ASPIRE Intern – Immunology: Sympathetic Regulation of Lymphocyte Development in the Bone Marrow

The Allen Institute is dedicated to understanding the principles that govern life and advance health through innovative bioscience research. They are seeking an ASPIRE Intern to investigate the role of the nervous system in lymphocyte development in the bone marrow, involving spatial mapping and functional studies of immune cell interactions with sympathetic nerves.

Responsibilities

• Spatial Mapping: Apply advanced 3D confocal microscopy to visualize and quantify the proximity of lymphocytes (B cells, NK cells, T cells) to TH+ sympathetic nerve fibers in whole-mounted femurs. This builds on the group’s established workflows for imaging sympathetic innervation in murine tissues
• ß-Adrenergic Receptor Profiling: Assess the expression of ß-adrenergic receptors (Adrb1 and Adrb2) on developing lymphocyte subsets sorted from bone marrow via quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR)
• Functional Studies: Activate TH+ sympathetic neurons using the hM3Dq DREADD (Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs) mouse model to determine whether neuronal stimulation alters lymphocyte frequencies or maturation states in the bone marrow, analyzed via high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry
• If changes in immune cell abundance or phenotype are detected upon sympathetic nerve activation, the project will expand to mechanistic studies investigating alterations in bone-marrow niche factors that may underlie these effects

Skills

• Bachelor's degree
• Demonstrated commitment to science
• Must have completed a Bachelor's degree prior to the start of the program, and no earlier than December 1, 2023, and must not have an advanced degree in field relevant to the role/project
• Must be able to start in June or July 2026 and commit to the full one-year program, which will end on May 28, 2027
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. for the program duration
• Must be 18 years of age or older

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Basic life insurance
• 401k plan
• Paid time off

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