Sydney Solomon (BRYSON LAB)

Single-cell Analysis Reveals the Subthreshold TLR Response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection

Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of infectious death globally. Recognition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) by host macrophages is primarily mediated by Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) 2. This work extends prior understanding of the regulation of TLR activity from the better-studied TLR4 to TLR2. Furthermore, we compared the extent to which soluble TLR2 ligands recapitulate host responses to Mtb, and how modulating this response affects Mtb clearance.

Cristina C. Torres Cabán (BOYDEN LAB)

Structural Mapping of the Zebrafish Habenula

A pursuit of neuroscience has been to elucidate the connectome, which is the structural connectivity of neurons within the brain. We currently don’t have the proper tools to acquire this amount of information from the human brain, which holds billions of neurons. However, we can use model organisms that have analogous brain regions and connections to gather some principles of connectivity. Here, we propose an approach to map a partial connectome of the Zebrafish brain’s habenula region, which is involved in complex behavior and decision-making.