Join us for our first edition of Conversations in Convergence, a series of interactive discussions between Medicine by Design researchers who study similar questions using different approaches.
Our first speakers will be:
- Yun Li, PhD – Scientist, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto; and Medicine by Design Investigator
- Erica Scott, PhD – Post-Doctoral Fellow, Wheeler Microfluidics Lab, Department of Chemistry and Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto; and 2018 Medicine by Design Post-Doctoral Fellowship award winner
Dr. Li studies how the human brain is formed, what makes the human brain different from that of the other species, and how disorders such as autism impact its normal development and function. She uses pluripotent stem cell, genome editing, and 3-dimensional organoid technologies to study brain development in a dish.
In Dr. Scott’s post-doctoral fellowship, she is developing a tool to analyze neural stem cell networks at single-cell resolution. This tool combines a single cell laser lysis technique, microfluidics and RNA and DNA sequencing. Dr. Scott aims to describe the high degree of variability between neural stem cells and their environment to best harness their therapeutic potential.
The goal of Conversations in Convergence is to foster cross-disciplinary discussions in support of convergence, which is the integration of approaches from engineering, science, medicine and other fields to expand knowledge and spark innovation. The researchers will discuss how their unique perspectives, knowledge and ideas inform their work, and how their diverse approaches intersect and complement one another to advance regenerative medicine.