Chandrika Rao, PhD
Staff Scientist, Neurodegenerative Disease at NYSCF
2022 NYSCF – Druckenmiller Fellow Alumna
PhD, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Bio
Dr. Rao is using stem cells from Alzheimer’s patients to study how microglia, the immune cells of the brain, contribute to neurodegeneration and disease progression. In her work, she introduces disease-associated mutations into stem cells and turns them into microglia and other types of brain cells to investigate how they dysfunction and deteriorate. She also creates organoids – 3D clusters of human brain tissue made from stem cells – to explore how brain cells interact in Alzheimer’s disease. She hopes this work will open the door for new therapeutic approaches.