My primary research interest revolves around neuron-glia interactions in neurological disease. I am especially interested in astrocytes and how their function may be altered in disease progression. During my postdoctoral work I have mostly used stem cell models to investigate the role of neurons and astrocytes in disease. I am currently working on establishing a 3D model of genetic epilepsy, using stem cell derived organoids.

Keywords: stem cells, neural progenitor cells, neurons, astrocytes, microglia, glia, 3D models, neurodegeneration, neurodevelopment, molecular neuroscience

Diseases: Genetic Epilepsy, Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis, Huntington's Disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Bipolar Disorder

Methods:
Primary cell culture, stem cell culture, iPSC culture (neural progenitor, cortical neuron, striatal neuron & astrocyte differentiation)
3D neural models (Matrigel/Collagen, Organoid generation)
iPSC reprogramming (Sendai virus) from fibroblasts
Crispr/Cas9 gene editing, ASO delivery and treatment, shRNA delivery
Western Blotting, PCR, Genotyping, qPCR
Functional assays (MTT, ATP, Lactate, Glucose oxidation, Glutamate uptake, Calcium imaging), Apoptosis assays
Immunocytochemistry, Immunohistochemistry
Advanced microscopy skills, including confocal microscopy and high content microscopy (spinning disk confocal)