Lara Nikel
DPhil Student
My DPhil research investigates the role of microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, in the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A key question in the field is whether microglia contribute to the initiation of motor neuron degeneration or modulate disease progression through secondary effects. I focus on the impact of mutations in the TARDBP gene, which encodes the TDP-43 protein. Mislocalisation of TDP-43 is a hallmark of most ALS cases, and I investigate how mutations in TARDBP influence microglial behaviour and their interactions with motor neurons. To do this, I utilize an iPSC-derived co-culture model of microglia and motor neurons, developed in our lab, to study their crosstalk and effects on ALS pathology.
My research is funded by MND Scotland.