ARCS Seattle Chapter members were invited to tour the labs of Fred Hutchinson Scientists Aakanksha Singhvi and Stephen Tapscott the afternoon of January 17th. Our program included a brief panel conversation with these scientists and ARCS Alumna, Violet Sorrentino, who is a member of Dr. Singhvi's Lab. Singhvi, Tapscott, and Sorrentino are pictured above, seated together for the panel discussion. Top photo: ARCS Alumni - German Rojas, far left, and Violet Sorrentino, far right, with fellow lab members.

Dr. Aakanksha Singhvi

article exerpt courtesy of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

When people think of neuroscience, they think of neurons, the cells that receive and transmit information throughout the brain and body. “But that is only half the story,” Dr. Aakanksha Singhvi said.

Neurons make up only half the cells in our nervous system. The other half of our brain are cells called glia. Glia are intermixed with neurons throughout the nervous system. At every information-processing step, glia interact with and work alongside neurons to perform critical nervous system functions. Disruptions in glial cell activity can contribute to brain cancer, multiple sclerosis, autism and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Despite the importance of glia, research into how they function has been limited. Most brain researchers focus on studying neurons, partly for technical reasons and partly for familiarity. Often, glia have been dismissed as simple helper-cells whose function was well-enough understood. However, there is a growing appreciation for how important these cells are for nervous system health. Still, there are many unknowns about how they work.

Read Full Article Here.

Dr. Stephen Tapscott

Dr. Stephen Tapscott (pictured below, center) studies how genes are turned on and off and how this activity goes awry in certain diseases. He focuses on the activity of certain “master” genes that control the development of muscle and nerve cells. He is a leader in understanding how the normal process of cell development is altered in two diseases: muscular dystrophy, a class of inherited diseases in which muscles weaken and atrophy over time; and rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that arises from muscle cells. Dr. Tapscott’s team made a breakthrough in unlocking the molecular secrets behind one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, or FSHD. Dr. Tapscott found that in people with FSHD, proteins normally present in early development are erroneously activated in muscle cells, which prevents muscle-cell regeneration and possibly triggers a damaging immune attack against the muscles.

Learn More about the Tapscott Lab Here

Mark your calendars to join the ARCS community to celebrate our 3rd year UW ARCS Scholars at the beautiful wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House. The event will be held on Wednesday April 17th, from 6-8pm. Mix and mingle with ARCS scholars, supporters and friends during this wine and buffet dinner reception, followed by a brief program featuring members from our 'graduating' class of ARCS scholars. This will be a great opportunity to bring guests who may wish to learn more about ARCS Foundation - registration and details forthcoming!

Article exerpt from WSU Insider January 11, 2024.

PULLMAN, Wash. — Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible. 

Using machine learning and computational modeling, Washington State University researchers have found about half a dozen good candidates for solvents that can extract materials on the moon and Mars usable in 3D printing. The work, reported in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B, is led by Soumik Banerjee, associate professor in WSU’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

The powerful solvents, called ionic liquids, are salts that are in a liquid state.

“The machine learning work brought us down from the 20,000-foot to the 1,000-foot level,” Banerjee said. “We were able to down select a lot of ionic liquids very quickly, and then we could also scientifically understand the most important factors that determine whether a solvent is able to dissolve the material or not.”

As part of its Artemis mission, NASA, which funded Banerjee’s work, wants to send humans back to the moon and then to deeper space to Mars and beyond. But to make such long-term missions possible, astronauts will have to use the materials and resources in those extraterrestrial environments, using 3D printing to make structures, tools, or parts from essential elements extracted from lunar or Martian soil.

Read Full Article Here.