Biography:
Santos is from Denver, CO and is a first-generation student graduating with a B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB). Since his first year at CU, he worked at the BioFrontiers Institute in the Leinwand lab as an undergraduate researcher. Santos plans to attend the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology Ph.D. Program at Harvard University which aims to explain how higher level properties of complex biological systems arise from the interactions among their parts. In his spare time, he likes to go stargazing with his telescope and loves to talk about space sciences with others. He is thankful for the continued support from the Leinwand lab, Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program (MASP), the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation, and the McNair Program in achieving his dream of higher education.
Research:
His research interests include Stem Cells, Regeneration, and Space Life Science. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by the thickening of the left ventricle wall that leads to sudden heart failure. A sign for HCM is overexpression of β-myosin heavy chain (β-myHC) protein in the heart. There needs to be more research into understanding the factors in the molecular pathogenesis of HCM. One possible factor is the expression of Myh7b, an ancient member of the heavy myosin group, that increases β-myHC. The investigation into the role of Myh7b in human cardiac cells is still recent and he aims to understand MYH7b essential roles in human cardiac cells. Specifically, he will knock out the MYH7b gene in human iPSCs with CRISPR and identify abnormalities through novel changes in the morphology, gene expression, and cell phenotypes (i.e. contractility). The rationale for his project is to further understand the overall roles of Myh7b in HCM.
Research Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Leslie Anne Leinwand, PhD, MCDB Distinguished Professor & BioFrontiers Institute CSO
Santos' McNair Scholars mentor was Tim Korpita.