05/04/2022
GMI Postdoc Wins the 2022 Arthur F.W. Hughes Award for Embryology and Developmental Biology
Nicholas Sarn, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Charis Eng, MD, PhD, has received the 2022 Arthur F.W. Hughes Award for Embryology and Developmental Biology from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
This award recognizes individuals who made significant contributions to the fields of developmental biology and embryology during their graduate program at CWRU. Dr. Sarn’s work focused on characterizing the function of PTEN in microglia (the primary immune cells of the central nervous system), which represents a novel avenue of study as PTEN was not known to possess a significant function in these cells or potential pathological contribution to PTEN-related autism spectrum disorder. His research demonstrates that PTEN is essential in regulating the process of synaptic pruning, phagocytosis and microglia activation in these cells.
Dr. Sarn graduated with his PhD from CWRU in the spring of 2021.
Bottom image: Nicholas Sarn, PhD