Dr. Jourdeuil Awarded Fellowship

Dr. Karyn Jourdeuil was awarded a $20,000 Postdoctoral Fellowship from the
American Association of Anatomists for her proposal, "Investigating the role
of gap junctions and connexin proteins in chick trigeminal ganglion
formation".

As defects in the peripheral nervous system, such as peripheral neuropathies
are widespread and can be caused by a variety of diseases and cancers;
understanding how the cranial ganglia are formed is an important step in
developing future treatments. This project will examine the role of gap
junctions, intercellular channels that allow for the rapid diffusion of ions
and small molecules, between neural crest cells and the different cells with
which they interact during the formation of the trigeminal ganglion.