With a lifelong commitment to advancing our understanding of human health, I've dedicated my career to unravelling the complexities of diseases - including neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes - through novel and innovative research tools. At the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute, I've led multiple studies utilizing human pluripotent stem cells, cellular reprogramming, genetic manipulation and cell differentiation combined with disease-related assays to develop novel models of diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Through the development and implementation of automated systems for deriving and differentiating thousands of new stem cell lines into disease relevant cells and tissue-like organoids, we have been successful in streamlining the process of studying disease models from large cohorts of patients relative to healthy controls. For example, we have recently made significant strides in developing an unbiased phenotypic profiling platform that combines automated cell culture, high-content imaging, Cell Painting, and deep learning models to target Parkinson’s disease. This technological achievement has enabled us to scale our understanding of genetic susceptibility to these diseases across human diversity and accelerate progress towards the development of potential therapeutic interventions. Recently, we've pioneered studies on the International Space Station to develop the capability to study neurodegeneration in iPSC disease models in the novel environment of microgravity - accomplished over six missions to date. Here, we've observed the intriguing effects of microgravity on neuroinflammation, enhancing our ability to discover potentially new aspects of the intricate mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. These space-based studies, a first in our field, have provided unprecedented insights that promise to shape the direction of our future therapeutic research and development.Throughout my career, I have secured funding, steered innovative research, and fostered a productive and collaborative research environment that have driven notable scientific breakthroughs. I aim to integrate this depth of experience and leadership into initiatives aimed at bridging discovery and application and look for new opportunities to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, harnessing technology and interdisciplinary expertise to spur scientific innovation. I aim to play an instrumental role in pioneering solutions that improve human health.
Listed skills include Stem Cells, Cell, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and 20 others.