Directory - Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund

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Matthew P. Klassen, Ph.D. HHMI-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Functional assembly of a cardiac reflex circuit

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

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: 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.

Robert J. Klebe, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Project Title: Serum factor requirements of differentiated mammalian cells cultured in vitro

George Klein Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Project Title: Investigations concerning cell growth, survival and destruction in a transplantation situation

Jacob Klemm, Ph.D. Robertson Foundation-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Duke University

Project Title: Uncovering tissue-specific tRNA regulation and function in animal development

Fly and worm researchers have long debated the unique advantages of their favorite model organism. Dr. Jake Klemm finds that flies provide a powerful genetic toolkit to study animal physiology. He previously used flies to find unexpected roles for proteins involved in cell death processes in tissue repair and regeneration. As a Robertson Foundation – Jane Coffin Childs Fellow, he will use fruit flies and mammalian cells to study how tRNAs, small RNA molecule that act as a physical adaptor during protein synthesis, help control which proteins are made in specific tissues.

Klemm developed his appreciation for flies during his thesis research in Rob Harris, Ph.D.’s lab at Arizona State University. Klemm built a fly model, using the fly wing, to study the tissue response to necrotic injury (a type of cell death different from apoptosis). He unexpectedly found that necrosis can trigger apoptosis in cells far away from the injury, something he called “necrosis-induced apoptosis.” He also showed this process is required for tissue regeneration, and that enzymes called caspases are important for regeneration. This suggested that molecules best known for killing cells can also help tissues regrow.

Now in Don Fox’s lab at Duke University, Klemm will study “tissue-adapted” tRNAs, which may help regulate gene expression in a tissue-specific way. Instead of being just routine parts of the protein-making machinery, these tRNAs may influence what gets translated in different cell types. He will test this idea in both reproductive (germ) cells and specialized (differentiated) cells, aiming to build a strong model for understanding how tRNAs function in animal development and physiology.

Juli D. Klemm, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Project Title: Regulation of NF-ATc nuclear translocation

Rolf F. Kletzien, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard Medical School

Project Title: Regulation of cell growth

Steven A. Kliewer, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Project Title: Transcriptional repression by the c-erbA product

Lisa S. Klig, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Project Title: DNA protein interactions

Apostolos G. Klinakis, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Columbia University

Project Title: Collaborative pathways in breast tumorigenesis

David M. Knipe, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Chicago

Project Title: Regulation of synthesis of herpesvirus gene products

Paul S. Knoepfler, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Project Title: Analysis of Mga, a novel member of the Max network

Bruce D. Koch, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Project Title: Characterization and localization of the SEC7 protein

Thomas J. Kodadek, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Recombination and DNA replication in phage T4

Mina L. Kojima, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Project Title: Dissecting the molecular mechanisms that trigger zygotic genome activation

Prasanna R. Kolatkar, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Scripps Research Institute

Project Title: Virus receptor interactions on a molecular level

Anthony Koleske, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Whitehead Institute /
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: A loss of caveolae/caveolin in transformed cells

Suzanne F. Komili, Ph.D. HHMI-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Investigation of the role of chromatin dynamics in programming gene expression noise

I am studying genetic determinants of non-genetic variability, or ¬noise,¬î in gene expression using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

I started college fully intending to become a physician. However, an excellent first-year interdisciplinary course exposed me to the excitement of research science, and demonstrated the power/utility of using tools from one discipline to study problems in another. I pursued a degree in physics, with the intention of applying the quantitative tools and techniques that I had learned to study biology.

My graduate studies were supervised by both Pam Silver, a molecular and cellular biologist, and Fritz Roth, a statistician and computational biologist. Their joint tutelage allowed me not only to learn fundamental molecular biology and genomics, but also how to analyze data I generated in high-throughput and computational studies. My post-doctoral research on noise in gene expression provides another opportunity to apply mathematical and computational techniques to high-throughput datasets that I am collecting myself. I hope that these studies will provide new insight into problems as fundamental.

Dorethea Kominos, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Rockefeller University

Project Title: Expression, purification and x-ray study of arc kinase

Maria M. Konarska, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: RNA splicing in eukaryotic cell free systems

Erich B. Konrad, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Project Title: Enzymatic characterization of E coli mutants

Hyeon-Sook Koo, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Johns Hopkins University

Project Title: Effects of DNA bending stress on DNA structure and function

Raphael Kopan, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Project Title: Mouse Notch

Casey Kopczynski, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Project Title: Mutations affecting axon outgrowth in the developing nervous system of D melanogaster

Anne Kops, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Genetic analysis of messenger RNA transport

Alexei V. Korennykh, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Taking apart a molecular switch: structure, regulation and specificity of the bifunctional kinase-ribonuclease IRE1

Stephen T. Kosak, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Project Title: Nuclear reorganization during erythrocyte development

Michael L. Kotewicz, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Project Title: Lambda integrase

Anna Kotrys, Ph.D. HHMI-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts General Hospital

Project Title: Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial heteroplasmy dynamics

Description: Mitochondria are present in nearly all human cells where they play key roles in energy metabolism, biosynthesis, signaling, and cell death. Mitochondrial homeostasis depends on the proper maintenance and expression of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). Germline mtDNA mutations can lead to severe, maternally inherited disorders with limited treatment possibilities. Moreover, somatic mtDNA mutations accumulate in neurodegeneration, cancer and aging. mtDNA is a high copy number genome and a mixture of wild-type and mutant mtDNA molecules can co-exist within one cell resulting in “heteroplasmy”. Heteroplasmy dynamics are governed by a complex mix of random drift and selection, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The aim of my post-doctoral research is to uncover the molecular mechanisms that govern mtDNA heteroplasmy. Mechanistic studies of heteroplasmy dynamics will shed the light on the mitochondrial contribution to human health and disease and possibly inspire novel therapeutic approaches to mtDNA disease.

Sharon S. Krag, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: Subcellular localization of glycolipid changes during viral transformation

Richard B. Krakaur, M.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Rockefeller University

Project Title: Purification and crystallization of enzymes and proteins

Richard A. Kramer, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Project Title: RNA synthesis from fragments of eukaryotic genomes

Edward T. Krementz, M.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Project Title: Tumors of neural origin

Thomas M. Kristie, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: Repression of enhancer activity by adenovirus E1A

Andrea J. Kriz, Ph.D. HHMI-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Boston Children's Hospital

Project Title: Dissecting the impact of non-coding somatic mutations in the human brain

While somatic mutations have been heavily studied in tumors, their prevalence and significance to disease risk in healthy individuals is much less well-understood. The Walsh lab and others revealed that somatic mutation is a widespread phenomenon. Human neurons each contain 100 or more clonal somatic single nucleotide variants (sSNV) at birth, acquired during prenatal development, and gain 15-20 additional sSNVs arising per year. Most somatic variants, including those associated with cancer risk, occur in noncoding regions such as enhancers. Despite being the main source of genetic diversity between cells within an individual, the mechanisms by which noncoding somatic mutations form as well as their functional impact are not well understood. My research will focus on developing new strategies to detect rare noncoding somatic variants as well as dissect their epigenomic impact across different cell types in the human brain. This will help illuminate how much this source of variation contributes to cancer risk and brain disease.

Hans Kroeger , M.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

New York University

Project Title: Influence of DNA on synthesis of RNA

Claus-Dieter Kuhn, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Project Title: Structure and function of Piwi proteins in planarians essential for regeneration and stem cell differentiation

Urs Kuhnlein, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University /
University of Oregon

Project Title: Enzyme recognition of base sequences on DNA

Richard G. Kulka, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Case Western Reserve University

Project Title: Studies on the mechanism of DPN-linked reduction in mitochondria in various metabolic states

Anita Kulukian, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University /
Rockefeller University

Project Title: Centrosomes and the regulation of asymmetric cell division

Dhivya Kumar, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Project Title: Centriolar satellites use phase separation to remodel the centrosome

In animals, the centrosome is the major microtubule organizing center and participates intimately in cell division, organelle positioning and key developmental processes, such as neurogenesis. Consequently, centrosome dysregulation can cause defects in chromosome segregation leading to cancer and defects in brain development leading to microcephaly. Surrounding centrosomes are centriolar satellites, 70-100 nm sized, membrane-less organelles. Their functions are mysterious, although recent evidence from my lab suggests that they participate in the assembly of centrosomes and neurogenesis. The molecular mechanisms by which centriolar satellites participate in centrosome function are unknown. Phase separations have recently been shown to be a biophysical mechanism for partitioning subcellular processes. I hypothesized that centriolar satellites are dynamic, phase-separated compartments and that phase separation is essential for trafficking proteins to remodel the centrosome. To test this hypothesis, I am using biophysical, biochemical, genetic and super-resolution live-cell imaging approaches. My work will reveal how phase separation allows centriolar satellites to act as crucibles in which centrosome-bound proteins are dynamically sorted, providing novel insights into how the centrosome is organized and how this organization goes awry in centrosome-related diseases.

Craig E. Kundrot, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Medical Research Council (MRC),UKRI /
Yale University

Project Title: Cloning and crystallization of TFIIIA Zn-binding domains

Patrick C. Kung, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Project Title: Role of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase in developing thymus

Prabhat S. Kunwar, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

California Institute of Technology

Project Title: Genetic dissection of amygdala neuronal circuitry underlying fear and anxiety in mice

My research in the lab of David J. Anderson focuses on genetic dissection of neuronal circuitry underlying defensive and offensive behaviors in mice. We use the latest genetic techniques of neuronal marking, mapping and manipulation in order to explain the neuronal basis of these behaviors.

I was born into a middle-class family in a small town in southern Nepal. After finishing high school in my hometown, I began my undergraduate studies in the biology program of Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I considered scientific research early on, as I realized its power both to explain the natural world and our existence, and to bring practical benefits to society. Soon, I became captivated by the spectacular progress in genetics and biomedical sciences. Not seeing any further academic opportunities in the biomedical sciences in Nepal, I came to the U.S., obtaining my undergraduate degree in biotechnology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I then did my PhD under the supervision of Ruth Lehmann at New York University Medical Center. I enjoy traveling, and am also involved in promoting biomedical research and education in Nepal via a biomedical society formed by a group of Nepali scientists.

Scot C. Kuo, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Washington University and Duke University Medical Center /
Duke University Medical Center

Project Title: Microtubule-dependent motility of organelles

Lawrence C. Kuo, M.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Project Title: Catalysis and regulation of ornithine transcarbamylase

Charlotte Kuperwasser, Ph.D. Merck-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Whitehead Institute

Project Title: Induction of mammary tumor by p-53-deficient stroma

Kiyoshi Kurahashi, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

National Institutes of Health

Project Title: Formation and metabolism of nucleoside polyphosphate

Peri T. Kurshan, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Project Title: A search for determinants of synaptic size and function

Stephen E. Kurtz, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Columbia University

Project Title: Genetic control of recombination in yeast

Naina Kurup, Ph.D. HHMI-Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Project Title: Super resolution imaging of age related changes to the neuronal cytoskeleton

With global increases in average lifespan, understanding the neurological changes associated with normal aging has become increasingly relevant. Changes in neuronal architecture and synapse function have been proposed to underlie age related cognitive decline in healthy individuals, although the precise mechanisms remain unclear. The neuronal cytoskeleton is essential to the formation of unique neuronal architectures. Advances in superresolution microscopy have enabled the identification of an evolutionarily conserved Membrane-associated Periodic Skeleton (MPS) that forms an integral part of the neuronal cytoskeleton. Mutations in components of the MPS cause neurodegenerative disorders, suggesting that the presence of this network is also important for the maintenance of neuronal function. My project will focus on dissecting the functional role of age related changes to the MPS, providing us with a better understanding of the progressive loss in cognitive ability widespread in the aging population.