2025 Schoenberg Lectureship Poster Presentations
Agrobacterium fabrum’s ribosomes: Simple mRNA readers or specialized workers? (Fredrick lab)
Ribosomes are tiny machines found in every cell that build proteins by reading genetic instructions encoded in mRNAs. New research suggests that not all ribosomes are exactly the same— some may have special roles that affect how they work in the cell. We use the bacterium Agrobacterium to understand one of the ways ribosomes can have a unique makeup that may change their behavior.
How zebrafish might be the solution to heart disease (Goldman lab)
Heart disease is the leading cause of death because the human heart cannot repair damaged muscle. In contrast, zebrafish have the remarkable ability to fully replace all lost heart muscle cells following damage to this vital organ. We've discovered a unique gene that makes a protein involved in this repair process — a finding that could one day help scientists unlock similar healing powers in the human heart.
The secret life of viruses: Tiny germs solving giant problems (Sullivan lab)
Microbes are the tiny workers driving Earth’s ecosystems, but they have their own enemies: viruses. The Sullivan Lab builds the datasets and approaches needed to “see” viruses in the oceans, soil, extreme environments, and even our own bodies. We use these approaches to better understand how ecosystems function and how viruses may be engineered to fight harmful microbes.
When Snow White wakes: The hidden signal inside her glass coffin (Rasmussen lab)
Once thought to be “sleeping” like Snow White, ancient viruses buried in our DNA — called Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) — are showing signs of awakening. Using bioinformatic "magic mirrors", our lab discovered that a region on chromosome 17 is unusually active in hepatoblastoma, the most common liver cancer in children. This finding could reveal how long-dormant viral remnants in our DNA may influence tumor behavior.
Bioalchemy: a shifting tale of bacteriophages from adversaries to allies (Gopalan lab)
Phages are bacteria-killing viruses that are the most abundant life forms on earth. They can be both harmful, such as causing food spoilage, and helpful, as potential antibacterial treatments. Phages drive the evolution of bacterial populations in all ecosystems. Our discovery of an essential RNA molecule (called a ribozyme) in human gut phages could shed light on phage biology and how these viruses might be harnessed to improve human health.
When genes collide: PAX3::FOXO1 in childhood cancer (Tu lab)
Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue cancer in children. In one aggressive form of the disease, two genes— PAX3 and FOXO1 — fuse together to create an abnormal protein that drives tumor growth primarily in the limbs and trunk of the body. No drugs exist to target this protein, so surgery remains the main treatment. Our research aims to understand how this fused protein causes cancer in order to develop a non-invasive therapy that’s gentler for pediatric patients and could improve outcomes.
How cells organize without walls: Gene control in germ cells (Tang lab)
Organelles are membrane-bound compartments within cells that keep different tasks organized. Cells also contain more dynamic, membrane-less compartments called biomolecular condensates, which form without any walls at all. They act like liquid droplets to organize cellular activities. The Tang lab is investigating form and function of one such condensate known as the germ granule, which plays critical roles in gene regulation and fertility in animals.
Blocking HIV-1 RNA’s journey: No Rev, no ride (Musier-Forsyth lab)
Nearly 40 million people worldwide live with HIV-1, a virus that stores its genetic information in RNA. Although current treatments allow people to live long, healthy lives, they do not fully eliminate the virus. Our project explores a new way to help the body clear these infected cells by teaching them to find and destroy one of the virus’s key helper proteins, called Rev. Rev helps the virus move its RNA around inside the cell, so blocking it could stop the virus in its tracks and help bring us closer to lasting HIV remission.
How cells proofread genetic messages (Singh lab)
Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are present in every cell of our body, serving as the go-between for the information encoded in our blueprint (DNA) and the cellular workhorses (proteins) that perform essential life tasks. Sometimes mistakes in the genetic code can create faulty messages. A surveillance mechanism operates in our cells to identify and destroy defective mRNAs before they can produce harmful proteins. This proofreading process ensures faithful transmission of genetic instructions and protects our cells from the effects of genetic errors.
The amazing travels of tRNA (Hopper lab)
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are relatively small RNAs that every living thing—from bacteria to humans—relies on to build proteins, the vital building blocks of life. To do this job, tRNAs need to be at the right place at the right time. The Hopper lab studies how tRNAs move throughout the cell, how environmental conditions affect them, and how even tiny fragments of tRNAs have surprising and important roles.
How “jumping genes” are kept in check (Tang lab)
Some pieces of DNA, called transposons, or “jumping genes,” can move within the genome and disrupt normal gene function. This can lead to disease and infertility. In animals, an RNA system called the piRNA pathway, protects reproductive cells by silencing these elements. The Tang lab seeks to understand how piRNAs preserve genome integrity and fertility across generations, providing fundamental insights that could one day inform new treatments for infertility and other genetic disorders.
Past Schoenberg Lecture Events
2025 Schoenberg Lecture Poster Presentations - Dr. Craig Mello
2024 Schoenberg Lecture Poster Presentations - Dr. Adrian Krainer
2023 Schoenberg Lecture Poster Presentations - Dr. Melissa Moore