05/19/2020
Meet Patricia!
Patricia is a Research Assistant in our lab!
Patricia's job is to learn, and help everyone else in the lab learn, as well. This involves asking research questions – then, figuring out if other people have asked the same questions – and helping students and trainees in the lab figure out how to answer such questions. Secondarily, she gets to help people find the fun in difficult moments of research, and facilitate research independence in lab trainees.
Molecular biology is Patricia's passion, and she joined the lab to examine the roles of RNA binding proteins – particularly those involved with stress granules – on neurodegeneration. This involves examining changes in RNA binding protein abundance and distribution in animal models for Multiple Sclerosis, as well as doing more in-depth characterization of these proteins and their functions in cells (primary neurons).
Along with molecular biology, Patricia also comes from a virology background, and since viruses have a long history with Multiple Sclerosis, she will be examining connections between viruses and Multiple Sclerosis: animal infections that result in similar diseases, shared molecular patterns between virus and host that could be linked to autoimmune disease, and viruses that exacerbate Multiple Sclerosis.
Patricia spend a lot of her spare time reading and talking about science in general, and indulging her love of science fiction, from novels to TV shows and movies. She spends the rest of her time adventuring in Dungeons and Dragons (yep, that D&D) and cuddling with her very cute dog and husband.
