Neuroscience

National Cancer Intitute, NIH, June 2000-June 2001
Advisor: Florence Davidson, PhD
Project: Apoptotic mechanisms leading to retinal degeneration in Drosophila

Northwestern University, January 1999 and June-August 1999
Advisor: Neil Clipstone, PhD
Project: Phosphorilation sites of CREB during T-cell activation

Great Lakes Water Institute/NSF Fellowship, January 1998 and June-August 1998
Advisor: Russell Cuhel, PhD
Project: Sulfur oxidizing bacteria populations at hydrothermal vents in Yellowstone Lake

Great Lakes Water Institute, January 1997 and June-August 1997
Avisor: Russell Cuhel, PhD
Project: The affects of Zebra muscles on the biogeochemical balance of inland lakes

Human embryonic stem cells are a potential source of transplantable tissue for neurologic diseases. Before we are able to use these tissues for such purposes though, a better understanding of their developmental characteristics is needed.

My work focuses on human neural stem cell development, specifically from neuroectoderm to fully functioning neurons. The techniques I use include cell culture and manipulation with growth factors, immuno-staining, EM, electrophysiology as well as transplants into rodents. 

Li XJ, Zhang X, Johnson MA, Wang ZB, Lavaute T, Zhang SC. 2009. Coordination of sonic hedgehog and Wnt signaling determines ventral and dorsal telencephalic neuron types from human embryonic stem cells. Development 136:4055-63. PMCID: 2778748

Weick JP, Johnson MA*, Zhang SC. 2009. Developmental regulation of human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons by calcium entry via transient receptor potential channels. Stem Cells 27:2906-16. PMCID: 2806495

Zhang SC, LI XJ, Johnson MA, Pankratz MT. 2008. Human embryonic stem cells for brain repair (review) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363:87-99.

Johnson MA, Weick JP, Pearce RA, Zhang SC. 2007. Functional neural development from human embryonic stem cells: accelerated synaptic activity via astrocyte coculture. J Neurosci 27:3069-77. PMCID: 2735200

Guillaume DJ, Johnson MA, Li XJ, Zhang SC. 2006. Human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursors develop in to neurons and integrate into the host brain. J Neurosci Res 84:1165-76. PMCID: 2735209