Neural Stem Cell Institute, Rensselaer NY

Stem cell research and applications in the treatment of diseases like Retinitis Pigmentosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Spinal Cord Injury, Retinal Degeneration. Home of SallyTemple's lab.

Shona Joy Ph.D.

Dr. Joy’s overarching research interest is in the field of pluripotent stem cells, neurodegenerative diseases, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. She previously worked investigated signaling pathways involved in induced pluripotent reprogramming2,3 and embryo neural developmental pathways. She has successfully generated stable iPSC lines including differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells in vitro towards forebrain and midbrain neuronal types1,4. Shona is currently focused on in vitro disease modeling of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and Progressive supranuclear palsy) using iPSCs. This would lead to a better understanding of the factors involved in pathogenesis and also facilitate the development of a drug screening platform for small molecules.

Publications:

  1. Smith-Geater C, Hernandez SH, Lim RG, Adam M, Wu J, Stocksdale JT, Wassie BT, Gold MP, Wang KQ, Miramontes R, Kopan L, Orellana I, Joy S, Kemp PJ, Allen ND, Fraenkel E, Thompson LM (2020). Aberrant Development Corrected in Adult-Onset Huntington’s Disease iPSC-Derived Neuronal Cultures via WNT Signaling Modulation. Stem Cell Reports Mar 10:14(3):406-419.
  2. Hawkins KE, Joy S, Delhove JM, Kotiadis VN, Fernandez E, Fitzpatrick LM, Whiteford JR, King PJ, Bolanos JP, Duchen MR, Waddington SN, McKay TR (2016). NRF2 Orchestrates the Metabolic Shift during Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Reprogramming. Cell Rep Mar 1;14(8):1883-91
  3. Hawkins, K., Joy, S., and Mckay, T. (2014). Cell signaling pathways underlying induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming. World Journal of Stem Cells 6:620
  4. Telezhkin V, Schnell C, Yarova P, Yung S, Cope E, Hughes A, Thompson BA, Sanders P, Geater C, Hancock JM, Joy S, Badder L, Connor-Robson N, Comella A, Straccia M, Bombau G, Brown JT, Canals JM, Randall AD, Allen ND, Kemp PJ. (2016). Forced cell cycle exit and modulation of GABAA, CREB, and GSK3β signaling promote functional maturation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. American journal of physiology. Cell physiology 310:C520-41.