Killer Astrocytes, Tackling Neurodegeneration, and Sending Cells to Space: Valentina Fossati Reflects on Her Career

“I moved to New York in 2006, exactly when [Shinya] Yamanaka made the groundbreaking discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells, which was completely revolutionizing the way we could study and cure human diseases,” says NYSCF’s Valentina Fossati, PhD. “I fully embraced this exciting and rapidly evolving field, and long story short, what was supposed to be a 1-year experience abroad became my new life: and here I am, 16 years later.”

Dr. Fossati, a Senior Research Investigator at NYSCF, has accomplished a lot in these 16 years, including establishing methods for creating all the different types of brain cells from stem cells, understanding how typically helpful cells ‘go rogue’ in disease, and even sending cells to space.

She recently sat down with Cellular Reprogramming to talk about her journey in STEM, what’s next for her research, and what she’d be doing if she wasn’t a scientist (hint: she loves gelato). Read the full piece here.