Miguel completed his postdoctoral work in the Zuchero lab studying cellular forces involved during myelination in the CNS. Identifying the mechanism of myelin wrapping is important in understanding neural development and is a critical first step towards creating much needed therapeutic approaches to stimulate remyelination in patients with demyelinating diseases.
He attended California State University of Fresno where he majored in Anatomy and Physiology. After, he pursued an MA degree in Biology at CUNY Hunter College in NYC under Dr. Derrick Brazill. There he characterized the putative p21-activated protein kinase, PakD, in cytoskeletal regulation in Dictyostelium discoideum.
He became amazed with the dynamic architecture of the cytoskeleton and decided to pursue his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Stanford University under Dr. James Nelson. During his PhD, Miguel studied epithelial responses to mechanical stimuli. In collaboration with the lab of Dr. Beth Pruitt he studied the role intrinsic epithelial oscillations have in external force balancing using a novel MEMS device.
Having worked closely with engineers, Miguel learned a unique perspective of biology that he hopes to bring to his postdoctoral work. He has created a unique technique toolbox to thoroughly study hypotheses of actin-independent myelin membrane expansion in the brain.
Miguel loves to reset his science batteries by playing guitar, binge-watching cool shows, fishing and enjoying a delicious meal.
