My work focuses on understanding how early life sensory experiences, especially tactile experiences, influence animal development. My approach to tackling this question has been to use mouse genetic tools to manipulate neuronal activity in touch sensory neurons during development and then assess the effects on the maturation of those cells, as well as on other cells and tissues they interact with.
Photo by Celia Muto
What are the big questions driving your research?
From the earliest moments of life, young mammals are bombarded by somatosensory stimuli, including tactile and thermal cues. Studies in model organisms and in humans have shown that these early somatosensory experiences can have long-lasting effects on development and behavior. However, we still know very little about the mechanisms by which these types of sensory experiences influence both the nervous system and other organs, and that is the question on which I am focusing my current and future work.
What drew you to this area of neuroscience?
For many years, I have been fascinated by how genetic programs interact with life experiences to construct a complex, functional nervous system. I did my PhD work studying genetic programs that instruct the assembly of the nervous system in fruit fly embryos. During graduate school, I became very interested in how these types of hard-wired mechanisms interact with sensory experiences throughout life. I chose to explore this question in my postdoctoral research in the context of the maturation of the mammalian somatosensory system, by which we detect tactile, thermal, and painful stimuli.
What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned in the lab or classroom so far?
The most surprising finding I’ve had so far was the observation that in animals mutant for Piezo2, (which is the main mechanosensitive ion channel in somatosensory neurons, by which mammals detect gentle touch), the physical structures of mechanosensory neurons in the skin were severely disrupted. I remember very vividly the first few times we looked at these structures in the mutants, initially as a sort of control experiment, to confirm that the neuronal endings were still present in the skin despite them not being able to respond to touch. We weren’t expecting to see anything unusual structurally, or that this observation would form the basis for my current research. That was one of those fun moments as a scientist when I looked under the microscope and was genuinely shocked.
What is the trait you most admire in others?
In science and in life, the trait I most admire in others is generosity. Everyone is busy, everyone is usually behind schedule on something, and everyone is focused on achieving their own specific personal and professional goals. So, when people willingly set aside some of their limited time and energy to help a colleague, trainee, or friend, I find that extremely inspiring. I am grateful to have worked with many people who have this trait, and I am confident I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of all of those people and their countless acts of kindness, big and small.
What are your hopes for the future?
My hope is to have my own lab that lies at the intersection of developmental biology and functional neuroscience. I want to bridge some of the gaps that exist between these fields. Another goal that is very important to me is to serve as a mentor and role model for trainees of all backgrounds, and to help ensure that the next generation of young scientists feels welcome and supported in academia.