Dr. Christa Ventresca
Research Profile
Research Areas:
- Epigenetics
- Gene regulation
- Gene x environment interactions
Techniques:
- RNA-sequencing
- Spatial sequencing
- Transcriptomic data analysis
- Tissue processing
Project Description:
With the advent of genetic sequencing, we can profile more individual cells more quickly than ever before! Until recently though, cells had to be separated from each other prior to analysis, meaning that any spatial relationships between cells would be lost. Increasingly, spatial analyses are of interest since we can capture where the cells are within a tissue and what cell type they are close to. Now though, there are more techniques than ever to explore these spatial relationships while still capturing gene expression information from individual cells. This allows us to gain insights into what cells are communicating to each other, for example we can examine what conditions trigger specific communications across the cell types.
My work involves using these spatial technologies to profile the mouse brain. We will use this to look at changes within complex traits such as how the organism ages as well as how disease can impact the spatial layout. For example, we can study how aberrant cancer growths impact the relationship between cells in the brain. Students working with me will be carrying out the spatial analysis and data generation from prepared sections of tissue, and will learn to analyze/characterize the data themselves.
Get to know Dr. Ventresca:
What is your research area and why are you passionate about it?
My research encompasses the realm of complex traits: traits that are impacted by many different genes and regulatory pathways within an organism, as well as being impacted by the environment. Previously I studied type 2 diabetes and how a rare cell type in skeletal muscle specifically under high-insulin conditions can contribute to the development of the disease. I find these fascinating as there is still so much we don’t know about the environment can impact genetic regulation and how changes to these pathways can lead to disease.
What do you like most about research?
My favorite part of research is being able to have the flexibility to come up with an idea, test it, and see what happens. You get to have pretty complete autonomy with your research interests and pursue what seems interesting to you! And if the experiment gives some data, that’s a bonus.
How would you describe your mentoring style?
My mentoring style can vary based on a student’s needs, but overall my usual trajectory involves going through the experiment together, having the student perform the experiment while I’m there to observe, and finally having the student work independently (while I am around for questions and support). I find that this allows mentees to gain confidence and familiarity with proceedings and can minimize misunderstandings. Having said that, I rely on students to ask questions when they need to!
What is one piece of advice that you would give to students beginning research?
There are a lot of days where scientific research can feel boring, tedious, or overwhelming. Make sure you ask for help when you need it and rely on the community around you! Regardless of the experiment or topic, you are learning valuable skills that will help you in your future endeavors (whether that’s science or not).