Iris-Stefania Pasniceanu

I hold a BSc in Biomedical Science and an MSc in Human and Molecular Genetics from the University of Sheffield. Subsequently, I pursued doctoral research at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). My PhD project focused on investigating the neurophysiological dysfunction of neurons and astrocytes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using stem cell technology and electrophysiology under the supervision of Dr Matthew Livesey.

As a postdoctoral scientist, I am focused on developing potential new treatments for ALS. Current therapies provide limited benefit for ALS patients. My research aims to accelerate the discovery of effective treatments by repurposing existing drugs. Specifically, I am investigating calcium channel blockers to determine their potential benefits in treating ALS. I will test these drugs in various ALS models, including mouse and human stem cell-based systems, to understand how they might protect motor neurons, the main cell affected by ALS, and potentially slow disease progression. 

My work is funded by the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.