Maria Morfin

 

My name is Maria Morfín. I am originally from Mexico, but I immigrated when I was young to the U.S. and grew up in South Georgia. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia. Due to having to juggle full time work, full time school, and several other responsibilities, my research experiences were limited during my undergraduate studies. This is why I applied to the NIH PREP program. It offered a thorough and immersive opportunity for me to broaden my knowledge of research and training.

I worked in the laboratory of Dr. Ross Marklein (RAMLab) during my time at PREP. The focus of the lab is to develop high-throughput, single-cell profiling of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to assess heterogeneity and use for translation of MSC therapies. My role was to optimize and create protocols for various assays by using MSC extracellular vesicles (EVs) to regulate microglia-dependent neuroinflammation in-vitro. Additionally, I developed and executed protocols to establish a link between microglia morphology and metabolism to use as a read-out of microglia cell health post-EV treatment. Additionally, by being in RAMLab, I was able to form connections with great researchers and scientists, such as my PI and mentor, as well as Steven Stice, a world renown expert in the field of pluripotent stem cell biology. This allowed for me to tour ArunA Biomedical, the first company to commercialize a product derived from human pluripotent stem cells, and further expand my knowledge and experiences with clinical applications of research.