Wendy Dong
Program: Computational and Systems Biology
Current advisor: Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD
Undergraduate university: Duke University
Research summary
I am in the lab of Dr. Jeff Milbrandt, co-mentored by Dr. Sheng Chih (Peter) Jin. We are interested in questions surrounding axon degeneration. Specifically, my research project is focused on understanding the different vulnerabilities of sensory vs. motor nerves in relationship to other cellular components of the peripheral nerves. These cells include glial cells, fibroblasts, vascular components, and immune cells. The experiments will focus on how abnormalities in these surrounding cells disrupt axon maintenance and lead to varying resiliency between sensory and motor nerves. I will use a multi-omics approach, including single-nuclei RNA-seq, single-nuclei ATAC-seq, and spatial transcriptomics, to study this question. These findings will help us understand the complex roles of nerve resident cells in axon degeneration/regeneration and potentially highlight new therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.
Graduate publications