Awarded Projects

Project 1: Understanding the Role of the Envelope Long Cytoplasmic Tail in HIV Replication
Dr. Catherine Adamson, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, UK
Catherine Adamson is starting a new lab in the Department of Medicine at the University of St Andrews. Her research interests focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms of infectious HIV particle production. The project involving the use of the 4D-Nucleofector™ System aims to determine host cell factors and molecular mechanisms that govern the incorporation of HIV envelope glycoprotein spike (Env) into a new virus particle. This incorporation is essential for virus infectivity because Env mediates HIV entry into a new cell. Inhibiting Env incorporation therefore represents a potential novel approach to inhibiting HIV. Experiments will be carried out in cells which are typically hard-to-transfect but relevant to study HIV infection, such as T cell lines, primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and monocyte-derived macrophages. Besides high transfection efficiencies the Nucleofector™ Technology achieves for these cells, the new 4D-Nucleofector™ System adds more flexibility: transfecting low cell numbers in higher throughput for overexpression or knockdown experiments but also high cell numbers for biochemical assays. It will replace the current method of using infectious HIV particles transiently pseudotyped with VSV-G Env which holds some safety concerns.

Project 2: Determination of factors for reprogramming astrocytes to neurons
Dr. Vimal Selvaraj, Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, USA
Vimal Selvaraj recently moved from the University of California, Davis to Cornell University to establish his own lab. His research interest is to understand the mechanisms involved in reprogramming of somatic cells into stem cells or into cells of other lineages (transdifferentiation or lineage conversion) and explore their potential for therapeutic applications. The Nucleofector™ Technology has been proven to give superior transfection efficiencies in primary astrocytes and is the method of choice for one of his projects aiming to determine regulatory genes that can induce the efficient transdifferentiation of astrocytes into neurons. The new 4D-Nucleofector™ System allows for higher sample throughput to screen different targets (or combinations of them) by overexpression or knockdown. Additionally it enables Nucleofection™ of astrocytes in adherence. A strategy for neuronal regeneration by reprogramming astrocytes into neurons could enhance functional regeneration in many forms of CNS injuries and may provide a novel approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases.