- Title PhD Student – Isaac Lab
- Education B.S. Biology, Illinois Wesleyan University
- Office Isaac Lab
- Email saylorw@bu.edu
- Area of Interest Gene regulation , Mitochondrial dynamics, Rare diseases
I attended Illinois Wesleyan University to pursue a degree in Biology. During my first year, I participated in the SEA-PHAGES program, where I had the opportunity to isolate and characterize a bacteriophage. This experience was my first introduction to research and pushed me to pursue independent research at my University in the lab of Dr. Thomas Kwiatkowski, where I investigate amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its role in Alzheimer’s Disease.
During the summer after my junior year of college, I participated in the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). Due to my undergraduate university being small, there were limited resources for research. Here, I got to experience what it is like working full-time in a translational medicine lab investigating ganglion cell development in the retina.
After graduation, I worked as a lab manager for Dr. Angie Serrano at the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM). My project focused on developing an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) bank for KAT6, a rare genetic disease, and establishing a spectral flow cytometry protocol.
Currently, in the Isaac lab, I study how different stressors and diseases alter the regulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Outside the lab, I enjoy going to the movies, running, cafe hopping around Boston, and spending time with my cat.
Publication:
Golden, Carly S et al. “Molecular insights of KMT2D and clinical aspects of Kabuki syndrome type 1.” Birth defects research vol. 115,19 (2023): 1809-1824. doi:10.1002/bdr2.2183