Dr. Sheehy successfully defended his PhD thesis, “Interrogating the Role of G9a in the Brain During Health, Aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease,” guided by Dr. Juan Song, on May 15th.
Publications
In Graduate Program
Sheehy RN, Quintanilla LJ, Song J. Epigenetic regulation in the neurogenic niche of the adult dentate gyrus. Neurosci. Lett. 766, 136343 (2022). doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136343. PMID: 34774980.
Xie L#, Sheehy RN#. (co-first), Xiong Y#, Muneer A, Wrobel J, Park KS, Velez J, Liu J, Li YD, Luo YJ, Quintanilla L, Li Y, Xu C, Deshmukh M, Wen Z, Jin J*, Song J*, Chen X*. Novel brain-penetrant inhibitor of G9a methylase blocks Alzheimer’s disease proteopathology for precision medication. medRxiv [preprint], (2023) doi: 10.1101/2023.10.25.23297491. PMID: 37961307.
Li YD, Luo YJ, Xie L, Tart DS, Sheehy RN, Zhang L, Coleman LG, Chen X, Song J. Activation of hypothalamic-enhanced adult-born neurons restores cognitive and affective function in Alzheimer’s disease. Cell Stem Cell 30, 415-432 (2023). doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.02.006. PMID: 37028406.
Quintanilla L, Su Y, Simon JM, Luo YJ, Asrican B, Tart S, Sheehy RN, Li YD, Ming GL, Song H, Song J. Basal forebrain cholinergic circuits orchestrate diverse cell types in the adult dentate gyrus to support neural stem cell function and spatial memory. bioRxiv [preprint], (2022) doi:10.1101/2022.05.25.493227v1.full
Before Graduate Program
Doellman MM, Hood GR, Gersfeld J, Driscoe A, Xu CCY, Sheehy RN, Holmes N, Yee W, Feder JL. Identifying diagnostic genetic markers for a cryptic invasive agricultural pest: a test case using the apple maggot fly, Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. Volume 113, Issue 4, July 2020, Pages 246–256.
Dorrier CE, Aran D, Haenelt EA, Sheehy RN, Hoi KK, Pintarić L, Chen Y, Lizama CO, Cautivo KM, Weiner GA, Popko B, Fancy SPJ, Arnold TD, Daneman R. CNS fibroblasts form a fibrotic scar in response to immune cell infiltration. Nature Neuroscience, 24, 234–244 (2021). doi:10.1038/s41593-020-00770-9. PMID: 33526922.
# indicates co-first authors.
Honors, Awards, Highlights
Pharmacology T32 grant appointment, 2021, 2022
Pharmacology Department Thomas Collum Butler Award, 2023
Dr. Sheehy’s future career plan is to be a founding member and scientist for a company that Dr. Song and their collaborators are starting to advance the novel drug that he was researching into clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.
We wish you all the best, Ryan!
Pics from Ryan’s defense and celebration (click for larger view)
Dr. Sheehy with his PhD cake
Ryan in his PHCO white lab coat after his PhD defense
Ryan at his PhD party
Ryan with his happy celebrants