Kathryn Wu

Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow: The David L Sze and Kathleen Donohue Interdisciplinary Fellowship
PhD Student
Neurosciences
Affiliation:
Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellows in Neuroscience

Kathryn is an MD-PhD student in Stanford's Neurosciences Interdisciplinary Program. She is fascinated by Schwann cells, which are glial cells that sort axons by size and selectively myelinate large-caliber axons during peripheral nervous system development. Kathryn is currently working with Dr. Brad Zuchero and Dr. Wah Chiu to uncover what mechanisms Schwann cells use to execute the dynamic movements necessary to sort and myelinate axons. Prior to Stanford, Kathryn studied Biology at Swarthmore College and conducted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research in the laboratories of Dr. Edward Lee at the University of Pennyslvania and Dr. Robert Baloh at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Related Projects

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
SIGF - Graduate Fellowship
2020
How do Schwann cells sort and myelinate axons in the developing peripheral nervous system?

Schwann cells (SCs) sort and myelinate peripheral axons, and impairments in either process can cause long-term disability. There are no therapeutic strategies for targeting SC dysfunction, underscoring the need to investigate mechanisms of sorting and myelination. Both processes require highly motile SC cytoplasmic protrusions, but the basis of this motility is unclear.