Meet one of our 2026 Fellows, Hannah Golliher, BS! Hannah is a fourth-year predoctoral student at the University of Florida in Dr. Laura Ranum’s lab, focusing on a myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) BAC transgenic mouse model with >7,000 CCTG repeats. She trained in oncogene mutation studies at UCF and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia research at UNC Chapel Hill. At UF, she gained expertise in repeat-sizing, colony management, and phenotypic analysis.
Hannah co-founded the NeuroGenetics Student Organization, engages with the DM community, and received the best basic science poster award at IDMC-14. Her project “Characterization of a DM2 BAC transgenic mouse model” will analyze how repeat length affects disease using RNA sequencing and Meso Scale Discovery assays, aiming to identify DM2-specific biomarkers and improve understanding of disease mechanisms and therapeutic development. Her goal is to advance DM2 research and develop therapeutics to improve patient outcomes.
Click here to learn more about MDF’s research funding opportunities and prior grant recipients.
