Congratulations to Sydney Camfield recipient of an NIH F31 Fellowship

Sydney Camfield, Cell Biology PhD student in Dr. Lindsay Hayes’s lab, received an F31 Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health to support her research on how early-life inflammation influences the developing brain. Her work focuses on microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, and how inflammation during pregnancy can shape their development and reprogram their function both in early life and into adulthood.

A key part of the project is exploring DNA methylation, an epigenetic process that regulates gene activity, as a possible mechanism underlying these long-lasting changes. By assessing microglia across different stages of development and examining both molecular and functional changes, the study aims to better understand how the prenatal environment can leave a lasting biological imprint. This work will provide new insight into the connection between early-life inflammation, brain development, and long-term neuroimmune function.