Awarded in 2023
Home Department: Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Medicine
Faculty Advisors: Irving Weissman (Pathology, Developmental Biology) and Laura Prolo (Neurosurgery)

Research Title: Characterization of the Glial Progenitor Cell in Human Health and Disease

Research Description: The human brain is built from a pool of neural stem cells, which ultimately give rise to the neurons and glia of the mature brain. Daniel's previous work developed a method to purify many of the distinct cell types found in the developing human brain, from the most primitive stem cells to their progressively more committed progeny. Among these are a newly-isolated cell type called the glial progenitor cell, which may contribute to the dramatic expansion of white matter characteristic of the human brain. Daniel's research now seeks to further explore the glial progenitor cell in fetal and early postnatal brain development, and their potential role in brain tumors known as gliomas.