By Alexandra Scammell
There are major inflection points in biomedical discovery that create new fields, new ideas, and new opportunities to impact human health. To recognize scientists at the pinnacle of their fields who have contributed to these inflection points, the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences is launching the Apex Lecture Series. These school-wide seminars, on occasion partnered with department and/or center seminar series, will bring to campus scientists who are influencing the trajectory of their fields to engage with our scientific community.
The first Apex Lecture will feature Jason Spence from the University of Michigan Medical School, where he is the H. Marvin Pollard Collegiate professor of gastroenterology and a professor of internal medicine, biomedical engineering, and cell and developmental biology. He is an expert in the study of developmental and stem cell biology and has led work creating three-dimensional intestinal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Spence and members of his laboratory work to understand how the endoderm and its associated organs develop, with a focus on intestine and lung development. The laboratory also uses model organisms to explore the molecular mechanisms that control embryonic development.
Spence will present a talk titled “Interrogating Stem Cell Niches During Human Development” on May 8 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. CDT in 1220 MRBIII. This presentation will be co-sponsored by the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.
The second Apex lecture, titled “Mechanism of Genetic Quality Control in Germ Cells” and co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology, will take place on May 22. It will be given by Volker Dötsch from Goethe University at 4:00 p.m. CDT in 1220 MRB III. Dötsch’s research contributes to the understanding of biological structure, function, and interaction at the molecular level. He is known for his highly creative use of biochemical and biophysical techniques to address highly challenging problems in biomedical research.
The School of Medicine Basic Sciences will continue this lecture series with new speakers. To stay up to date on the latest lectures, visit the Apex Lecture Series website.