Michael Walden
Research- I began my scientific career while at Boston College as an undergraduate. In the lab of Dr. Michael Laposata, at the Massachusetts General Hospital, my research was focused in two primary areas. The first was to understand alcohol induced metabolic changes by examining the production of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEEs). The second focus was to investigate the feasibility of using FAEEs as long-term markers of alcohol consumption. The first endeavor meant that I studied differences in both FAEE concentration and type from various biological fluids of acute and chronic drinkers. The latter endeavor meant that, after scraping the me conium, a newborns babies first stool, from the diapers of newborns with alcoholic mothers, I would perform biochemical analyses to measure the amount and type of FAEEs contained in the me conium.
Needless to say, after my start as an excrement ally focused experimentalist, I was excited to proceed further in science and begin my graduate work at Brandeis University. At Brandeis, I had the honor of working with Dr. Christopher Miller. In his lab, I studied a novel Proton/Chloride membrane antiporter (ClC-ec1), which had been discovered by Miller and post-doc Alessio Accardi. My work involved a combination of biochemical, biophysical, and electro physiological analyses used to investigate the transport mechanism of ClC-ec1.
Upon the completion of my thesis work at Brandeis, I started as a research fellow at the Molecular Cardiologic al Research Institute (MCRI) at the Tufts/New England Medical Center. There, in the lab of Dr. Daniel Cox, I switched my membrane bound focus to the large conductance, calcium activated potassium channel, BKca. This channel is responsible for maintaining and modulating cellular potassium concentrations in response to membrane voltage and intracellular calcium levels. My work at the MCRI involved examining how BKca senses calcium, and also how accessory proteins (known as beta-subunits) modulate channel activity.
I came to Simon John's lab in January of 2008 as the lab manager. By joining Simon's lab, I have been afforded the opportunity to plunge into a new pond of scientific exploration. Having switched gears from biochemically and electrophysiologically focused to geneticly and physiologically focused research, I hope to apply my experience to on going projects in the lab, and to develop an in depth understanding of the events and factors that lead to the development of Glaucoma. As lab manager, I get to play a part in all of the research that is being carried out here. This experience could be likened to stepping up to an all you can eat scientific buffet with no trip limit.
Interests -A large motivation for coming to The Jackson Lab was the opportunity to live in an area surrounded with the natural, and cultural splendor found in Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, and Down East Maine. My family and I enjoy getting ourselves out into nature, which is easy to do in Acadia, and being able to unexpectedly wandered into a spot of awe inspiring beauty. I know I've realized my idealist vision of life when I awake in the shadow of Cadillac Mountain, or I get to snowshoe into the lab. Of course, it's also nice to be able to return to our home in Bar Harbor in order to feast on a tasty lobster in the evening. Aside from enjoying the local flora, fauna, and geography, I am also an avid home brewer (thank you Jimmy Carter!). Thanks to my very understanding wife, Jill, what had started as a small hobby, has turned into quite an obsession.
