I want to reflect on Yaneli’s chalk talk. I’m interested in precision and regenerative medicine, and thus I found her talk really interesting. Her research focuses on muscle regeneration, particularly on the role of the TREM2 gene in regulating macrophage polarization.
I liked how she made use of visuals especially when explain methods like inducing ischemia. The connection between macrophages and muscle regenerations is something I’m unfamiliar with, though it seems to have a lot of potential for exploration and therapeutics. The polarization of macrophages was something that wasn’t touched on much, but it seems intriguing upon further Googling. One paper I saw actually mentioned that these cells derive their energy from fatty acid oxidation, which my project is studying. It was really cool to find a link between these seemingly different projects. Though it is a good reminder of how connected the body is. This could something that my lab looks at when thinking about the efficacy of our treatment down the line. I also found a paper exploring TREM2’s potential connections to Alzheimer’s disease.
I’m looking forward to seeing what results Yaneli gets from this study and seeing the potential clinical application of those results. This research could have such wide-ranging effects; tissue regeneration happens all the time from severe burns to minor cuts needed a Band-Aid. This particularly makes me think of my mom, who is a Type 1 Diabetic. If she gets injured, she has trouble healing quickly because of her Diabetes. If this was a therapeutic it could be used to help patients like her heal more quickly shortening time in pain and time for infection to enter the body through a wound. There could also potentially be applications for heart attacks or trauma patients. I’m really excited to see the results of Yaneli’s project and the growth of this research at large.
