Biography:

 

The processes governing proper development of the fetus are being recognized as increasingly complex in nature and highly sensitive to the maternal intrauterine environment. Dr. Jessica Rosin’s research aims to understand how distinct populations of microglia, the resident macrophages and phagocytic immune cells of the brain, signal to nearby cells during gestation to contribute to normal development of the brain, with a specific focus on the hypothalamus. Her research is also targeted at determining how exposure to various types of gestational perturbation, such as maternal stress, disrupt microglial functions to alter normal developmental programs and result in neurodevelopmental disorders. As Dr. Rosin’s previous work demonstrated that fetal hypothalamic microglia play an unappreciated role in translating maternal stressors to sex-specific perturbations in neurodevelopment, her lab is currently interested in how these neurodevelopmental programs become perturbed in response to maternal stress. Dr. Rosin’s lab employs a variety of experimental approaches to identify unique cell types and the means through which they interact with or molecules they use to signal to nearby cells within their surrounding environment. By disrupting these intricate cellular interactions using genetic knockout lines, pharmacological inhibitors, and/or environmental insults that perturb the system, her lab is able to study how altering normal developmental programs impacts circuitry and behaviour.