Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Shirit Einav (Medicine - Infectious Diseases and Microbiology & Immunology)

"Deciphering Gene–virus Interactions in Parkinson’s Disease Pathophysiology"

Neuronal dysfunction and neuroinflammation underlie diverse neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet we still do not understand how genetic risk and environmental triggers interact to drive disease outcome. This project tests the hypothesis that viral infections exacerbate brain inflammation and neuronal dysfunction in individuals with genetic susceptibility. Using human stem cell–derived dopaminergic neurons, glial cells, and 3D neuroimmune organoids carrying PD-associated genetic variants, we will determine how viruses, such as influenza, alter neuronal function and neuroinflammation. This research is important because it elucidates how genes, viruses, and immune cells interact, helping identify biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PD.