Maximilian Scheinfeld 

Researchers have used a specialized type of cell that can transform into many different human cell types, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). They did this to study how the specific gene called CDKN2B-AS1 affects the risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is a condition that leads to heart attacks, strokes, and several other heart-related threats. The CDKN2B-AS1 is a common risk factor for CAD but doesn’t make any proteins. 

Researchers used iPSCs to recreate specialized types of heart cells, both with and without malicious mutations in the gene, to see its effects. They found that the gene makes the heart cells more likely to have CAD problems. The cells are muscle cells lining your blood vessels to regulate your blood pressure. When inflamed or old, they form plaques, which can block blood flow or be released and lead to heart attacks or aneurysms. With the use of iPSCs, further work could be done in investigating the specific mechanisms through which the gene affects heart cells and how these effects contribute to the development of CAD. 

Together with my mentor, I will explore whether removing specific parts of a non-coding RNA transcribed from the CDKN2B-AS1 gene called ANRIL could alter the functional behavior of cells in our blood vessels and the genes they express.