Jackson Mace
Jackson Mace earned the 2023 Toffler Scholar Award at Johns Hopkins University
Biography
Jackson Mace was born in Santa Cruz, California, to a family of scientists and engineers—problem solvers, in other words. His older brother went to the University of Pennsylvania and still lives in the state today, working in the biomedical engineering field. His older sister attended the University of Colorado Boulder and lives in Denver as a social worker. His younger brother just graduated from the University of Washington and is pursuing environmental science. Mace’s father worked for St. Jude Medical in biomedical engineering and management. His mother worked as an engineer after college before devoting herself to her family full-time. With a family like his, Mace was almost destined to pursue a career in some area of STEM that aids the greater population.
He was a good student in elementary school, only occasionally getting into mischief. Growing up, he loved the beach and surfing. Mace also took an interest in skiing when he began spending time at his family’s cabin in Tahoe, competing in freestyle skiing competitions throughout his childhood. Around fourth grade, he began learning about The Scientific Method and performed small and flashy experiments in his science classes. After a field trip during which he got to examine leaves under a microscope, Mace pleaded with his parents to get him a microscope. After a couple of years, they relented. It was his favorite gift of all time. He still has it.
As Mace progressed through middle school and high school, he remained a good student but lost some interest as classes had fewer experiments, instead relying on learning through memorization. His passion for science was reignited in his 9th grade biology class, where he learned about DNA through a DNA extraction experiment involving strawberries. He quickly realized that he loved delving into the cellular and molecular aspects of biology.
When Mace was older, he learned that his father had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). When Mace began applying for colleges during his senior year, he decided to combine science with a career that could directly help others, thinking along the lines of medicine. At this point in Mace’s journey, he had also become an avid reader of scientific papers, finding papers on the brain through psychological and neurological lenses particularly exciting.
He considered majors such as chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular biology. Individually, he knew they were worthwhile, but studying the central nervous system as a whole would enable him to explore all of these areas at once. A major in neurobiology allowed for exploration and was applicable to the study of disease, which affected his father. Mace thus attended the University of Delaware and earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Today, Mace’s father is doing well and enjoys talking about neuroscience with his son on a regular basis.
As an undergraduate, Mace looked up to Eric Kandel, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000 for “discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system.” Kandel’s work in brain signaling was also related to work conducted in the behavioral neuroscience lab where Mace studied. He was inspired by Kandel’s journey and impressed by how someone could be so driven by their own curiosity and lead a field in discoveries based on their own research. Another influential person in Mace’s career was Dr. Amy Griffin, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware, who served as his Principal Investigator for all four years of Mace’s undergraduate career. She taught many of the neurobiology courses he took and constantly encouraged him to think deeper, ask big questions, and never doubt his ability to ambitiously pursue science. Mace also took part in the 2018 Nemours Hospital Biomedical Research Internship (Delaware) and 2019 Amgen Scholar Program (Washington University in St. Louis) throughout his undergraduate career. Both Principal Investigators he worked with during those summer programs, Dr. Valerie Sampson and Dr. Paul Kotzbauer, were fundamental to Mace’s growth in the field of biomedical research.
Today, Mace is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine doctoral program. He is working to uncover how a newly described cell death pathway, parthanatos, may be a key player in the chronic neurodegeneration that occurs in many MS patients. Mace’s work is novel in that he is exploring mechanisms to halt neuronal death without impeding on the immune system of MS patients, as there are already many immunosuppressants available for MS patients that are not effective in slowing the insidious neurodegeneration that occurs over time. He conducts his work in both the Dawson and Calabresi labs.
“Science was prevalent in my life at a young age. It was more exciting than memorizing rules or facts in other courses. To me, science was based on curiously exploring the unknown and opened my eyes to the natural world.”
- Jackson Mace, PhD Candidate
BIOGRAPHY
Jackson Mace was born in Santa Cruz, California, to a family of scientists and engineers—problem solvers, in other words. His older brother went to the University of Pennsylvania and still lives in the state today, working in the biomedical engineering field. His older sister attended the University of Colorado Boulder and lives in Denver as a social worker. His younger brother just graduated from the University of Washington and is pursuing environmental science. Mace’s father worked for St. Jude Medical in biomedical engineering and management. His mother worked as an engineer after college before devoting herself to her family full-time. With a family like his, Mace was almost destined to pursue a career in some area of STEM that aids the greater population.
He was a good student in elementary school, only occasionally getting into mischief. Growing up, he loved the beach and surfing. Mace also took an interest in skiing when he began spending time at his family’s cabin in Tahoe, competing in freestyle skiing competitions throughout his childhood. Around fourth grade, he began learning about The Scientific Method and performed small and flashy experiments in his science classes. After a field trip during which he got to examine leaves under a microscope, Mace pleaded with his parents to get him a microscope. After a couple of years, they relented. It was his favorite gift of all time. He still has it.
As Mace progressed through middle school and high school, he remained a good student but lost some interest as classes had fewer experiments, instead relying on learning through memorization. His passion for science was reignited in his 9th grade biology class, where he learned about DNA through a DNA extraction experiment involving strawberries. He quickly realized that he loved delving into the cellular and molecular aspects of biology.
When Mace was older, he learned that his father had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). When Mace began applying for colleges during his senior year, he decided to combine science with a career that could directly help others, thinking along the lines of medicine. At this point in Mace’s journey, he had also become an avid reader of scientific papers, finding papers on the brain through psychological and neurological lenses particularly exciting.
He considered majors such as chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and cellular biology. Individually, he knew they were worthwhile, but studying the central nervous system as a whole would enable him to explore all of these areas at once. A major in neurobiology allowed for exploration and was applicable to the study of disease, which affected his father. Mace thus attended the University of Delaware and earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Today, Mace’s father is doing well and enjoys talking about neuroscience with his son on a regular basis.
As an undergraduate, Mace looked up to Eric Kandel, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000 for “discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system.” Kandel’s work in brain signaling was also related to work conducted in the behavioral neuroscience lab where Mace studied. He was inspired by Kandel’s journey and impressed by how someone could be so driven by their own curiosity and lead a field in discoveries based on their own research. Another influential person in Mace’s career was Dr. Amy Griffin, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware, who served as his Principal Investigator for all four years of Mace’s undergraduate career. She taught many of the neurobiology courses he took and constantly encouraged him to think deeper, ask big questions, and never doubt his ability to ambitiously pursue science. Mace also took part in the 2018 Nemours Hospital Biomedical Research Internship (Delaware) and 2019 Amgen Scholar Program (Washington University in St. Louis) throughout his undergraduate career. Both Principal Investigators he worked with during those summer programs, Dr. Valerie Sampson and Dr. Paul Kotzbauer, were fundamental to Mace’s growth in the field of biomedical research.
Today, Mace is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine doctoral program. He is working to uncover how a newly described cell death pathway, parthanatos, may be a key player in the chronic neurodegeneration that occurs in many MS patients. Mace’s work is novel in that he is exploring mechanisms to halt neuronal death without impeding on the immune system of MS patients, as there are already many immunosuppressants available for MS patients that are not effective in slowing the insidious neurodegeneration that occurs over time. He conducts his work in both the Dawson and Calabresi labs.
“Science was prevalent in my life at a young age. It was more exciting than memorizing rules or facts in other courses. To me, science was based on curiously exploring the unknown and opened my eyes to the natural world.”
- Jackson Mace, PhD Candidate
Research Focus
Challenges
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. People with this condition can experience both physical and emotional symptoms. While they vary from patient to patient, the most common symptoms include balance problems, mobility and walking issues, tremors, anxiety, cognitive changes, and vertigo. According to the National MS Society, a little over one million people in the United States are living with the disease.
The cause of MS is unknown, though there is speculation that it could be triggered by a virus. Mace stated that it is more likely that MS is caused by a mixture of genetic mutations that make the individual more susceptible to certain MS-relevant viral and environmental factors. According to Mace, there have been various immune system-related genetic mutations and viral abnormalities linked to MS patients, but more research is necessary. Interestingly, immune system blockades do not seem to stop most progressive MS patients’ neurodegenerative plaques from newly appearing or expanding over time. Therefore, Mace thinks this disease has certain autonomous neurodegenerative facets that have yet to be described.
Focus and Priorities
Mace and his co-investigators are focused on understanding the mechanisms of neurodegeneration that occurs in MS. They conduct their work utilizing antibodies that tag molecular markers of specific cell types and can be visualized through microscopy or other methods such as immunoblotting and flow cytometry.
They also use transcriptomic methods such as scRNA sequencing to describe what is going on within the tissues. Through exploration and collaboration across different laboratories, his team is journeying down a path toward discovery.
Benefits
Mace’s bench work could one day explain the progressive and debilitating nature of MS – and how to inhibit the disease’s underlying pathophysiology. While bench work tends to move forward in incremental stages, the ultimate goal of his work is to develop new and more effective therapies to treat the active neurodegenerative processes that occur in MS.
Karen Toffler Charitable Trust Investment
Funding from the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust will enable Mace and his collaborators to afford the antibodies needed to target certain cellular and molecular markers within the central nervous system. This is important for identifying and understanding cellular and molecular phenotypes. These antibodies are made from host species and are costly. Antibodies are also used to measure specific protein content in the tissues to see if they are dying and by what mechanism. Because this research is new to the field, it is difficult for Mace to find the exact tools for his work, so his host laboratories make some of them.
In addition, Mace must continuously induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice, which mimics MS. It requires the use of tuberculosis, immunogenic proteins, and other chemicals that are expensive. Funds will also be used to purchase mice necessary for these experiments.
Funds from the Trust will also provide general equipment such as inhibitors, buffers, and plastic wear to help avoid contamination issues.
Karen Toffler Charitable Trust Investment
Funding from the Karen Toffler Charitable Trust will enable Mace and his collaborators to afford the antibodies needed to target certain cellular and molecular markers within the central nervous system. This is important for identifying and understanding cellular and molecular phenotypes. These antibodies are made from host species and are costly. Antibodies are also used to measure specific protein content in the tissues to see if they are dying and by what mechanism. Because this research is new to the field, it is difficult for Mace to find the exact tools for his work, so his host laboratories make some of them.
In addition, Mace must continuously induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice, which mimics MS. It requires the use of tuberculosis, immunogenic proteins, and other chemicals that are expensive. Funds will also be used to purchase mice necessary for these experiments.
Funds from the Trust will also provide general equipment such as inhibitors, buffers, and plastic wear to help avoid contamination issues.
“Although I love what I do and I'm very caught up in producing robust scientific research, it's not for prestige and it never will be. It's to create something that can be translated from my own lab bench to a drug administered in clinics that provides newfound hope for patients.”
- Jackson Mace, PhD Candidate