Dr. Abigail Koppes-
Principal Investigator

Ziwen Wang

Periphery neuron repair has always been one of the hot topics to scientists and surgeons. Recent advancements in Dr. Ryan Koppes’ lab have led to the development of a method for differentiating olfactory mucosa stem cells (OMSCs) into Schwann cells, a crucial cell type in facilitating nerve function. With that knowledge, Ziwen aims to perform survival surgery to look at the nerve repair. She is hoping her work will yield a higher rate of nerve repair.

Ziwen joined ABNEL in the fall of 2023 as a bioengineering Ph.D. student. Before joining the lab, she had her M.S. in bioinformatics in Northeastern University in 2022. She graduated majoring in biochemistry at Seton Hall University in 2019 and worked as a research assistant in TheWell Bioscience. She also interned in United Therapeutics in 2021, participating in 3D cell culture and bio printing designs. 

M.S. Bioinformatics
Northeastern University ’22
Boston, MA

B.S. Biochemistry
Seton Hall University ’19
South Orange, NJ

Best wishes to Francesco!

Best wishes to Francesco!

Francesco Fontana joined the lab as a visiting scholar over the winter from Italy and conducted experiments in magnetism on cells. He will hopefully defend his thesis in the coming months. Good luck Francesco!

Lab goes on a winter retreat in Vermont

Lab goes on a winter retreat in Vermont

Enjoying a fresh snowfall, the ABNEL and LNNR labs spent the weekend near White River Junction, Vermont. The members split the time playing ultimate spoons, playing in the snow, skiing at Killington, and racing in Mario Kart.