Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Sergiu Paşca (Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences - Sleep Medicine)

“Elucidating the Effects of SCN9A Mutations on Neural Circuit Dynamics in Human Ascending Somatosensory Assembloids"

The recent development of four-part human ascending somatosensory assembloids (hASA) provides the first in vitro model of the human sensory circuit, which transmits pain and sensory information from peripheral neurons to the cerebral cortex. Mutations in the Nav1.7 sodium channel encoded by the SCN9A gene are associated with congenital insensitivity to pain, hyperalgesia, and other neurological disorders. In her project, Alice will investigate how SCN9A gain-of-function and loss-of-function mutations disrupt circuit dynamics in hASA models. By characterizing these alterations, Alice seeks to gain insights into the pathophysiology of sodium channel-associated pain disorders and uncover novel therapeutic strategies.