Name of Lead Faculty/Staff or PI: Bharat Chandra
Contact: Madelyn Klemmensen
Project Details:
There are over 10,000 rare diseases that affect more than 30 million people in the United States, and about 50% of these diseases remain undiagnosed despite extensive clinical and laboratory evaluation. The Iowa-Undiagnosed Diseases Program is attempting to solve undiagnosed diseases by using orthogonal omics-based research tools. To this end, we are using high resolution genome sequencing, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epigenomics and proteomics-based approaches, and induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSC) disease models.
The Chandra lab is seeking a motivated undergraduate student wanting to be involved with clinical translational research. The Undiagnosed Disease Program (UDP) is a hybrid clinical and research-based model built to serve UIHC medical genetics patients with undiagnosed rare diseases. The objectives of the UDP are to:
• Improve diagnostic accuracy and care for patients with undiagnosed diseases in the State of Iowa.
• Rapidly implement research using advanced multiomics based approaches to identify molecular etiology of undiagnosed diseases.
• Gene discovery and functional characterization of genetic variants.
• Identifying biochemical and cellular pathways amenable to broad-scope drug repurposing and personalized molecular therapeutics.
• Foster an integrated and collaborative research community with an end goal of improved patient management.
The role of the undergraduate student will be to assist UDP researchers with the management of patient-derived cell lines and to then use these cell lines for functional characterization of candidate disease-causing genes and pathways.
What this research training offers:
• Acquire experience in cell culture and molecular biology techniques.
• Build an understanding of the translational research pipeline from basic research to patient treatment.
• Refine your skills in experimental design and execution.
• An opportunity for the motivated student to receive mentorship while conducting self-directed research.
• Acquire experience in cell culture and molecular biology techniques.
• Build an understanding of the translational research pipeline from basic research to patient treatment.
• Refine your skills in experimental design and execution.
• An opportunity for the motivated student to receive mentorship while conducting self-directed research.
Qualifications:
• Experience in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, or microbiology.
• Attention to detail and organization.
• Experience with PCR, RT-qPCR, and/or ELISA (preferred).
Time Commitment: 10 hours
Compensation: Volunteer (Optional registration for URES:3991 or URES:3992 0-credit transcript recognition), Academic Credit (1-4 Semester Hours)
Start Date: Immediate, Near future, Fall semester, Spring semester, Summer semester
Timeline: Ongoing, potential to be a continuous position
Application Instructions: Please email your CV or résumé to madelyn-klemmensen@uiowa.edu and bharatendu-chandra@uiowa.edu along with a brief statement describing your interest in the project and relevant coursework.