ENDURE Lab (2020/2021)
Dr. Timothy Miller

PROJECT TITLE
Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated TREM2 reduction in tauopathy mice regionally alters phosphorylated tau in the absence of microglia activation

NEWS

ENDURE Scholar wins Goldwater Scholarship

Four students at Washington University in St. Louis have received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award that honors students who conduct research in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.

The winners, all juniors, are:

• Neha Damaraju, who is studying biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering. Damaraju plans to study genetics and precision medicine and serves as a research assistant in the DiAntonio lab at the School of Medicine. 
• Sabrina Hu, who is studying chemistry and history in Arts & Sciences, Hu plans to develop technologies to create renewable energy sources and is a researcher in the Tolman Group laboratory in the Department of Chemistry. She also serves as the carbon neutrality intern in the Office of Sustainability. 
• Ephraim Oyetunji, who is studying biology, the neuroscience track, in Arts & Sciences. Oyetunji plans to conduct translational research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and frontotemporal dementia and works in the Miller lab at the School of Medicine. Click here for full story.

As an undergraduate student at Washington University, Ephraim focuses on neurobiology, African and African American studies, and religious studies. He aspires to be a physician who employs translational research to combat neurological disorders at the bench and in the clinic. As a Hope Center Scholar, Ephraim is in the Christopher Wells Hobler Lab led by Timothy Miller (WashU Neurology), and studies how antisense oligonucleotides can be used to learn more about how the nervous system’s immune response can influence pathological protein buildup.

---

ENDURE scholar Ephraim Oyetunji selected as Hope Center Scholar

The Hope Center Scholar program aims to identify promising undergraduate students who are interested in research on neurological disorders, providing financial support for their research and professional development. The Center is pleased to partner with the NIH-funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) uSTAR program at Washington University, a minority-focused undergraduate training program that seeks to increase diversity in PhD and MD-PhD programs nationwide by supporting students in their junior and senior years. Special thanks to Jim Skeath for connecting the Hope Center with the MARC uSTAR program. For inquiries about the Hope Center Scholar Program, please contact the Hope Center.

---

---

Brain trust: Symposium brings together diverse community of undergraduate neuroscientists

By Shawn Ballard8.19.21 | NATURAL SCIENCES & MATH

The WUSTL ENDURE program, which hosts the annual symposium, partners with groups across WashU and local institutions to attract top talent, provide training and mentorship opportunities, and improve the diversity of the neuroscience field.

“What would happen if you lost your heart?” Ephraim Oyetunji, a rising junior studying neuroscience in the Department of Biology and African and African American studies, both in Arts & Sciences, is not speaking romantically. “Every other piece of your body can be lost or transplanted, including your heart, but if you lose your brain, you lose yourself.” click here for full story.