Spencer Danner-Bocks Email & Phone Number

I am a neuroscience PhD student at UCSF interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and determining therapeutic targets for these diseases. I was previously an NIH PREP Scholar in Dr. Martin Kampmann's lab at UCSF, where I worked with a team to validate and improve a new platform for conducting in vivo CRISPRi screens in the mouse brain in a cell-type specific and scalable manner. Here, I gained experience in in vivo work and CRISPRi screening, which I plan to continue to employ.During my undergraduate career, I worked as a McNair Scholar in Dr. Ruben Dagda's lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. I conducted independent research on mitochondrial dynamics and its relation to neurodegeneration. Specifically, I was interested in the scaffolding protein, a kinase anchor protein 121 (AKAP121), and the serine/threonine kinase PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1). This experience nurtured and sprouted my love for molecular neuroscience, a passion that continues into today.