Biology subjects

Balotin, K. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Balotin, K. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

A remote lecture series roadmap to equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM

Disparities for women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers have continued even amidst mounting evidence for the superior performance of diverse workforces. In response, we launched the Diversity and Science Lecture series, a cross-institutional platform where junior life scientists present their research and comment on equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. We characterize speaker representation from 79 profiles and investigate topic noteworthiness via quantitative content analysis of talk transcripts. Nearly every speaker discussed interpersonal support, and three-fifths of speakers commented on race or ethnicity. Other topics, such as sexual and gender minority identity, were less frequently addressed but highly salient to the speakers who mentioned them. We found that significantly co-occurring topics reflected not only conceptual similarity, such as terms for racial identities, but also intersectional significance, such as identifying as a Latina/Hispanic woman or Asian immigrant, and interactions between priorities and identities, including the heightened value of friendship to the LGBTQ community, which we reproduce using transcripts from an independent seminar series. Our approach to scholar profiles and talk transcripts serves as an example for transmuting hundreds of hours of scholarly discourse into rich datasets that can power computational audits of speaker diversity and illuminate speakers personal and professional priorities.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Development of an N-Cadherin Biofunctionalized Hydrogel to Support the Formation of Synaptically Connected Neural Networks

In vitro models of the human central nervous system (CNS), particularly those derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are becoming increasingly recognized as useful complements to animal models for studying neurological diseases and developing therapeutic strategies. However, current 3D CNS models suffer from deficits that limit their research utility. Notably, it remains difficult to drive iPSC-derived neurons to a mature and synaptically connected state. Moreover, the most common extracellular matrices (ECMs) used to fabricate 3D CNS models are either difficult to pattern into complex structures due to their mechanical properties or lack appropriate bioinstructive cues. Here, we describe the functionalization of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) with an N-cadherin extracellular peptide epitope to create a biomaterial termed GelMA-Cad. After photopolymerization, GelMA-Cad forms soft hydrogels that can maintain patterned architectures. The N-cadherin functionality promotes survival and maturation of iPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons into synaptically connected networks as determined by viral tracing and electrophysiology. Immunostaining reveals a pronounced increase in presynaptic and postsynaptic marker expression in GelMA-Cad relative to Matrigel, as well as extensive co-localization of these markers, thus highlighting the biological activity of the N-cadherin peptide. Overall, given its ability to enhance iPSC-derived neuron maturity and connectivity, GelMA-Cad should be broadly useful for in vitro studies of neural circuitry in health and disease.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2019

Spin{infty} an improved miniaturized spinning bioreactor for the generation of human cerebral organoids from pluripotent stem cells

Three-dimensional (3D) brain organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have become a powerful system to study early development events and to model human disease. Cerebral organoids are generally produced in static culture or in a culture vessel with active mixing, and the two most widely used systems for mixing are a large spinning flask and a miniaturized multi-well spinning bioreactor (also known as Spin Omega (Spin{Omega})). The Spin{Omega} provides a system that is amenable to drug testing, has increased throughput and reproducibility, and utilizes less culture media. However, technical limitations of this system include poor stability of select components and an elevated risk of contamination due to the inability to sterilize the device preassembled. Here, we report a new design of the miniaturized bioreactor system, which we term Spin{infty} that overcomes these concerns to permit long-term experiments.

bioengineering↗