The UW Institute for Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) has awarded Claire Watson, PhD, of the Musculoskeletal Systems Biology Lab $50,000 for her project Wnt16 and Notch signaling during spine morphogenesis.
This award is part of the ISCRM Innovation Pilot Awards, a state-funded program that helps to seed early projects that have the potential of leading to significant grants, papers, and discoveries.
Competition was tight and and Dr. Watson's project was one of several outstanding proposals that were submitted for consideration.
About the Project: Wnt16 and Notch Signaling During Spine Morphogenesis
There is an urgent scientific need to elucidate how spinal patterning is controlled to advance our ability to treat human diseases of the spine, which are an enormous health burden. Understanding the molecular factors that contribute to spine morphogenesis is needed to generate new therapies for spinal disease and injury. In this project, Dr. Watson will assess the interplay between Wnt16 and Notch signaling during zebrafish spinal development and patterning.