Jane Johnson Lab:Jennifer Dennis



Biography
In general, I am interested in developmental processes; particularly those in the nervous system and its various components.


 * Postdoctoral researcher in the Johnson Lab

My current focus in the Johnson lab is examining the role of Ascl1 (Mash1) in the development of tumors. Ascl1 is found in a variety of tumors in the central nervous system and I am examining the role of Ascl1 in spinal cord tumors, which are prevalent in young children. This project is very exciting in that it combines my interests in development with the cancer field.


 * Ph.D, University of Kansas Medical Center & Stowers Institute for Medical Research

While a graduate student, I worked in the lab of Dr. Paul Trainor at the Stowers Institute studying the induction and patterning of neural crest cells during craniofacial development. Neural crest cells comprise ~95% of all head, face, and neck structures and give rise to a diverse range of derivatives in the head and throughout the body. While working with Paul, I studied the development of this cell type during normal and abnormal craniofacial morphogenesis in the mouse.

Publications
To be updated....

Contact info
Jennifer Dennis

Department of Neuroscience

UT Southwestern Medical Center

5323 Harry Hines Blvd., NA 4-146

Dallas, TX 75390-9111

Jennifer.Dennis@utsouthwestern.edu