User:Soren Hough
Contact Info
- Søren Hough
- Email me through OpenWetWare
Current Position
I work as the head science writer at Desktop Genetics. I am responsible for all written scientific content on the Resources and Blog pages at DESKGEN.com. I also contribute to scientific papers written both by our company and in collaboration with research partners in academia and industry. I have also written for AddGene and presented at several institutions around the world, including EMBL Heidelberg and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Research Background
I began my research career with Henry Furneaux, PhD, at the age of 15. While learning the principles of wet lab work in the Furneaux Lab, I performed an in silico experiment testing for viral microRNA regulation of the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene. I presented my research formally at the end of summer 2009 to the faculty of the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine.
In the summer of 2010 I worked in a lab at the Douglas Mental Health Institute through McGill University doing research on differential gene expression in the brain. My investigations were done under the supervision of Gilles Maussion, PhD, and Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD, as a part of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies.
The research team at the Turecki Lab was interested in monitoring the role epigenetics play in causing suicidal behavior. My project involved analyzing whether key genes involved in neuronal signaling were the target of microRNAs, methylation, and transcription factors.
In fall 2010, I worked as a student researcher in the developmental epigenetics laboratory of Jesse Mager, PhD, a one of twenty-three undergraduate participants in the CNS First-Year Research Experience.
The Mager Lab group’s objective was to look at how epigenetic factors affected embryogenesis. Using methyl-sensitive PCR, I investigated potential methylation sites in the promoter regions of two interrelated genes known to be expressed in oocytes, but not in the surrounding granulosa cells. I presented my research formally at the end of the semester.
I completed my honors thesis on intracellular transport in the molecular biophysics laboratory of Jennifer Ross, PhD. My project was to design a DNA origami structure to serve as a programmable artificial cargo to test the effect of kinesin-1 binding location on transport efficiency.
Subsequently, I found a position working with Wen Xue, PhD, at UMass Medical School as a laboratory technician and before receiving a promotion to research associate. I was responsible for cloning into plasmid and viral vectors, maxipreps, mammalian cell culture, Western blots, protein and DNA gels, mouse colony genotyping and maintenance and immunohistochemical staining.
Education
- Microbiology, 2014, BS, Departmental Honors Scholar with Distinction, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Film Studies, 2014, Certificate, Honors Scholar with Distinction, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Research Interests
- CRISPR technology and application
- RNA Biology
- Biomedical research
- Kinesin/Cytoskeleton/Super Resolution Microscopy
- microRNAs and Epigenetic Regulation of Disease
Publications
- Mou H et al. "Genetic disruption of oncogenic Kras sensitizes lung cancer cells to Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis." PNAS. 2017. PUBMED
- Hough S, Kancleris K et al. "Guide Picker is a comprehensive design tool for visualizing and selecting guides for CRISPR experiments." BMC Bioinformatics. 2017. PUBMED
- Song CQ et al. "Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Identifies Regulators of MAPK as Suppressors of Liver Tumors in Mice." Gastroenterology. 2016. PUBMED
- Wang D et al. "Adenovirus-Mediated Somatic Genome Editing of Pten by CRISPR/Cas9 in Mouse Liver in Spite of Cas9-Specific Immune Responses" Human Gene Therapy. 2015. PUBMED
- Hough SH. “Using DNA Origami to Evaluate Motor Protein Binding Patterns.” Commonwealth Honors College, University of Massachusetts Amherst. 2014. [Undergraduate Honors Thesis]
- Hough SH. “Lloyd Garrison Seymour.” African American National Biographies, Harvard University Press and Oxford University Press. 2009. Oxford University Press
