Raneen Nicola

Postdoctoral Fellow

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratories of Prof. Ben Maoz and Prof. Uri Ashery.
I completed my Ph.D. studies in Neuroscience at the Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan university, under the supervision of Prof. Eitan Okun. My work centered on the neurobiological basis of how lactate, a metabolite that is increased the blood upon physical exercise regulate neurogenesis and microglia phagocytosis.

I joined Ben's lab because I believe that the technologies used in the lab, such as induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived organs-on-chips, offer a valuable opportunity to investigate complex processes underlying neurodegenerative diseases.

In my current project we aim to understand the impact of recurrent PD mutations on the function of the neurovascular unit, by utilizing iPSCs derived from PD patients.

I want to continue doing research in the field of neuroscience focusing on neurodegenerative diseases.