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We Are...
Correcting
Hereditary
Abnormalities with
Novel stem cell
Genetic
Engineering
About Us
We are a sophomore research team in the Gemstone Honors Program at the University of Maryland. We are focused on using novel CRISPR Cas-9 technologies to correct genetic defects associated with Huntington's Disease. We aim to use this gene-editing technique on autologous stem cells in hopes that it will decrease the possibility of an immune rejection.
The Problem:
Huntington's disease is a neural disorder that results in the destruction of neural cells in the brain. This disease is genetically inherited and affects over 200,000 US citizens each year. Typically appearing in a person's 30s or 40s, some common symptoms include degradation of cognition, such as thinking and processing information, and additional psychiatric symptoms. There is currently no cure for Huntington's, but we hope our research can help pave the way for the use of genetic engineering in treating the disease.
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