The article, “Functional validation of a finding from a mouse genome-wide association study demonstrates that Azi2 influences the acute locomotor simulant response to methamphetamine”, has been accepted for publication in Genes, Brain, and Behavior. This article discusses the potential mechanisms of Azi2 and its role in methamphetamine sensitivity. Dr. Abraham Palmer, Dr. Amanda Barkley-Levenson, Xinzhu Zhou and several others co-authored this article. Congratulations!

Zeljana grew up in continental Serbia, Europe. She lived in Dubai and London, before she moved to the States for school. Mesmerized by all things brain-related, she first double majored in Neuroscience and Psychology, and then received her Master’s degree in Neurobiology – all at UC San Diego. In her spare time, she is a travel junkie, a student pilot, an avid watcher of Grey’s Anatomy, and the main resource for her kindergartener’s incessant questioning of the Universe.

Welcome, Zeljana!

Alan Lin joined the Palmer Lab in June 2021 as a REHU summer student. He is a rising senior at Williams College majoring in Biology and Statistics, and he hopes to use both fields to pursue a career in bioinformatics/biostatistics. In his free time, Alan enjoys being outdoors, playing tennis, and listening to music.

The Research Experiences for High School and Undergraduate Students (REHU) program (ratgenes.org/education/rehu/) that is funded by the NIDA Center for Genetic Studies of Drug Abuse in Outbred Rats where Dr. Palmer is the PI. REHU program provides

Sammy Myakishev-Rempel joined the Palmer Lab in June 2021 as a REHU student. Sammy graduated from UC High School with strong skills in computer science. She is hoping to gain experience from working in an academic lab and developing programming skills on multiple platforms. Her hobbies include sewing, paper-crafting, learning Japanese, and electronics.

The Research Experiences for High School and Undergraduate Students (REHU) program (ratgenes.org/education/rehu/) that is funded by the NIDA Center for Genetic Studies of Drug Abuse in Outbred Rats where Dr. Palmer is the PI. REHU program provides high

Brittany Leger joined the Palmer lab in June 2021 as a PhD student in the Biomedical Sciences program at UCSD. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2017 with a BS in Molecular Biology, then joined Massachusetts General Hospital in the labs of Dr. Richa Saxena and Dr. James Walker. Brittany is interested in developing methods to integrate genetic data from animal model studies and human studies to reveal underlying mechanisms behind neuropsychiatric behavior. Outside of lab, Brittany enjoys hiking, figure drawing, and is currently learning to longboard.

Beverly Peng joined the Palmer lab in June 2021 as a new UCSD Bioengineering graduate  specializing in Bioinformatics. She is from Sacramento but loves the San Diego weather more. Her hobbies include painting, video editing, and learning Japanese. She is very excited get started and can’t wait to make some memories.

Welcome, Beverly!

The article, “Dissecting indirect genetic effects from peers in laboratory mice” identifies genetic loci underlying associations between the phenotype of one mouse and genotypes of its cage mates (“indirect genetic effects”). It also clarifies the relationship between loci underlying classical (“direct”) genetic effects and indirect genetic effects. The experimental data collected in the Palmer lab by Dr. Amelie Baud, Dr. Amanda Barkley-Levenson and undergraduate student Nilgoun Farhadi between 2017 and 2020 were critical to validate a locus identified by GWAS of indirect genetic effects. Congrats!

On June 9th, 2021, Amanda Barkley-Levenson married James Anderson in a private ceremony at the San Diego Waterfront.

Congratulations, Amanda and James!

As the Palmer lab’s focus on bioinformatics has grown, Apurva has been appointed as the leader of the bioinformatics team, which is currently expanding from 3 to 4 full time members. She will continue to divide her time between publishing papers, continuing to develop the lab’s database and bioinformatics workflows, and working with collaborators and supervising the other members of the team. Congrats Apurva!

The Quantitative Genomics of Space Biology Workshop was held on Wednesday, May 26th, 2021. Speakers discussed recent studies and tools in quantitative genetics and its potential application to targeted flight studies and space biology. See the Agenda and Speakers here.

Dr. Abraham Palmer had presented as an expert in terrestrial Quantitative Genomics with Rodents.

This workshop was organized by NASA and the NASA GeneLab.