegans

Daniel S. Kessler Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 1991

Growth factor-regulated effectors of pattern formation

Renat Khaliullin Jane Coffin Childs Fellow - Ludwig Institute

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Appointed in 2012

Mechanics of contractile ring constriction

Amy A. Kiger Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 2001

Hui Sun Kim Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 1999

Thermophilic reductase dynamics and nuclear tunneling

Sunyoung Kim Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Appointed in 1987

B cell differentiation

Taekyung Kim Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Boston Children's Hospital

Appointed in 2003

Signaling pathway by L type Ca2+ channel

Seyun Kim Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Johns Hopkins University

Appointed in 2007

The role for nuclear GAPDH in the regulation of p300/p53 activation

Hyun-Eui Kim Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Appointed in 2008

Study of relationship between metabolism and protein homeostasis in neurodegenerative diseases, with Andrew Dillin

In the lab of Andrew Dillin, I study the mechanism of proteotoxicity in age-onset neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer¬ís and Huntington¬ís. To better understand how protein homeostasis plays a role in these diseases, I use animal model systems ¬ó such as c. elegans and mice ¬ó that express toxic proteins including the amyloid beta peptide (Alzheimer’s) or poly-glutamate protein (Huntington’s).

I was born in Seoul, Korea. My desire to become a¬† good scientist outweighed anxiety over separating from my family, so I moved to the U.S, obtaining my PhD in biochemistry at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. There, I studied the mechanism of cell death and apoptosis, in particularly in various cancer cells. For my postdoc career, I wanted to try new systems to learn more of biology and use my biochemistry expertise. I chose a genetics lab where I can work with live animals and develop a better understanding of pathology in animal model systems, rather than just in groups of cells. I am hopeful that my basic science findings can turn into therapeutic tools. Outside of work, I play piano and paint, and enjoy walking my little dog on the beautiful San Diego beach.

Judith E. Kimble Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

MRC Center, University Medical School, England

Appointed in 1978

Cell determination during organogenesis in C elegans

Bruce E. Kimmel Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1991

Isolation and characterization of a C elegans mutation

Jonathan King Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

MRC Center, University Medical School, England /
Purdue University

Appointed in 1968

Proteins of the sheath of bacteriophage T4 and the capsid structure of animal viruses

Robert E. Kingston Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1982

Deletion mapping of adenovirus 5 region E1B

Jack F. Kirsch Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley /
Brandeis University

Appointed in 1961

Organic chemistry models for enzyme reactions

Jan K. Kitajewski Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1987

Characterization and purification of int-1 and proteins expressed from baculovirus vectors

Matthew Klassen Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 2010

Functional assembly of a cardiac reflex circuit

David Klawon, Ph.D. Hope Funds for Cancer Research-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 2025

Role of neoantigen-nonspecific Passenger T cells in cancer-associated immunity and tumor progression

Dr. Dave Klawon is fascinated with the critical, yet disparate roles that our immune system plays in resolving or mediating different diseases. He hypothesizes that comparing productive immune responses during infections with immune responses that fail to resolve in autoimmunity or become dysfunctional in cancer will “reveal precise therapeutic targets capable of tuning the immune response at will”.

Klawon developed his immunology expertise during his graduate research in Dr. Peter Savage’s lab at the University of Chicago. His research there focused on understanding how the immune system recognizes proteins from invaders like viruses or bacteria but knows not to attack the body’s own proteins. Klawon found that a special type of adaptive immune cell, regulatory T cells, selectively suppress self-reactive immune responses during infection to prevent autoimmune disease, thereby providing crucial mechanistic insight into self/non-self discrimination by the immune system.

During his fellowship in Dr. Tyler Jacks’s lab at MIT, Klawon will adjust his research focus to the immune system’s role in cancer. Immunotherapy is a burgeoning and incredibly promising cancer treatment modality, yet many patients fail to respond to current therapeutic options. Klawon notes that tumor-infiltrating T cells are a heterogeneous population that include subsets that either combat tumor growth or suppress the immune response allowing tumors to flourish. His research aims to identify factors driving tumor-enrichment of these disparate populations and reveal novel therapeutic targets that would both promote anti-tumor T cells and inhibit immunosuppressive T cells.