An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**A
              **.gov** website belongs to an official government
              organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**A
              **lock** (
              Locked padlock icon) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
 Top Utility Nav
        
        
        Asian-Language Resources
        
        Portal en español


Site search Mega Menu
  

        

        Home
                  Health Topics
                                      
    
  Health Topics

    Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases
          
    Muscle and Bone Diseases
          
    Skin Diseases
          
    All Diseases and Conditions
          
    Publication Catalog
                  Grants & Funding
                                      
    
  Grants & Funding

    Current Funding Opportunities
          
    Supported Scientific Programs
          
    NIAMS-Supported Programs
          
    Applying for a Grant
          
    NIH Policies and Guidance
          
    Peer Review and Grants Administration Resources
          
    Types of Funding Mechanisms (Activity Codes)
                  Labs @ NIAMS
                                      
    
  Labs @ NIAMS

    NIAMS Labs and Core Facilities
          
    Research Faculty
          
    Research Areas
          
    NIAMS Scientific Advances
          
    Training and Career Development
                  Clinical Trials
                                      
    
  Clinical Trials
      
            For Principal Investigators

    Clinical Trial Policies, Guidelines, and Templates
          
    Conducting Clinical Trials
          
    Register with ClinicalTrials.gov

For Patients

What is a Clinical Trial?
	Clinical Trials at NIAMS
	Clinical Trials in the Spotlight
                  News & Events
                                      
    
  Newsroom

    All NIAMS News
          
    NIAMS Newsletters
          
    Meetings & Events
                  About NIAMS
                                      
    
  About NIAMS

    Director's Page
          
    NIAMS Organization
          
    Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2020-2024
          
    Staff Directory
          
    NIAMS Budget
          
    Partnerships
          
    Contact NIAMS
                  Community Outreach
                                      
    
  Community Outreach

    Bone Health
          
    Joint Health
          
    Muscle, Tendon, and Ligament Health
          
    Skin Health
          
    Health Information For Kids And Young Adults
          
    Health Information For Older Adults/Seniors
          
    Printable Materials for Community Events
          
    Resources in Other Languages
          
    Annual Health Observances
          
    Social Media Resources Breadcrumb
    Home
          About NIAMS
          Morgan Mackenzie, B.S., B.A.





Morgan Mackenzie, B.S., B.A.


Postbaccalaureate Fellow
    Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation Image
              Headshot of a young woman in a lab. 
            Contact Information

                                
                                                50 South Drive
                  
            Building 50, Room 1349
      
                  
                                   Bethesda MD 20892
                
                                                morgan.mackenzie@nih.gov 
                Summary
          Morgan developed an interest in research while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. In 2019, she began an internship with Sandia National Laboratories, studying algal lipid metabolism and microbiomes with the goal of optimizing algal systems for biofuel applications. Inspired by this experience and further coursework exploring the epigenetics of disease, Morgan began undergraduate research with the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH), Division of Nephrology, helping to develop next-generation sequencing protocols that facilitate the detection of microRNAs implicated in the development and progression of kidney disease.In 2022 Morgan earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in French from UNM. Following graduation, she continued there as a research technician until joining the Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation at NIAMS in 2023. Morgan looks forward to using her training with NIAMS to prepare for dual M.D./Ph.D. programs, where she aspires to use patient experiences to lead her research.
        
                  Research Statement
          
            Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are a population of myogenic progenitor cells that play a crucial role in the maintenance of skeletal muscle tissue function. They lie in a quiescent state underneath the basal lamina of muscle fibers until triggered to exit quiescence by acute or chronic injury. Following this trigger, MuSCs proliferate and differentiate into myotubes or fuse with existing ones to repair the damage and regenerate the affected tissue. The regenerative quality of these cells is facilitated by a myriad of epigenetic and cell-to-cell communication networks. Morgan works on projects that seek to a) explore the effects of novel post-translational modifications in coordinating myogenic transcription factors and b) understand the biochemical interplay between MuSCs and non-myogenic muscle-resident cells during the regenerative program in injured tissue. 

            Education
              
            **University of New Mexico**B.S., Biochemistry (2022)**University of New Mexico**B.A., French (2022)             
                        Experience
              
            **Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow**National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, MD (current)**Health Sciences Research Technician**Division of Nephrology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, NM (2022-2023)**Year-Round R&D Intern**Molecular and Microbiology Department, Sandia National Laboratories, NM (2020-2022)


Last Updated: September 2023


Back to Top
 About NIAMS
                    Clinical Trials
                    Grants & Funding
                    Health Topics
                    Labs @ NIAMS
              News Room
                    NIAMS Multimedia Library
                    Disclaimer
                    FOIA
                    Contact us
              Privacy Statement
                    Accessibility
                    HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
                    Social Media Moderation Policy
                    NIAMS Archives
        Subscribe to Our E-Newsletters
            Click the button to see different options to sign up for newsletters.
            Click Here to Subscribe
          Follow us on
  
  About NIH
                  Accessibility Support
            FOIA requests
                  No FEAR Act data
            Office of the Inspector General
                  Performance reports
            Privacy Policy