Introduction by Director Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD

Greetings from Penn BGS, and welcome to the Fall 2024 issue of The Dish.

This fall, we welcomed a new class of 165 students—the largest in BGS history. We are proud of this group of remarkable, experientially diverse students. Already this class is enriching BGS with its brilliance, camaraderie, and hard work.

BGS students continue to shine, and their efforts have received recognition both here at Penn and beyond our campus. Just a few examples:

• Saron Akalu, GR’31, and Anna Kasper, GR’31, have been named 2024 Presidential PhD Fellows. Recipients of this highly competitive three-year fellowship hail from six Penn schools, and we are delighted—but not surprised—that two of the seven awardees are BGS students. Saron is a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) graduate group, while Anna is a member of the Neuroscience (NGG) graduate group.  

• Brianna Hill-Payne, GR’28, and Sam Preza, GR’28 are two of the 50 graduate students selected to receive this year’s prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship for their outstanding research and commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in science. Brianna is a member of the Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemical Biology (BBCB) graduate group, and Sam is in CAMB.

An essential element of our students’ success is our unwavering commitment to mentorship. Over the past three years, 458 faculty across a wide variety of disciplines have mentored BGS students. Our faculty are constantly learning and working together to ensure that BGS students are guided throughout their courses of study by thoughtful and engaged mentorship.

This issue of The Dish features a profile of an exceptional mentor: Jonathan A. Epstein, MD. Dr. Epstein serves as Interim Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. In addition to this institutional leadership role, Dr. Epstein continues to offer students opportunities to participate in high-level science in his lab. We will hear from some current and former students about their experiences studying with Dr. Epstein and how those experiences have shaped their paths as scientists. 

BGS mentorship is not limited to faculty: More than 100 BGS alumni have signed up to participate in the Career Paths Mentoring Program this year. Facilitated by the BGS Professional Development Office, this valuable program connects graduate trainees with BGS alumni who assist them with career exploration and decisions. We are incredibly grateful to these alumni mentors, who play a vital role in guiding our students as they embark on their careers.

We are approaching a major milestone for BGS: our 40th anniversary! Please save the date for the BGS 40th Anniversary Celebration on October 9-10, 2025. This special event will feature Graduate Group-specific activities on October 9 and BGS-wide programming on October 10, including faculty and alumni keynotes, student poster presentations, networking opportunities, and an evening reception. We hope you will join us for this festive occasion! Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead.

As always, thank you for your support of BGS.

Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD
Professor of Pathology, Department of Oral Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Director, Biomedical Graduate Studies, Perelman School of Medicine

Spotlight: The Epstein Lab

As Interim Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, Jonathan A. Epstein, MD is charged with leading Penn Medicine in its integrated missions of education, research, and patient care. Alongside this critical administrative role, Dr. Epstein continues to lead a world class research laboratory and is actively involved in training Penn BGS doctoral students in the Cell and Molecular Biology (CAMB) graduate group. He sees the roles of mentor and leader as intertwined. “Staying close to the science keeps me in tune with the challenges and opportunities of fellow faculty and our spectacular trainees,” he explains. “I try to bring that understanding of what’s happening on the ground back to my leadership role.”

Dr. Epstein is a renowned stem cell biologist and a pioneer in cardiovascular biology. His research examines how the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and stem cell biology are implicated in human disease. The Epstein Lab has a longstanding interest in the genetic causes of congenital heart disease and epigenetic regulation of cell fate determination. More recently, Dr. Epstein and his team have pioneered the use of targeted lipid nanoparticles and mRNA to generate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in vivo for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

“It’s remarkable that Jon maintains a lab as Dean, and his lab gives students the chance to contribute to world-class science,” says Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD, Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Director of BGS. “His trainees are helping to make breakthroughs that will shape the future of cardiovascular medicine. That’s invaluable experience for a young researcher.”

Dr. Epstein’s trainees are using CAR T cells—which were developed and approved by the FDA to harness the power of the immune system to combat blood cancers—to target and remove activated fibroblasts that contribute to a wide variety of fibrotic diseases that can affect many organs and tissues. Trainees are also using the Penn-developed, Nobel Prize-winning modification of messenger RNA (mRNA) to generate CAR T cells in the body, avoiding the need for expensive and laborious ex vivo engineering, which is required for the FDA approved types of CAR T therapies.

In keeping with longstanding BGS tradition, these students’ experiences have been enriched by Dr. Epstein’s thoughtful and attentive mentorship, and by the opportunity his lab gives them to do science at the cutting edge.

A Collaborative Environment

Thomas “Teddy” Williamson, a PhD student in the Epstein Lab and member of the Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology (DSRB) program within CAMB, studies CAR T therapies for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

According to Teddy, collaboration and mentorship are the keystones of the BGS student experience. He appreciates the program’s cooperative culture, which means being able to brainstorm and troubleshoot experiments with PIs and members of other labs.

“The mentoring I get from a lot of the PIs who are closely connected with the graduate group and DSRB has been super helpful,” says Teddy, who focuses on treating acute cardiac injury with engineered regulatory T cells. “Whether it was preparing for my qualifying exams or writing grant applications, everyone has been willing to take a look at my proposals, listen to my talks, and give me feedback.”

He also values the perspectives of colleagues representing a variety of career paths.

One of Teddy’s key mentors is Dr. Epstein, whose enthusiasm inspires him.

“Jon is excited about every single aspect of science, whether it's his field or another field,” Teddy explains. “He loves science. And that's very infectious. So even when you have this tiny little piece of data that you feel is insignificant, he will always be thinking about it and finding a way to make it this incredible new discovery where you can push your project forward.”

Valued Support

Teddy also has appreciated the guidance of an alumnus who, until recently, also was a student in the Epstein Lab. Joel Rurik, GR’23, is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He focuses on adaptive immunity and mRNA-based therapeutic development.

Joel chose BGS in part for its supportive environment. “I was looking for a strong academic program with really diverse research areas, and an environment where if you asked for help, you would get it,” he says. “I felt that at Penn. If you asked for a meeting to talk through an idea, whether it was practical or crazy, people would generally hear you out and be excited to do so. I think it's a special quality of Penn.”

During his initial rotation with Dr. Epstein’s lab, Joel developed the interest that would guide his research: developing CAR T therapy for heart failure alongside postdoc mentor Haig Aghajanian, GR’16, who also completed his PhD in Dr. Epstein’s lab. Joel went on to contribute key research combining CAR T and mRNA biology to treat cardiovascular disease, including the development of a novel technology to deliver modified mRNA to T cells in vivo, with results that pave the way for low-cost, scalable, and dose-able immune therapy for fibrotic disorders. Joel’s work has appeared in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature, Molecular Cell, DNA and Cell Biology, Nature Metabolism, and Circulation Research.

Like Teddy, Joel appreciated the support and guidance he found at BGS. “The mentorship at BGS was very helpful and prevalent,” he says. “We have numerous support systems. BGS, and especially DSRB, prioritize mentoring, both faculty to student, but also peer-to-peer.”

Joel also found a particularly strong mentor in Dr. Epstein.

“Jon has been very much a person I look up to and admire,” he says. “He has been an incredibly valuable role model for me, both as a human and as a scientist. Somehow, he'd always have time to read anything you sent him or discuss the latest findings. His favorite part of the day was coming into the lab to see us and hear what was going on.”

A Better Scientist

During her time as a doctoral student in the Epstein Lab, Karen Wong, GR’24, focused on exploring how extracellular signals can influence the way DNA is organized in the nucleus, and how changes in that organization may lead to changes in gene expression and ultimately cellular identity. Among her accomplishments is a March 2024 publication in Science Advances showing that growth factor-induced changes in chromatin state can mediate the activation of downstream genes. 

Karen, who began a postdoctoral position at Johnson & Johnson in mid-November, appreciated Dr. Epstein’s support and guidance as her advisor.

“Jon struck a perfect balance between challenging and supporting me throughout grad school,” says Karen. “He’s made me a better scientist through example. He taught me to learn broadly, think deeply, and communicate my science efficiently—skills that are relevant not only to academic science but also many other career paths, and that I'm sure will serve me well.”

Karen also appreciated the size and diversity of the BGS community: “You get to know people working on a wide variety of things, which is personally enriching, and you also never know where a project might take you—but there’s likely an expert on the topic somewhere on campus.”

Blake Jardin, GR’28, M’28, is a current MD/PhD student in the Epstein Lab who is investigating strategies to combat kidney disease, particularly by using CAR T-cells.

Blake, who plans to become a cardiologist, contributed to an editorial in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology along with Dr. Epstein in January 2024, in which they discuss how mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles can be leveraged to target cardiac fibrosis.

“I think it's been a great fit,” Blake says of working in the lab, “and it's really helped me develop as a scientist, but also to a degree as a clinician. It's tough work, but it's definitely worthwhile. And I feel quite fortunate to be in this position and to be at the forefront of both science and medicine.”

Dr. Epstein is equally appreciative of his students.

“Our students are the future of biomedical science,” Dr. Epstein says. “It’s a true privilege to work with them and to get to see them come into their own as scientists. They inspire me every single day.”

Fireside Chat with Former NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD

Earlier this fall, Penn Medicine and Penn Nursing were delighted to host a discussion with Former NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD. The event was moderated by Dr. Epstein, with an introduction by Penn Nursing Dean Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN. The recording of the fireside chat can be found here (PennKey required).

BGS Student in the Franklin Institute

Make a Difference: Give to the BGS Fellowship Fund Today

We invite you to support BGS students and their remarkable work by making a gift to the Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS) Fellowship Fund. Your partnership helps ensure an exceptional BGS experience for the students of today and tomorrow, bolstering their ability to make the scientific discoveries of the future—to the benefit of patients everywhere.

You can make a gift online or send a check payable to "The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania" and include “Biomedical Graduate Studies Fellowship Fund” in the memo line.

Mail it to:

Penn Medicine Development
c/o Amelia Klein
3535 Market Street, Suite 750
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Thank you for your partnership.