Cole is a rising senior at UCLA majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology.  He has worked in Dr. Volker Hartenstein’s lab since his junior year.  The Hartenstein Lab is primarily interested in central nervous system development in Drosophila melanogaster, but Cole’s project investigates the aging Drosophila blood-brain barrier (BBB).

The BBB of humans declines with age and is correlated with age-related onset of neurological diseases.  Furthermore, mammalian models have shown loss of BBB function as a contributing cause of such diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Age-related changes to the Drosophila BBB are not understood, but if a decrease in function is observed, the plethora of genetic tools in Drosophila could identify causes of the decline, which may have homology to causes in mammals.  To determine whether a decrease in Drosophila BBB function occurs with age, Cole is investigating the permeability of the young adult and aged BBB using nanoinjected, intrahemolymph dextran.  A functional BBB is impermeable to dextran, but dysfunctional BBBs are not, allowing dextran permeability to indicate BBB function.  To better understand potential causes of any age-related loss of BBB function observed, Cole is performing immunofluorescence for septate junction proteins, which are responsible for the BBB’s impermeability, to gauge their expression levels. 

Cole would like to thank Dr. Volker Hartenstein, Amelia Hartenstein, and Dr. Ceazar Nave for the development of this project and their instruction on the protocols.  Cole also thanks the Amgen Foundation and Amgen Scholars Program at UCLA for this resourceful and engaging summer research opportunity.