Nilufar Ali, Ph.D.

Summary: Our lab studies how Parkinson’s disease affects brain cells and how we might find new treatments. We use cutting-edge tools like stem cells that can be turned into brain cells, 3D “mini-brain” organoids, and brain-on-a-chip systems. These models allow us to recreate aspects of the human brain in the lab and test how potential drugs may protect or restore the health of dopamine-producing neurons, which are the cells most affected in Parkinson’s disease.

Minimum Courses: N/A

Projects:
Students in our lab will have the opportunity to work with human stem-cell–derived neurons and organoids (“mini-brains”) that model Parkinson’s disease. Potential projects include:

• Growing and maintaining neurons and brain organoids in the lab to study how dopamine-producing cells function.
• Using brain-on-a-chip systems to test how different conditions affect neuron survival and communication.
• Imaging neurons with confocal microscopy to visualize cell structure, protein aggregation, or mitochondrial health.
• Molecular biology techniques such as PCR and Western blotting to measure changes in genes and proteins related to Parkinson’s disease.

Through these projects, students will gain hands-on experience in cell culture, microscopy, and basic molecular biology while learning how research models are used to discover potential therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.