Jeff Palmer

Class of 2013

Education: Blended BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Cal Poly

 

Biography

Jeff was interested in studying stem cells due to their potential to treat disease and injury at the source, the cell. The ability to create a cell that functions as a native cell in the body was a fascinating and exciting prospect for him. Specifically, he was interested in working with pancreatic and cardiovascular tissues. After completion of his MS, he hoped to either go into industry or pursue a PhD or MD.

He worked in Dr. Maike Sander's lab at UCSD. The Sander lab is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie the formation of endocrine cells in the pancreas. Using embryonic stem cells they aimed to identify strategies to generate replacement insulin-producing beta cells to treat diabetes. Through examination of chromatin modification, Jeff identified endocrine specific enhancers, enabling the generation of cell lines with tissue specific fluorescent reporters.

After graduating, Jeff obtained a position as a Quality Engineering with Alcon.

Jeff, presenting his Internship Research at the 2013 CIRM Trainee Meeting.