GlycoSTEM Discovery is an interdisciplinary VIPR team focused on harnessing stem cell biology and glycobiology to develop new disease models and therapeutic approaches for treating rare diseases. Approximately 30 million individuals in the United States are living with a rare disease, which by definition have a prevalence of 200,000 or fewer cases in the United States. Often referred to as orphan diseases, these conditions are often overlooked in therapeutic development, primarily due to their limited patient population in combination with the high cost associated with drug development. The goal of this VIPR program is to train undergraduate students in studying the underlying disease pathology of rare genetic disorders and develop novel therapies for these often-overlooked diseases.
Team Leads: Ryan Weiss (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology), Nadja Zeltner (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology)
