This blog was first published on the Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) website. Thanks to Pranav Sharma and the Cline lab at Scripps Research for allowing us to share it here.
I am a scientist at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California working in the lab of Professor Hollis Cline. A thirst for knowledge is what originally attracted me to science. The potential to contribute, even in a small way, to alleviating suffering drives that thirst and passion even more.
Human biology has always fascinated me. Imagine for a moment how the human body is created. It starts with a single cell that multiplies to create a complex organism of trillions of cells. The human brain alone is estimated to contain more than 150 billion cells, 86 billion neurons and about an equal number of non-neuronal cells, all of a wide variety of specializations. It is mind boggling to imagine that a few founder cells contain the programming information that, through a series of cell fate decisions, produces a complex organ like the brain. What kind of communication and logistics are required to orchestrate the development and function of this behemoth?