Pathology Graduate Training Program
Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CMP) -
Current Graduate Students

Name: Sarah Beckman
Email: sab95@pitt.edu
Lab Phone:
Mentor Name: Johnny Huard

Undergraduate Education:
Undergraduate Degree: B.S., Bio-molecular Sciences, 2006
Undergraduate Institution: Clarkson University

Research Project Information

Duschenne muscular dystrophy is a degenerative muscle disease in which a lack of the structural protein dystrophin leads to progressive muscle degeneration. Weakness of the respiratory muscles and lack of the dystrophin protein in the heart lead to respiratory or cardiac failure and premature death. Muscle derived stem cells (MDSCs) have previously been shown to generate dystrophin positive myocytes in the hearts of mdx mice. We propose that autologous dystrophic MDSCs will retain this regenerative capacity without the problem of rejection and that the dystrophin protein is not essential to the regenerative process and that dystrophic MDSCs derived from skeletal muscle will engraft in and improve the function of dystrophic hearts in mdx mice.

Publications / Achievements

Publications

Olden TL, Akhtar T, Beckman SA, Wallace KN. In Submission. Differentiation of the zebrafish enteric nervous system and intestinal smooth muscle. Genesis.

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