Rotation Projects

The Rehman lab studies a variety of topics related to inflammation, tissue injury, tissue regeneration and the blood brain barrier. We also use a wide range of technologies including single cell RNA Seq analysis as well as disease modeling using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and organoids. Here are examples of two rotation projects:

1. Using iPSC-derived vascular cells and brain organoids to study the role of blood vessels and inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease The goal of this rotation project is to generate brain-specific blood vessel endothelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in order to model the blood brain barrier. Importantly, we have access to iPSCs from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and these can be used to study differences between healthy brain endothelial cells and those derived from Alzheimer’s Disease patients. Part of the rotation project will involve using brain organoids to study the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Developing new ways to analyze single cell RNA-sequencing data In this rotation project, students will work with senior bioinformatics PhD students to analyze our own single cell RNA-Seq datasets as well as publicly available data. The goal is to help develop new algorithms to analyze single cell RNA-Seq data that identify novel subpopulations of cells. This project is best suited for students with some bioinformatics background (using R) and who want to pursue a PhD thesis that has a computational focus. Depending on the interests and prior experience of the students, these projects can be modified or expanded.

ELife Ribotag EC Heterogeneity 2020

Sox17 Nature Comm