Pivoting from studying skin regeneration to neuroscience, 2024 Schmidt Science Fellow Jessica Moore investigates the blood-brain barrier that shields the brain from infection and inflammation.

Jessica is now in the second year of her Fellowship at Duke University, North Carolina.

Next week, she is looking forward to welcoming the community to her adopted home for the Interdisciplinary Science Summit.

“We have a lot of barriers in our bodies. Our skin, our intestine, and also in our brain,” explains Jessica.

“The blood-brain barrier is really critical in making sure that immune cells don’t enter your brain easily and cause inflammation.”

Her research at Duke investigates how the blood-brain barrier forms and how it is kept intact.

This question really matters because the blood-brain barrier breaks down in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, leading to damaging inflammation inside the brain.

It also presents a challenge for medicine because it blocks larger drug molecules, such as cancer therapies, from getting inside the brain to do their work.

Unlocking its mysteries could have a far-reaching impact.

As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Jessica is focusing on a type of cell called the astrocyte.

These cells wrap around blood vessels to form the blood-brain barrier.

“The astrocyte is a really beautiful cell that looks a little bit like a star,” enthuses Jessica.

“It has thousands of branches that form up to two million connections with other brain cells, helping them communicate and supporting normal brain function.”

“But, just as importantly, astrocytes also have parts called endfeet, which reach out and wrap around blood vessels.

“We know far less about those connections to the blood vessels than we do about astrocytes’ connections to brain cells,” she adds.

The blood-brain barrier acts like a ‘security checkpoint’ to allow nutrients and small molecules needed for the healthy functioning of brain cells to pass through, while keeping out many bacteria and viruses, immune cells, and drugs.

Using imaging techniques to study the mouse brain during embryonic development, Jessica has discovered fundamental signaling processes within astrocytes that drive how endfeet connections are created.

She is now keen to understand how stress and inflammation can disrupt those connections, and whether the same signaling and communication pathways are involved in this process.

“As these connections are breaking down in neurodegenerative disease, we can think about how to manipulate those communication pathways to try to repair the connections and improve outcomes for patients,” she explains.

For her PhD, in Valentina Greco’s lab at Yale, Jessica worked on skin: another of the body’s barriers.

“Every day your skin is regenerating, and that takes a lot of coordination. I studied how skin cells communicate with each other via calcium signaling in order to control their cell cycle and allow them to continue making more cells,” she explains.

So what sparked her to pivot from skin cells to neuroscience?

“There are major gaps in our understanding of brain health, especially the role of astrocytes in the blood-brain barrier, and many neurological disorders still lack effective treatments.

“I was excited by the opportunity to address important unanswered questions in a field where there is tremendous need for new discoveries.

“And the blood-brain barrier is critical in many aspects of human development and aging,” she explains.

“But the other reason I was drawn to neuroscience was that, growing up, I unfortunately had two grandparents dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s something that, in a personal way, I’ve wanted to make an impact on for a long time.”

Immersing herself in neuroscience for her Fellowship has been a steep but exciting learning curve, and Jessica has enjoyed exploring something completely new.

The support provided through Schmidt Science Fellows was “transformative” in helping her switch disciplines, Jessica adds.

“The Program has been successful in supporting people to pivot between disciplines, and that shared wisdom and experience have helped me make this big career shift more quickly and successfully.”

Building connections within the cohort has been equally valuable, Jessica adds.

“The Program also does a great job of bringing the cohort together throughout the first year of the Fellowship, helping us form close bonds so that when we face challenges, want to collaborate or think more creatively across disciplines, it’s really easy to get in touch with other Fellows,” she says.

“The Program has been successful in supporting people to pivot between disciplines, and that shared wisdom and experience have helped me make this big career shift more quickly and successfully”

Recently, Jessica has been drawing on those close bonds to help plan the upcoming Interdisciplinary Science Summit at Duke University.

Held in association with Duke University, the Summit brings together scientists, colleagues, leaders, sponsors, and partners from Schmidt Sciences programs, Schmidt Science Fellows, other science-focused entities supported by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Duke University, and the broader North Carolina Research Triangle scientific community.

As part of the Fellows’ Summit Steering Group, she has been giving feedback to the Schmidt Science Fellows organizing team to help ensure the Summit program reflects the rich interdisciplinary research culture of the North Carolina Research Triangle.

“When I first heard that the Summit was taking place at Duke, I was extremely happy and excited,” says Jessica.

“I have become so close with a lot of the people in this Fellowship. So to be able to show them my home and act as a host, that gives me a lot of joy!”