Jerry Sun

Program: Immunology

Current advisor: Rotating in the lab of Kodi S. Ravichandran, PhD

Undergraduate university: Stanford University

Research summary
This past summer I worked in the lab of Prof. Jony Kipnis to study the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and meningeal lymphatics in neurodegenerative disease. In aging and neurodegeneration, there is a buildup of substances, such as pro-inflammatory molecules or toxic protein aggregates, that cause or exacerbate disease. CSF perfuses the brain and serves as vehicle for waste clearance from the central nervous system. Recently, it has been discovered that CSF drains from the brain via meningeal lymphatic vessels, to deep cervical lymph nodes. My project aimed to characterize the anatomy and function of meningeal lymphatic vessels within the entire mouse dura mater. By comparing the structure and function of meningeal lymphatic vessels between healthy and disease conditions, we can gain an understanding of how these structures contribute to pathology, and if reversing these changes can alleviate disease symptoms.

Graduate publications
Mazzitelli JA, Smyth LCD, Cross KA, Dykstra T, Sun J, Du S, Mamuladze T, Smirnov I, Rustenhoven J, Kipnis J. 2022 Cerebrospinal fluid regulates skull bone marrow niches via direct access through dural channels. Nat Neurosci, 25(5):555-60.