Nandini Ramesh, PhD, Post-doctoral Researcher

I joined the Lagier-Tourenne lab as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2020. I received my PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh, where I worked under the guidance of Dr. Udai Pandey on investigating the role of RNA-binding protein MATR3 in causing neuromuscular degeneration in ALS and distal myopathy. As a postdoc, my main goal is to continue to pursue research towards understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to neurodegeneration in ALS/FTD. My current projects are particularly focused on TDP-43, an RNA-binding protein that forms pathological aggregates found in most ALS and FTD patient brains. We are interested in dissecting the molecular mechanisms that drive TDP-43 pathology in C9orf72-related ALS/FTD, and additionally, testing immunotherapeutic approach to targeting TDP-43 aggregation and treatment in mouse models of ALS.