Zachary R
- Research Program Mentor

MD/PhD at Northwestern University

Expertise

Cancer/Immunolgy

Bio

Hi! My name is Zachary Reinstein and I am current and MD-PhD student at Northwestern University. I first began my research in neurodegenerative diseases back in high school. From that point forward I caught the research bug. In my undergraduate at BYU I worked on developing novel immunotherapies for multiple cancer types. Here at Northwestern my project focus on a rare, but highly lethal cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma. I am looking at how we can overcome resistance to current immunotherapies. My curiosity also extends to a variety of other venues. Here in Chicago, I love exploring the 77 neighborhoods, each with their unique food, art and culture. I love biking, swimming, hiking, and reading. I served a mission for my church and lived in Mozambique/Swaziland for two years. I learned Portuguese and a bit of siSwati (clicks and all) while I saw research and health in a completely different context. It has inspired my work today!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Unraveling the Tumor Microenvironment with Single Cell RNA-sequencing

Use data from the state-of-the-art techniques to derive novel insights about the variety of cells in the tumor microenvironment. Single-cell RNA sequencing allows for unprecedented data on patient tumor samples. With the avalanche of data, current studies can only report on a small fraction of actionable biology. Much of this data is publicly available, so you will access this data, analyze it with programs such as Seurat to derive new conclusions and make new hypotheses that will inform future therapeutic discoveries.

Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) and CRISPR to treat cancer

Design novel biologic immunotherapies to target cancer cells by using the latest genetic tools. CAR T cells are one of the most promising novel immunotherapies. Although they have shown significant success in blood cancers, they have struggled in solid tumors. In this project you will design novel CAR constructs, with the combination of CRISPR technologies to develop new CAR T cells to overcome these hurdles.

Coding skills

R, python, HTML

Languages I know

Portuguese

Teaching experience

I am currently involved in mentoring students via the APSA Under Graduate Mentor Program (https://www.physicianscientists.org/page/ugmentoring). I also mentor students who are applying to MD/MD-PhD programs by reviewing their applications. Within the lab I have trained and mentored at least 5 undergraduate students on experimental techniques, design, and background.