Research ranging from Alzheimer’s studies to clot observations in the brain relies heavily on our current understanding of the response of cells and tissue in the envrionment of an afflicted region. One such response to pathology is inflammation, a series of biochemical interactions that change the local environment, allowing cells tasked with the removal of toxic debris to aggregate around a target region. My research centers on expanding our knowledge of inflammatory dynamics in the brain resulting from microhemorrhages. Using optical techniques such as two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy and using a femtosecond laser pulse to intoduce small occlusions in the vasculature of the brain, we can observe specifically tagged cells, such as microglia (the local colony of monocytes in the brain), and examine their stages of activation through time. I am an undergraduate majoring in Biological Engineering (minoring in Biomedical Engineering), and I hope to continue medical related research after graduation. I joined the Schaffer lab in September 2009.
