Joshua Black earned a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. He is a PhD student working in Charles Gersbach's laboratory.
Contact Information
- Email Address: joshua.b.black@duke.edu
Research Interests
Joshua’s research is focused on applying tools and principles from synthetic biology to understand and improve cellular reprogramming. He is interested in the epigenetic barriers faced by natural transcription factors in the unfamiliar context of a distant differentiated cell type, and he is exploring the utility of using engineered factors to more deterministically overcome these barriers. The epigenome undergoes thousands of modifications during cellular reprogramming, and he is harnessing the programability of engineered transcription factors to make site-specific modifications to the epigenome to uncover the functional role of these elements.
PUBLICATIONS:
Black JB, Adler AF, Wang HG, D’Ippolito AM, Hutchinson HA, Reddy TE, Pitt GS, Leong KW, Gersbach CA. “Targeted Epigenetic Reprogramming by CRISPR/Cas9-Based Transcription Factors Directs the Conversion of Fibroblasts to Neuronal Cells.” In Review
AWARDS/HONORS/FELLOWSHIPS:
Center for Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering Fellow (2014-2016)
Poster Award NC RNA Society's 2015 Symposium on RNA Biology
POSTERS:
Black JB, Adler AF, Leong KW, Gersbach CA. “Targeted Activation of Endogenous ASCL1 and BRN2 by CRISPR/Cas9-Based Transcription Factors for the Direct Conversion of Fibroblasts to a Neuronal Phenotype.” American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, Washington, D.C., May 2014.
Black JB, Adler AF, Wang HG, D’Ippolito AM, Hutchinson HA, Reddy TE, Pitt GS, Leong KW, Gersbach CA. “Multiplex Endogenous Gene Activation by CRISPR/Cas9-Based Transcription Factors for the Conversion of Fibroblasts to Neuronal Cells.” Mammalian Synthetic Biology, Boston, M.A., April 2015.
PRESENTATIONS:
Black JB, Adler AF, Wang HG, D’Ippolito AM, Hutchinson HA, Reddy TE, Pitt GS, Leong KW, Gersbach CA. “Targeted Epigenetic Reprogramming by CRISPR/Cas9-Based Transcription