Science and nature ignite passion
Bill Carter, senior research associate at the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI), has always had a curiosity about nature. It started growing up on his family’s farm in Muncie, Ind., and only grew stronger as he studied biology at Ball State University.
However, it was a director, Loren Field, PhD, distinguished professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, who truly ignited Carter’s passion, which is generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The science behind iPSCs involves taking naturally occurring adult skin and blood cells and re-programming them to generate a specific type of cell. Field also introduced Carter to the IBRI.
Today, Carter is using his more than two decades of experience to improve the health of young Hoosiers.
“We recently learned about two young women who had been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2),” said Carter. “As a parent of four, it was difficult to hear from their doctor about the health struggles like dizziness, loss of hearing and nerve pain they face at such a young age.”
Carter is taking the blood samples donated by these brave kids diagnosed with NF2, which is a rare neurologic disorder that causes tumors (derived from malignant Schwann cells) to arise on nerves that support balance and hearing, and reprogramming the blood cells into iPSCs, which are then differentiated into Schwann cells. Once he creates a bank of Schwann cells, he’ll be able to create the disease state in the Schwann cells and then test drugs and drug combinations in the lab, rather than having patients try different medications.
Another aspect of the research Carter is conducting is related to CRISPR, which is a system that can target specific stretches of genetic code and edit DNA at precise locations. He knows that when the NF2 gene is impaired, it creates a greater risk of developing certain tumors. “Our goal with this work,” notes Carter, “is to use CRISPR to study the Schwann cells in the disease state in vitro, meaning in a controlled environment, and look for ways to prevent tumors from ever forming.”
Carter is motivated by patient family members, including through letters received by colleagues, “Again, thank you. I’ve been a nurse for 22 years and teams like yours don’t come every day. You’re all admirable. I appreciate your timely responses, commitment and dedication to research and high-quality care.”
Carter knows there is still work to do. “I am confident that the platform we are creating will help accelerate research into new, more efficient therapies for patients.” He has a passion to utilize his scientific knowledge aimed at creating hope. “I do this work because I know I can make a difference in the life of a child,” added Carter.