Brain development and disease at the cellular level

Dopaminergic neurons are the cells most vulnerable during Parkinson's disease. Starting with human stem cells, we generate high quality dopaminergic neurons in a dish. These cells are a handy proxy to study how human dopaminergic neurons develop, function and respond to external stimuli.

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain. They are constantly active performing versatile tasks during development and in steady state. Upon any brain disease, microglia react sometimes for good and sometimes for bad! To make these cells even more exiting, microglia are heterogenous, especially during development. Understanding the contribution of this microglial heterogeneity can open new avenues of how we understand brain pathophysiology. 

I am fascinated by how different cells grow, differentiate and function in harmony to create a living organism. Been trained as a developmental biologist, I want to track the journey a cell follows in time and space and comprehend what its contribution during development and adulthood is. Understanding a cell's role in normal state is the first step to understand its vulnerabilities during diseases.