The next Boston Young Embryologist Network talks event will be held in the Warren Alpert Building at Harvard Medical School Thursday June 18th, 6-8pm. Food and drink will be provided for discussions and mingling!

Please register with eventbrite to give an estimate of numbers for food.

Short talks will be given by Siyeon Rhee, a graduate student from UMass Amherst, and Samantha Morris, a postdoc at Boston Children’s Hospital who will start her own lab at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in July. Siyeon will discuss the role of Ying Yang1 in mouse liver development, and Sam will talk about her work investigating stem cell fate conversion and combining it with a network biology approach (for a teaser, see her abstract below).

We look forward to seeing you there, and stay tuned for future events!

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(Click the image or here to get to the application site!)

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My laboratory has an open position for a postdoctoral fellow to work on NIH-funded projects involving FGF signaling in auditory supporting cell differentiation in the mouse model. The ideal candidate should have at least two years of graduate or postdoctoral research experience in perinatal/postnatal inner ear development, including anatomic, molecular and functional analyses, with strong publications (can be pending) in these areas. Experience with mouse genetics is not absolutely required, but is a big plus. Stipend will follow NIH guidelines and the candidate will be mentored through the process of applying within two years of the initial appointment for individual support (stipend and/or newly developed project) as appropriate. In addition, presentation and networking opportunities include participation in the weekly Human Genetics Research in Progress series and the monthly Inner Ear Research Group, which comprises multiple labs with diverse interests.

E-mailed inquiries (suzi.mansour[at]genetics.utah.edu) should include a brief (< 1 page) current research description, a Biosketch, and the names and contact information of two individuals (current PI and one other), who can be contacted to comment on your suitability for this position. The position can start as early as July 1, 2015.

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A tenure track position is available for a dental-oral-craniofacial (DOC) developmental biologist to establish an independent research program in the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch, NIDCR, NIH. Outstanding individuals working on any aspect of basic DOC biology (such as craniofacial development, development of periodontal and tooth-related tissues, and osteoimmunology), willing to contribute to the design of strategies to repair or regenerate DOC tissues lost as a consequence of pathologies or trauma, will be considered. Under the leadership of Pamela Gehron Robey, Ph.D., the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch focuses on gaining an in-depth understanding of the skeleton, defined as bone, cartilage, teeth, and their associated soft tissues (bone marrow, periodontal and oral tissues, tendons). In addition to a strong portfolio in basic research, the Branch is actively engaged in translational and clinical studies, in line with NIDCR’s expanding clinical efforts in craniofacial anomalies and regeneration.

The Branch is located on the main intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. On the NIH campus, ~1000 principal investigators including world-renowned experts in basic, translational, and clinical research, and ~5000 trainees pursue common goals, to seek fundamental knowledge about living systems and use that knowledge to enhance health and reduce illness. The NIH offers Principal Investigators the opportunity to mentor outstanding trainees at diverse levels, from post-baccalaureate and graduate students to post-doctoral fellows.

Candidates must have a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S./D.M.D., D.V.M, D.O. or equivalent doctoral degree, as well as comprehensive, advanced training and a record of accomplishment. The position will be supported with independent resources commensurate with experience and programmatic needs, including positions for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows, and a budget for consumables and equipment. Interested applicants should submit a single PDF document containing a Curriculum Vitae (please include a brief description of expertise gained in previous positions), a list of publications, a summary of research accomplishments, a plan for future research including a core research question (three page limit), the names and contact information of three people who are submitting letters of reference, and copies of no more than 3 publications. All materials should be emailed to:  Dr. Terry Yamaguchi, Chair, Dental-Oral-Craniofacial (DOC) Development Search Committee; c/o Ms. Shirley Simpson, ssimpson@dir.nidcr.nih.gov.  Review of applications will begin in August 2015, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Selection for this, and any other position, will be based solely on merit.  NIH does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, politics, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age or membership or non-membership in an employee organization.  DHHS and NIH are equal opportunity employers.

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Rajagopal Lab
Regenerative Pulmonology
Center for Regenerative Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Harvard Stem Cell Institute

Job description: The Rajagopal Laboratory at Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital is seeking a highly motivated research fellow to study airway biology. The fellow will join a collaborative group of scientists and physicians who study the basic and translational biology of airway stem cells, airway regeneration, fibrosis, squamous metaplasia and cancer. We integrate the approach of classical developmental and modern stem cell biology and use these to explore human tissue regeneration and disease. Mouse genetic models, explants systems, live cell imaging, and other techniques are routine.

Job requirements: The candidate should have PhD or an MD/PhD in a relevant field or equivalent training. A strong foundation in cell, developmental, cancer, or molecular biology is necessary including a foundation in the genetic modulation of any model organism. An ancillary knowledge of genomics or system biology is welcome. Knowledge of human disease is unnecessary as it will be acquired rapidly. Outstanding oral and written communication skills are required.

Email your CV, statement of interest and career goals, and names and contact information of at least three references to Jay Rajagopal (jrajagopal@partners.org). For more information visit: http://www.rajagopallab.com/

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The National University of Singapore (NUS) invites applications for faculty appointment as Head of the Department of Anatomy.

The Department’s mission is to enhance the international stature of the School and of NUS through excellence in teaching and research. It is committed to teaching undergraduate medical, dental, pharmacy, and life science students. In addition, the Department provides research training to both undergraduate and postgraduate research students. Currently, research in the Department focuses on neurobiology, cancer biology and venoms & toxins in a vibrant academic environment. Researchers in the Department use a variety of techniques in cellular and molecular biology and the Department and the School are well equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

The Department has over the past 5 years attracted SGD 10 million in competitive grant funding. The Department has 21 faculty members and a total of around 100 staff and postgraduate students. The Department publishes on average 57 scientific papers annually in high impact journals such as Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Investigations, Cancer Research, Hepatology, Advanced Materials, PNAS and Journal of Neuroscience. The Department enjoys strong collaborative links with research institutes within NUS, government agencies as well as overseas research institutes and leading universities.

The candidate should be an outstanding scholar who will be able to provide strong leadership in research and teaching with an excellent track record and international recognition for research in any of the main areas of research in the Department. Administrative experience in leading an academic department would be an added advantage. A generous start up package and first class laboratory facilities are available. The Head is expected to generate strong research programmes, secure external funding and provide intellectual leadership characteristic of a world-class university.

Remuneration will commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Informal enquiries can be made to Ms Sing-Ee Lee: medlse[at]nus.edu.sg; Tel +65 6772 3729.

Interested parties should submit their applications, supported by a detailed resume and names of at least six referees to:

Ms LEE Sing Ee

Assistant Director, Academic Affairs

Dean’s Office, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

National University of Singapore

1E Kent Ridge Road, NUHS Tower Block

Level 11, Singapore 119228

Fax: +65-6778-5743   Email:  medlse[at]nus.edu.sg

Closing Date: 31 July 2015

(Only shortlisted candidates will be notified)

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EuroStemCell is a project funded by the EU that aims to help European citizens make sense of stem cells. It’s now in its third iteration, and has many more partners this time around. One of the benefits of this is more stories to tell – of interesting research happening all over Europe.

This month we have lots of news from our partners to share: three new films from Germany, new research from Cambridge, Denmark and the Netherlands, a public event taking place as part of the ISSCR meeting next month in Stockholm, and some recently published interviews with partner scientists.

As ever, we’re keen to hear from readers of The Node – on Twitter, Facebook, or via our website. You can get involved as a writer or translator, tell us about the stem cell events you’re involved in, make comments or suggestions, or just say hello! And for regular stem cell news, why not subscribe to our monthly newsletter?

The EuroStemCell Team

Stem Cells and the Ageing Brain: Public Event, Stockholm, 23 June

We’ve been working with the ISSCR, and with European stem cell projects PluriMes, HumEn, ThymiStem and NeuroStemcellRepair, on a public event to coincide with the ISSCR meeting in Stockholm next month. It kicks off with an informal, interactive reception, followed by a moderated conversation between four leading scientists on stem cells and the ageing brain, with questions and comment from the audience. This free event offers a unique opportunity to hear, discuss and ask questions about what is happening in this fascinating field.

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A postdoctoral position is available at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada to work on mouse models of congenital heart defects in the labs of Drs. Q. Feng and T. Drysdale.

Research in the Drysdale Lab uses both mouse and Xenopus to understand the molecular events that govern the early development of cardiovascular system (http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/physpharm/people/bios/faculty/drysdale_thomas.html ). We are currently using genetically modified mice to investigate the role of cell shape in cardiac development. Research in the Feng lab studies the role of nitric oxide in embryonic heart development in mice (http://www.QingpingFeng.org). Current work is focused on the molecular mechanisms that lead to congenital heart defects using a mouse model of pregestational diabetes to simulate human disease conditions. The successful candidate will have opportunities to work with and compare multiple mouse models of congenital heart defects.

Applicants should be motived, creative individuals with a strong record of productivity during their graduate research. Ideal candidates will have experience with multiple molecular biology and imaging techniques. Interested applicants should email a PDF containing their CV, a short statement of past and current research interests, and the names of at least three references to Tom Drysdale (tadrysda@uwo.ca) and Qingping Feng (qfeng@uwo.ca).

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May was one of the busiest months in the history of the Node, with over 40 new posts! Here are some of the highlights:

Research:

– Briana discussed how she and her colleagues generated human lung organoids in vitro, work published in eLife.

– How did dinosaur snouts evolve into beaks? Arhat Abzhanov discussed his recent paper in Evolution, looking at the Evo Devo of birds and their beaks.

– Paolo posted about his paper in Development, testing the use of chromobodies in zebrafish, an alternative for protein detection in living organisms that brings together the advantages of antibodies and live imaging.

– Is there a relationship between stemness and cell motion? Daisuke examined the motion of human keratinocyte stem cells.

– Luke wrote  about his paper in Disease Models & Mechanisms, using anteroventral noradrenergic cells in Xenopus embryos as a model to study neuroblastoma.

– And Peg and Bridget showed that brain feminization requires active repression of masculinization via DNA methylation, in a paper in Nature Neuroscience.

A day in the life:

This month saw two new contributions to our ongoing model organisms series!

– A day in the life of a Marchantia lab– on liverwort developmental biology done in the Arteaga-Vázquez lab, Mexico

– A day in the of a lizard lab– regeneration and wound healing in leopard geckos in the Vickaryous lab, Canada.

Interviews:

– We reposted an interview with Juergen Knoblich, originally published in Development, where Juergen discusses his research on flies and more recently on cerebral organoids, and shares his thoughts on the funding situation and recent technological developments.

– And the interview chain continues! Wendy Gu, the winner of the poster prize at the recent BSDB Spring meeting was interviewed for the Node.

Also on the Node:

– Rie Saba travelled from London to Stuttgart, sponsored by a Development travelling fellowship, to learn how to induce endocardial cells from ESCs/iPSCs.

– Over two decades since the publication of ‘The Atlas of Mouse Development’, a new online resource now provides free access to the histological images and their annotations.

– How big should a lab be? Answer May’s ‘Question of the Month!’

– And 2015 marks 20 years since Edward Lewis, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus won the Nobel Prize for their discoveries on the genetic control of early embryonic development. Peng revisited their work and its impact on developmental biology.

Happy Reading!

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Developmental biologist Gabrielle Kardon, Ph.D., never thought that she would be explaining morphogenesis to patient support groups, but that’s where her science led her. And instead of shying away, she has embraced it. Completely.

Kardon’s lab had focused mostly on the limb until her graduate student, Allyson Merrell, urged that they explore the diaphragm, of which little was known about its development. It wasn’t long before their transgenic mice had defects that mimicked a little known but common human birth defect, congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Their diaphragms had a hole through which the contents of the abdominal cavity creeped into the thoracic cavity, interfering with development of the lungs. Like their human counterparts, many died at birth.

Muscle in red, tendon in green, and nerves in blue

It took five years of hard work before they published a mechanistic cause of the defect in Nature Genetics, the first explanation of its kind for how CDH arises, work that was also featured by Carl Zimmer in the New York Times. During that time Kardon had been lurking on the website for CHERUBS – a CDH support group – to get a better understanding of the disease and what patients went through. Once the results for the paper were solid, she felt it was time the right time to reach out.

Gabrielle Kardon with a father who had two children die from CDH. The balloon has a hernia!

Since that time, just months ago, her scientific life has taken a 180 degree turn. CDH is now a main focus of the lab, with a goal of figuring out ways to prevent the defect in animal models. An even more radical change, she routinely interacts with the CDH community, who has welcomed her with open arms. She has raised CDH awareness with them at a local baseball game and traveled with them to Washington D.C. to advocate for research funding.

Advocating for research funding with the CDH community in Washington DC

But what has impacted her most is getting to know the patients and their families. From them she has not only gained an appreciation for the brutal realities of living with, or dying of, CDH, but also surprising insights into the biology behind the condition. For example after talking to parents she realized that a subset of children were also born with a cleft palate, a phenotype not mentioned in the literature. The realization gave her additional clues to the causes underlying the birth defect. Perhaps most important, Kardon says the personal connections to the disease gives her work new meaning.

Below are additional links including two to audio interviews with Kardon, one in which she describes her journey into patient advocacy.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with patients? If so, what did you get out of it? And what did they get out of interacting with you? If you haven’t, would you if the opportunity arose?

Additional links:

1. Muscle connective tissue controls development of the diaphragm and is a source of congenital diaphragmatic hernias; Allyson Merrell, Benjamin Ellis, Zachary Fox, Jennifer Lawson, Jeffrey Weiss, Gabrielle Kardon; Nature Genetics, 47, 496-504 (2015)
2. Behind each breath, an underappreciated muscle; Carl Zimmer; The New York Times, April 2, 2015
3. Father raises awareness of congenital defect that took two babies; Wendy Leonard; Deseret News, April 26, 2015
4. (VIDEO) Diaphragms!; Tom McFadden; Science x Rhymes (#1), April 9, 2015
5. (AUDIO) New insights into congenital diaphragmatic hernia; The Scope Radio, University of Utah Health Sciences, March 27, 2015
6. (AUDIO) When basic science intersects with disease: A scientist’s experience; The Scope Radio, University of Utah Health Sciences, May 19, 2015

The thinner, weaker regions of the diaphragm that have connective tissue, but no muscle, herniate in response to pressure from the liver underneath

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