The Meucci lab welcomes new members Dr. Jennifer Kelschenbach and Dr. Waleed Iqbal, who joined the lab this year. Dr. Kelschenbach came to Drexel from the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she investigated how opioids and other substances contribute to HIV associated neurocognitive disorders via extensive work with the EcoHIV mouse model. […]
The lab recently published new research in the Journal of Neuroscience detailing how the chemokine CXCL12 modulates dendritic spine dynamics on cortical neurons using modern live imaging and fluorescent labeling approaches. The group found CXCL12 helps neurons form new dendritic spines, stabilize existing spines, and enhance spines’ expression of synaptic scaffold proteins and channels. These […]
Congrats to Chunta Ho for winning first place in the 2024 Taiwan Microscopy Competition! Chunta’s micrograph “Lethal Beauty: The Dual Performance of a Cancer Cell” captured a cancer cell with extensive processes in culture. He labeled cellular DNA using a light-blue Hoechst stain and counterstained actin using a fluorescent phalloidin conjugate, which was converted into a heatmap […]
Congratulations to Chunta Ho, PhD for successfully defending his doctoral thesis! Chunta’s work greatly improved our understanding of how the homeostatic chemokine CXCL12 regulates cortical dendritic spines. His work enhanced the technical capacity of the lab with new live-imaging techniques for dendritic spines and the post-synaptic density protein PSD-95, which allowed for real-time imaging in […]
The Meucci lab and several collaborators published exciting work on the development of a new human brain slice culture model of neuroHIV! The work was a team effort that spanned three research labs in Drexel’s Department of Pharmacology & Physiology and a neurosurgeon collaborator at the Global Neurosciences Institute. Click here to read the full […]
The Meucci lab has open positions for a senior scientist and postdoctoral researcher. Ideal applicants will have extensive experience in neurobiology, neuroimmune pharmacology, and translational neuroscience, allowing them to contribute to the overall mission of the lab with creativity and passion. Both positions will be involved in ongoing NIH-funded projects in the field of neuroHIV, […]
Congratulations to James Johnson for successfully defending his master’s thesis project! James presented his excellent work on developing and optimizing organotypic slice cultures of live human brain tissue as part of a broader project to create a human tissue model of neuroHIV. His essential contributions moved the project forward and positioned him for success in […]
Dr. Elena Irollo and colleagues from the Meucci lab recently published a new study on how morphine uses the iron transporter divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) to control iron metabolism in cortical neurons. The study also reports a new set of molecular tools to study DMT1 in a variety of cellular systems. This work continues […]
Congratulations to Jared Luchetta for successfully defending his PhD thesis! Jared’s work uncovered how chemokine signaling through the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway controls neuronal activity, and he identified that CXCR4 expressed on cortical inhibitory neurons is a major driver of CXCL12’s beneficial and homeostatic effects. Jared was a T32 fellow of Drexel’s Interdisciplinary and Translational Research Training […]
Research/Laboratory Assistant Job Overview: The research assistant will be involved in ongoing NIH-funded projects in the field of neuroHIV and neuroprotection, and additional collaborative studies in oncology. The successful candidate will have expertise in both cellular/molecular biology techniques and small animal in vivo models. They are also expected to facilitate teamwork and ensure proper function […]