Amena Saleh
Postdoctoral Scientist
Project outline
Defects in cerebellar development lead to neurodegenerative disorders such as Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA), which is characterised by progressive loss of motor coordination and cognitive function in patients. Human cerebellar organoids represent an in vitro non-invasive 3D culture model to study cerebellar development in humans due to their ability to mirror in vivo cerebellar development. I am developing an FRDA disease model using cerebellar organoids derived from FRDA patient’s induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), to study the causative mechanisms in FRDA and test therapies for treatment in a collaborative project between Prof. Esther Becker and Prof. Richard Wade-Martins.