Stephanie Devoe Email & Phone Number

I currently study how genetic diversity impacts epigenetic control of chromatin organization driving cytotoxic CD8+ T cells towards states of dysfunction when faced with chronic antigen stimulation.In a nutshell, this boils down to asking why being different makes us different, and in turn how it leads to differences in immune responses - be it for predicting severity of disease or which treatment has the most potential for success for conditions ranging from autoimmunity to cancer to chronic infection.The best takeaway from my graduate studies has been a deep appreciation of how much our current experimental methods impact our understanding of biology; each manipulation and influence perturbs the cells and systems we study from their true biological state. And with this, comes what I consider to be one of the more fulfilling aspects of research: the task of translating the readouts into something meaningful and actionable.

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  Undergraduate Researcher

  Purdue University: Low Lab

  May 2017 - May 2018

  I worked with the Low Lab on targeted bone anabolic peptides for fractures. My main role was the development and execution of an RT-qPCR based assay on murine osteoblast precursors to screen bone anabolic agents to determine which drugs would move on to test in vivo. In the mouse models, I mentored and supervised first and second year undergraduate students in mouse handling, injections, and surgery in additional to general laboratory techniques. I also assisted in imaging bone fractures through Xray and microCT imaging; these studies also extended into determining targeting efficacy of the therapeutics using I-125 and I-131.