Biography
Stephen Semick is a medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He previously worked in Andrew Jaffe’s lab at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development where he helped investigate the genomic underpinnings of brain disorders and diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia.
Interests
- Neuroscience
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
Education
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M.D., Expected 2022
University of Maryland School of Medicine
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B.S. in Mathematics | B.S. in Physiology & Neurobiology, 2016
University of Maryland, College Park
Experience
Medical Student
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Research Associate
Lieber Institute for Brain Development
Undergraduate Student
University of Maryland
Featured Publications
Schizophrenia risk variants influence multiple classes of transcripts of sorting nexin 19 (SNX19)
We explored the association between schizophrenia GWAS risk at locus 11q25 and local transcript expression of SNX19. We identified a prominent class of GWAS risk-associated SNX19 transcripts defined by an exon-exon splice junction. Further work suggests local epigenetic marks mediate the effect of risk variants on local SNX19 risk transcript expression.
Integrated DNA methylation and gene expression profiling across multiple brain regions implicate novel genes in Alzheimer's disease
By combining RNA-sequencing and DNA methylation data across four brain regions of neurotypical (N=49) and Alzheimer's disease patients (N=24), we were able to identify new genes associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Developmental effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on the human frontal cortex transcriptome
We investigated the effects of smoking-exposure on prenatal and adult gene expression in the frontal cortex. We found developmentally-dependent gene expression differences between smoking-exposed and -unexposed brains. These expression differences were enriched for the gene signatures of autism spectrum disorder.
Recent Publications
Genome-wide sequencing-based identification of methylation quantitative trait loci and their role in schizophrenia risk
The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist, rosiglitazone, ameliorates neurofunctional and neuroinflammatory abnormalities in a rat model of Gulf War Illness
Background: Gulf War (GW) Illness (GWI) is a debilitating condition with a complex constellation of immune, endocrine and neurological symptoms, …
