Chair’s Welcome and Departmental Vision Statement
![Dr. Gary J. Bassell](_images/primary-faculty-images/bassell-gary-lrg.jpg)
I am delighted to have this opportunity to work with an outstanding group of faculty, as we make new discoveries at the frontiers of cell biology, developmental biology and neurobiology. We conduct basic biomedical and translational research with an emphasis on the study of diverse aspects of cellular dynamics in health, disease and therapeutic intervention using modern methods in microscopy and imaging. Our research employs multidisciplinary approaches with genetically tractable animal models and human patient cells. We are committed to provide an exemplary level of research training, teaching and mentorship of future scientists and physicians. We continue to establish new partnerships and collaborations across several academic and clinical departments within Emory University, the School of Medicine and several research centers. I look forward to supporting the research and teaching mission of our faculty, and our vision to have a transformative impact on understanding basic science to advance human health.
News Highlights
New Faculty Member
We are pleased to welcome Michael Deans, PhD, who will join us in January 2025 as an Associate Professor of Cell Biology. Dr. Deans was previously an Associate Professor in Otolaryngology at the University of Utah. His new lab, located on the 5th floor of WBRB, will investigate developmental mechanisms guiding planar cell polarity, cellular morphogenesis and innervation essential for auditory and vestibular function.
![Michael Deans, PhD](_images/primary-faculty-images/deans-michael-1200x1200.jpg)
New Faculty Member
We are pleased to welcome Sulagna Das, PhD, who joined us in January 2024 as an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Human Genetics. Dr. Das was previously a Research Assistant Professor in Cell Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. Her new lab, located on 4th floor WBRB, will investigate the dynamics and regulation of RNAs in neuronal health and diseases using high-resolution imaging technologies.
![Sulagna Das, PhD, headshot](_images/primary-faculty-images/das-sulagna-600x600.jpg)
![](_images/primary-faculty-images/2020/jiang-jie.jpg)
Jiang Lab
Congratulations to Jie Jiang, PhD, for his promotion to Associate Professor of Cell Biology effective September 1, 2024.
![Betty Bekele](_images/news-events/news-images-2024/bekele-betty_2024.png)
Bassell Lab
Ms. Betty Bekele, PhD candidate in the Bassell Lab and Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (MDF) Research Fellow, was featured in MDF Research Fellow Feature, April 2024.
Betty Bekele's scientific journey began in Ethiopia, and her pursuit of a STEM career flourished when she received a full scholarship to Wesleyan University, graduating with a BS degree in Neuroscience. Inspired by research experiences at Wesleyan and as a post-bac at Yale, Betty is now doing thesis research in Gary Bassell’s lab as part of the Emory Graduate Neuroscience Program.
Through her MDF fellowship Betty is investigating mechanisms of excess GABAergic inhibition in a new mouse model of DM1.
![Dr. Alan Emanuel](_images/primary-faculty-images/emanuel-alan-2.jpg)
Emanuel Lab
Alan Emanuel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, received the Emory-Udall Parkinson's Disease Center Pilot Grant titled, “Tactile Processing in Mouse Models of Parkinson’s Disease”.
The Emory Udall Center administers a pilot grant program to encourage Parkinson's disease research at Emory which includes up to three grants annually for meritorious high-impact projects that generate preliminary data for larger grant applications. The Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory School of Medicine, The Jean and Paul Amos Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program and Emory College provide financial support for this pilot program.
![Matt Rowan](../semi-annual-notable-news/semi-annual-notable-news-fall-2022/documents/rowan-matthew-sq.jpg)
Rowan Lab
Matthew Rowan, PhD, Assistant Professor in Cell Biology, published a paper, “Native-state proteomics of Parvalbumin interneurons identifies unique molecular signatures and vulnerabilities to early Alzheimer’s pathology,” in Nature Communications, April 2024. Congratulations, Dr. Rowan!
![Figure in Neurobiology of Pain, Jang et al.](../semi-annual-notable-news/2024-semi-annual-newsletter-spring/images/cell-biology/jang-in-garraway-lab-publication-figure-2024.jpg)
Garraway Lab
Faundez Lab
Victor Faundez, MD, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair in Cell Biology, received $1.1 million in funding from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) to identify proteomic alterations that could be used as biomarkers for monitoring disease and potential therapies for Rett syndrome.
The Rett Syndrome Research Trust, a nonprofit founded in 2008, conducts and funds research aimed at finding a cure for Rett Syndrome and related disorders.
![Victor Faundez](_images/primary-faculty-images/faundez-victor.jpg)
![Placentra presentation 2024](_images/news-events/placentra-tori-moberg-lab-news-2024.jpg)
Moberg Lab
GMB student Tori Placentra, a member of the Moberg Lab, won the Genetics Society of America Early Career Poster Award at the 2024 TAGC Annual Conference in Washington DC. Their poster was judged the best among hundreds of Drosophila research posters presented by early-stage graduate students from across the country and globe. Pic attached.
BCDB student Jordan Goldy (joint Moberg-Corbett) just earned a 10th percentile score on her F31 submission to NINDS!
Alvarez Lab
Francisco Alvarez, PhD, Professor in Cell Biology, published a paper, “Modulation of central synapse remodeling after remote peripheral injuries by the CCL2-CCR2 axis and microglia,” in Cell Reports,
Travis Rotterman, PhD, Predoctoral grad student of Emory’s Neuroscience program and now Postdoctoral Researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is first author.
The manuscript is co-authored by current students Zoë Haley-Johnson, Tana Pottorf, William McCallum and Shannon Zhang among others.
This research shows that peripheral nerve injury severity modulates microglia activation in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, which transforms spinal networks controlling motor function. Specifically, CCL2-expressing microglia are induced after more severe injuries, causing permanent removal of synapses carrying proprioceptive information necessary for fine movement coordination.
![Francisco Alvarez, PhD](_images/primary-faculty-images/2022/alvarez-francisco-1000x1400.jpg)
Katz Lab
High school student Rhea Rastogi in the lab of Dr. David Katz was named in the 2024 Top 40 in America in the highly prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search Showcase based on the research she did in the Katz lab. She was the only semifinalist and finalist from the state of Alabama. This nomiation included a trip to the White House in March 2024 to meet Joe Biden and compete in a science fair for the top prize.
![Rhea Rastogi](../semi-annual-notable-news/2024-semi-annual-newsletter-spring/images/cell-biology/rastogi-rhea.jpg)
Sampson Lab
Dr. Timothy Sampson, Assistant Professor in Cell Biology, collaborated on a podcast with the BBC and Cambridge, "The Naked Scientists". The podcast titled, "Microbiome signals early Parkinson's: Will a healthy gut hinder the progress of the disease?", explores the relationship between gut health and Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Sampson was highlighted in Knowable Magazine (January 2024) for his research that links gut bacteria to Parkinson’s Disease. The story discusses how growing evidence suggests a link between the debilitating neurological illness and the microbes that live in our intestines.
Dr. Sampson was also appointed to an Associate Editor position for npj Parkinson's Disease.
![Timothy Sampson, PhD](labs/sampson/images/sampson-timothy-1076x1077.jpeg)
Jiang Lab
Congratulations to Dr. Devesh Pant, Instructor in Cell Biology in the Lab of Dr. Jie Jiang, for receiving the Live Like Lou’s 2023 Career Development Award. This career development grant aims to bolster the careers of emerging scientists, facilitating the advancement of innovative ideas toward securing substantial funding for the critical study of Lou Gehrig’s disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Dr. Pant was also promoted from Postdoctoral Fellow to Instructor.
![Devesh Pant, PhD](_images/news-events/pant-devesh-award-2023.png)
New Society Election
Dr. Gary Bassell, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Cell Biology and Department Chair, was elected president of the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology Chairs (AACBNC).
The Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Neurobiology Chairpersons (AACBNC) is an organization of chairs, interim chairs, or permanent substitutes appointed by the Chair of departments of anatomy, cell biology and neurobiology, or equivalent organizational units, in schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and osteopathic medicine or in universities granting Ph.D. degrees in these disciplines in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada shall be eligible for membership.
![Gary Bassell, PhD](../semi-annual-notable-news/semi-annual-newsletter-fall-2023/images/cell-biology/bassell-gary-1432x1432.jpg)