Abby Rich
Salem College
Sandra Zinkel Lab
I am interested in the mechanisms by which commonly occurring mutations within hematopoietic tissues contribute to myeloid cell dysplasias, and by how these lineage imbalances predispose afflicted individuals to disease. The most frequently-occuring mutations in myelodysplasias are in spliceosomal proteins and result in altered mRNA splicing. My research in the Zinkel Lab uses both computational and molecular approaches to explore how defects in spliceosomal machinery contribute to systemic inflammation, bone marrow failure disorders, and myeloid malignancies.