Luke Bartelt, BS
Luke is a PhD Candidate studying the transcriptional and gene regulatory mechanisms of neurodegeneration using single-cell sequencing technologies and discovery driven science. By analyzing cell type specific transcriptional pathology in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7, Luke was able to discover that the dysregulation of Zebrin-II Purkinje cell subtype identity is the predominant transcriptional pathology in SCA7, leading to a loss of Zebrin-II striping in early stages of disease. This mechanism appears to be shared among the polyglutamine ataxias and suggests that a breakdown in cellular epigenetic identity could be a central mechanism of PolyQ disorders. Luke is co-advised by Dr. Craig Lowe at Duke University and can be reached at (Luke.bartelt@duke.edu).