St. Jude Research
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St. Jude Research

Breakthroughs require heart

Michelle Stoltz had a choice about where to use her talents. But only one place helped her sister survive childhood cancer. This is why she came to St. Jude.

Read Her Story
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Jose Alejo, PhD
Jose Alejo, PhD Scientist

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Roger B. Altman
Roger B. Altman Director of Lab Operations

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Sukanta Bar, PhD
Sukanta Bar, PhD Scientist

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Ryan Brady, PhD
Ryan Brady, PhD Scientist

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Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD
Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate

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Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD
Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD Sr. Researcher

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Zeliha Kilic
Zeliha Kilic Staff Scientific Computing Engineer

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Roman Kiselev, PhD
Roman Kiselev, PhD Scientific Computing Engineer

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Max Martin, PhD
Max Martin, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate

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Nitish Mishra, PhD
Nitish Mishra, PhD Senior Computational Research Scientist

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Arnab Modak, PhD
Arnab Modak, PhD Scientist

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Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD
Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD Scientist

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Rakesh Paul
Rakesh Paul Scientist

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Anand Singh, PhD
Anand Singh, PhD Scientist

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Daniel S. Terry, PhD
Daniel S. Terry, PhD Senior Scientist

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Zoe Watson, PhD
Zoe Watson, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate

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Griffin Welfer, PhD
Griffin Welfer, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate

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About Dr. Ansari

  • Aseem Z. Ansari

    Member, St. Jude Faculty

    Chair, Chemical Biology & Therapeutics

    R. J. Ulrich Endowed Chair

    Dr. Aseem Ansari is guiding St. Jude forward as a leader in the field of transcription-targeted therapeutics. His distinguished research achievements are complemented by a passion for collaboration and innovative training; he has founded several successful STEM training programs and created new forums for scientific exchange within, and beyond, the St. Jude community. From his graduate work at the interface of chemistry and biology at Northwestern to his postdoctoral training in gene regulation at Harvard and MIT, to his lauded faculty role at the University of Wisconsin Madison, Dr. Ansari continues to broaden the boundaries of discovery in his role as Chair of the Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics.

    Research Interests

    • Synthetic gene regulators (SynGRs) as precision-tailored therapeutics for personalized medicine
    • Artificial transcription factors (ATFs) to regulate cell fate programs and enable regenerative medicine
    • Specificity and Energy landscapes for SynGR/ATF design, genome annotation, and precision medicine
    • Chemical-Genetic dissection of RNA polymerase II transcription cycle
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Meet the Team

Our Team

Jose Alejo, PhD
  • Jose Alejo, PhD
  • Scientist
Roger B. Altman
  • Roger B. Altman
  • Director of Lab Operations
Sukanta Bar, PhD
  • Sukanta Bar, PhD
  • Scientist
Ryan Brady, PhD
  • Ryan Brady, PhD
  • Scientist
Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD
  • Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD
  • Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD
  • Sr. Researcher
Zeliha Kilic
  • Zeliha Kilic
  • Staff Scientific Computing Engineer
Roman Kiselev, PhD
  • Roman Kiselev, PhD
  • Scientific Computing Engineer
Max Martin, PhD
  • Max Martin, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Nitish Mishra, PhD
  • Nitish Mishra, PhD
  • Senior Computational Research Scientist
Arnab Modak, PhD
  • Arnab Modak, PhD
  • Scientist
Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD
  • Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD
  • Scientist
Rakesh Paul
  • Rakesh Paul
  • Scientist
Anand Singh, PhD
  • Anand Singh, PhD
  • Scientist
Daniel S. Terry, PhD
  • Daniel S. Terry, PhD
  • Senior Scientist
Zoe Watson, PhD
  • Zoe Watson, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Griffin Welfer, PhD
  • Griffin Welfer, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

Our Team

Jose Alejo, PhD
  • Jose Alejo, PhD
  • Scientist
Roger B. Altman
  • Roger B. Altman
  • Director of Lab Operations
Sukanta Bar, PhD
  • Sukanta Bar, PhD
  • Scientist
Ryan Brady, PhD
  • Ryan Brady, PhD
  • Scientist
Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD
  • Francisco (Aaron) Cruz Navarrete, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD
  • Efren Garcia-Maldonado, PhD
  • Sr. Researcher
Zeliha Kilic
  • Zeliha Kilic
  • Staff Scientific Computing Engineer
Roman Kiselev, PhD
  • Roman Kiselev, PhD
  • Scientific Computing Engineer
Max Martin, PhD
  • Max Martin, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Nitish Mishra, PhD
  • Nitish Mishra, PhD
  • Senior Computational Research Scientist
Arnab Modak, PhD
  • Arnab Modak, PhD
  • Scientist
Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD
  • Kundhavai Natchiar, PhD
  • Scientist
Rakesh Paul
  • Rakesh Paul
  • Scientist
Anand Singh, PhD
  • Anand Singh, PhD
  • Scientist
Daniel S. Terry, PhD
  • Daniel S. Terry, PhD
  • Senior Scientist
Zoe Watson, PhD
  • Zoe Watson, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate
Griffin Welfer, PhD
  • Griffin Welfer, PhD
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the lab

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Science Team

Our research summary

The world is full of sensory stimuli – we hear the morning alarm, see the sunlight coming through the window, and taste the coffee that wakes us. But it is only through movement that we are able to interact with the world.

Work in the Bikoff lab aims to understand the functional organization of neural circuits that enable movement. We use a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates viral tools, imaging, single-cell genomics, and mouse behavioral analysis to study how circuits in the spinal cord and brain control motor behavior.

I. Cell-type diversity in the nervous system

Understanding the functional organization of the nervous system relies in part on defining the diversity and identity of neuronal cell types that form the building blocks of neural circuits. Our prior work has focused on the cardinal class of spinal V1 interneurons, which are the largest inhibitory population in the ventral spinal cord, and are known to play key roles in coordinating flexion/extension movement and regulating locomotor speed. We found that the V1 class contains dozens of candidate cell types that differ in their molecular identity, position, and physiology. In ongoing work, we are employing single-cell genomic and computational   to further define the identity and gene regulatory networks that specify these different interneuron cell types.

Digital image of artificial intelligence human brain

1.a. Digital image of artificial intelligence human brain.

II. Connectivity of spinal motor circuits

We are interested in the circuit organization and synaptic connectivity of spinal interneurons. By using viral transsynaptic and other tracing methods, in combination with whole-brain imaging, we aim to define the extent to which V1 interneuron subsets are recruited by distinct descending systems in the brain and project to motor pools controlling biomechanically distinct muscles.

Digital image of artificial intelligence human brain

1.a. Digital image of artificial intelligence human brain.

III. Function of spinal interneurons in motor control

The ventral interneurons we study are known to provide direct synaptic input to motor neurons. By virtue of their proximity to motor output, the  target specific spinal interneuron subsets, in combination with electromyography and high-speed imaging and kinematic analysis, we can study how ablation or activation of neuronal subsets perturbs fundamental aspects of limb movement, such as flexion/extension.

Publications

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The team

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Join us

We are always looking for highly self-motivated scientists/engineers with passion and talent to join us! People with experimental background are also encouraged to apply.

Current open positions

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Postal Address

Jay Bikoff, PhD
Assistant Member, Developmental Neurobiology

Department of Developmental Neurobiology
MS 322, Room D2006C
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA

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262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA
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