Directory - Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund

Status

Year Appointed

Institution

Name

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Hiroto Okayama Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1978

Expression of cDNAs in mammalian cells

James T. Olesen Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 1990

Cloning and analysis of trans-acting factors controlling Drosophila adult Adh expression

Brian C.M. Oliver Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1988

Fruitfly splicing mutations

Kassandra Ori-McKenney Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 2011

Modes of microtubule nucleation in Drosophila neurons

Joseph Orly Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Diego

Appointed in 1978

Hormonal regulation of ovarian cell cycle in culture

Stephen I. Oroszlan Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

National Institutes of Health

Appointed in 1963

Viral oncogenesis

Jose Orozco, M.D.,Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Appointed in 2023

Determining the mechanism of sugar sensing in the Mondo pathway

Organisms adapt to scarce and bountiful nutrient environments by employing nutrient signaling pathways. Sugar is a rich source of energy and carbon for organisms, Dr. Jose Orozco will explore sugar-sensing pathways using biochemical and genetic approaches to discover sugar-regulated kinases and their roles in metabolic adaptation. Dr. Orozco will conduct his work in Dr. Lewis Cantley’s lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These studies may reveal a new therapeutic target to alleviate metabolic maladaptive responses to the chronic overconsumption of sugars and carbohydrates.

As a graduate student in Dr. David Sabatini’s lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Orozco investigated the nutrient-regulated pathway that controls the target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) kinase. Specifically, Dr. Orozco discovered a new amino acid sensor that integrates S-adenosylmethionine levels, identified a metabolic product of glycolysis that communicates with mTORC1, and discovered new genes in the mTORC1 pathway. Dr. Orozco will continue pursuing his interests in the link between metabolism and signal transduction pathways in his investigations of MondoA.

Terry L. Orr-Weaver Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Carnegie Institute for Science

Appointed in 1984

Amplification of Drosophila chorion genes

Lev Z. Osherovich Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 2003

Are protein aggregation and aging related

Jessica Osterhout Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 2016

Characterizing the thermoregulatory circuits that control animal behavior

Thermoregulation is fundamental for survival; even slight changes in body temperature have a dramatic effect on vital processes such as sleep, appetite, and thirst, and during an immune response, febrile patients often become fatigued, antisocial, and exhibit other sickness-related behaviors. Specific brain areas are thought to control body temperature by triggering various mechanisms that produce or dissipate heat, but how thermoregulatory neurons modulate thermo-adaptive and other behaviors is unknown. I will use recently developed tools for genetic profiling and circuit analysis to molecularly identify thermoregulatory and fever-inducing neurons and map their connectivity patterns, thereby gaining new insight into thermoregulatory circuits and how they are connected to other homeostatic and social functions in the brain.

Paul Ottolenghi Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Carlsberg Laboratories, Denmark

Appointed in 1957

Genetic transformations in yeast

Youcef Ouadah Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

California Institute of Technology

Appointed in 2019

A genetic approach to the logic and evolution of aggression circuitry

Adegboyega (Yomi) Oyelere Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Appointed in 1998

Abiotic model for tRNA mediated polypeptide synthesis

Carl O. Pabo Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 1980

Crystallographic study of bacteriophage repressors

Jon Paczkowski Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Princeton University

Appointed in 2015

Manipulating pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing to control pathogenicity

Quorum sensing is a mechanism of cell-cell communication that allows bacteria to synchronously control processes that are only productive when undertaken in unison by the collective. I will focus on Pseudomonas aeruginosa because it has a well-defined quorum sensing network that is essential for biofilm formation and virulence factor production, and because P. aeruginosa is an important pathogen that affects cystic fibrosis sufferers, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, burn victims, and patients with implanted medical devices._x000D_
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My work combines structural biology, chemistry, and genetics to define the mechanisms underlying activation and inhibition of quorum-sensing receptors with the aim of understanding how quorum sensing receptors accurately decode the information contained in small molecule signals to drive collective behaviors. These investigations could lead to strategies for controlling quorum sensing, potentially resulting in the development of anti-microbial drugs aimed at bacteria that use quorum sensing to control virulence and biofilm formation.

Andrea W. Page-McCaw Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 1998

Athma Pai Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 2013

Role of splicing regulatory factors in co-regulated transcription and splicing

Alexander F. Palazzo Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University Medical School

Appointed in 2004

Michael J. Palladino Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Appointed in 2001

Molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration

Vito J. Palombella Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 1989

Regulation of TNF gene expression by virus and TPA

Duojia Pan Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 1993

Drosophila photoreceptor differentiation

Jie Pan Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 1999

Proofreading clock for initial BPS recognition

Xingjie Pan, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Harvard University

Appointed in 2022

Reconstruct cell trajectories and communications in brain development

During mammalian development, coordinated cell differentiation and migration convert a simple neural tube into a brain with more than a hundred anatomical regions and probably more than a thousand cell types. How do these cell types emerge? How do cells migrate to their destined locations? How do cells communicate with each other? These are some fundamental problems in brain development.

As a postdoctoral fellow in Xiaowei Zhuang’s lab at Harvard, I develop new methods to systematically study these problems in mouse brain development. I develop new computational methods to connect cells from MERFISH spatial transcriptomics measurements into trajectories and determine cell-cell communication pathways activated in each cell. The reconstructed trajectories will allow me to comprehensively map the differentiation, maturation, and migration of individual cells. I will identify which cell-cell communication pathways are functionally crucial for generating each cell type. Then I will develop high throughput imaging-based screen methods to validate the discoveries.

Niranjan B. Pandey Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Harvard University /
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Appointed in 1991

Isolating mammalian homologues of MAT alpha1 and STE12

Scott R. Panzer Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Yale University

Appointed in 1994

CYSPID: a database of properties and relationships among cytoskeletal proteins on the World Wide Web

Claude A. Paoletti Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Stanford University

Appointed in 1968

Identification and purification of deoxyribonucleases of E. coli

William N. Pappano Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Johns Hopkins University

Appointed in 2004

Molecular analysis of long-range Hh signaling in vivo

Frederic Paques Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

Brandeis University

Appointed in 1996

Genetic and molecular study of genetic recombination

Sang-Hyun Park Jane Coffin Childs Fellow

University of California, San Francisco

Appointed in 2000

Controlling the flow of intracellular information: understanding the role of scaffolding proteins in signaling

Eunyong Park Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

Rockefeller University

Appointed in 2013

Molecular mechanism of chloride ion transport by CLC protein family

My current research focus is on understanding molecular mechanisms of CLC proteins, ubiquitous membrane proteins that transport chloride ions across membranes. The CLC proteins are involved in various biological processes including regulation of membrane potential, electrolyte/fluid transport across epithelia, and control of intravesicular pH. Mutations in CLC genes cause many hereditary disorders in humans. An interesting aspect of the CLC family is that a common structural architecture seems to be used for both active and passive ion transport. Some CLCs are chloride channels, which provide a passive pore for chloride ion conduction, whereas others function as secondary active transporters that exchange two chloride ions for one proton. Despite recent advances in our understanding of their mechanisms, fundamental questions remain unanswered, especially regarding how exactly CLC transporters couple the transfer of chloride and proton ions and what leads to the mechanistic difference between the channels and transporters. In the MacKinnon lab, I use structural and functional approaches to address these questions.

Jung-Un Park, Ph.D. Jane Coffin Childs - HHMI Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Appointed in 2024

Redesigning RNA-guided DNA integration system using protein engineering

CRISPR-Cas systems have revolutionized genetic engineering and led to novel genetic medicines. As powerful as these systems are, they have some disadvantages such as their large size and a lack of orientation bias which limits their therapeutic usage. CRISPR-associated transposons (CASTs) are mobile genetic elements that use CRISPR-Cas systems for RNA-guided transposition. CASTs may represent the next generation of genome editors due to their enhanced features relative to CRISPR-Cas. Yet, CASTs still require further optimization to realize this potential.

Dr. Jung-Un Park will engineer novel forms of CASTs to optimize properties for genome editing in Dr. David Savage’s lab at the University of California, Berkeley. Using structural biology, biochemistry, and protein engineering approaches, Dr. Park will enhance the activity of individual CAST proteins, as well as tune the functional association between different CAST proteins. Ultimately, Park’s research will provide vast insight into genome editing and may result in the next generation of gene editing technologies.

Park’s interest in CAST biology stems from his graduate work in Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg’s lab at Cornell University. There, he solved structures for CAST that informed on both RNA-guided and RNA-independent transposition. Park will leverage his extensive knowledge of CAST structural details to optimize this system for genome editing during his postdoctoral work.