Dervis Salih

Dervis Salih is a Senior Research Associate at the UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London. His research interests focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying genetic risk in Alzheimer’s disease and genetic variation associated with longevity. Dervis integrates data from GWAS with transcriptional networks, and mouse and cell models. He completed his PhD at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, investigating insulin-like growth factor signalling. Dervis then performed postdoctoral research at Stanford University in California, studying ageing pathways in the brain using behaviour and electrophysiology.

Melissa Barber

Melissa is a developmental neurobiologist interested in understanding how genetic and environmental risk factors contribute to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and in identifying interventions that may confer protection from the earliest stages of life. Does the in-utero environment and development of the brain alter AD risk in later life?                       

She is currently funded by the Alzheimer's Society to investigate how a novel genetic RELN-DAB1 pathway previously identified by the lab, interacts with APOE4 to modify Alzheimer’s disease risk. Together with Aleksej Kubelka, they are using iPSC co-culture models to elucidate the cellular mechanisms by which this novel pathway modulates neuroinflammation as well as potential novel therapeutic targets.

Outside of the lab, she enjoy hot-yoga, folk music and the occasional run!!

Naciye Magusali

Her research focuses on understanding the immune response to amyloid-beta pathology in Alzheimer’s disease brain. She is conducting her PhD project on the role of a new Alzheimer’s disease risk gene, OAS1, which is involved in interferon immune signalling. She is using iPSC-derived microglia, human AD brain tissue and transcriptomic approaches including RNA-sequencing to study the function of OAS1 and the immune cell interactions in Alzheimer's disease. She is also interested in the advances in personal medicine.

Krystel Fernandes

Krystel undertook her MRes project at the Salih lab in 2022 where she focused her work on the neuroinflammatory mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), investigating a putative AD risk gene in microglia. She is currently working as a Research Technician at the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Institute and doing a PhD part-time in the Salih lab.

Prior to her time at UCL, she graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology from the University of Manchester where she focused on the post-translational modifications of tau in Prof Nigel Hooper's lab. Her primary interests lie in AD research and she hopes to work in the early phases of drug discovery to identify diagnostic biomarkers or treatments for this debilitating disease. In her free time, you can find her baking sweet treats and cosied up with a book or a show (unless it's sunny out and she's at the beach!)

Xinran Hao

Xinran is a PhD student in the Salih Lab, where she is investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease. Her research focuses on the role and pathways of protective genetic variants, such as APOE and ANKH, across different microglial activation states. Xinran uses iPSC-derived microglia and human brain tissue, combined with transcriptomic approaches including RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, to study target gene functions and identify novel protective genes. Before she raised interest in neurology and dementia, she finished her BSc (Hons) in Genetics from the University of Edinburgh. Outside the lab, Xinran enjoys visiting museums and galleries, even if the meaning behind some of the art remains a mystery to her.

Anna Staub

Anna is a PhD student at the Institute of Ophthalmology, in collaboration with the Dementia Research Institute, investigating the role of the immune system in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and microglia are used to create a disease model and investigate cell communication and disease-related events.

Previously, she completed a BSc in Biotechnology from University College London (UCL) and an MSc degree in Genes, Drugs, and Stem Cells – Novel Therapies from Imperial College London. During her Master’s, Anna completed her thesis at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, focusing on optimizing AAV production using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. She then gained industrial experience at Tenpoint Therapeutics, working on generating RPE cells through stem cell differentiation.

In her free time, Anna is passionate about dancing, photography, filming, and surfing.
 

Dafni Kampitsi

Dafni is a MRes Translational Student at Doctor Dervis Salih’s lab, exploring the role of the risk gene caspase-8 (CASP8) in Alzheimer's Disease for her dissertation project. She endeavours to better understand the effect of the gene on neuroinflammation as well as to determine whether there is a connection between CASP8 and APOE genotype. Additionally, she is establishing neuronal-microglial cocultures for more accurate characterization of cellular morphology in a diseased brain.
When she is not in the lab, Dafni can be found playing tabletop games and drinking truly inadvisable amounts of iced mocha

Sophie De Regnauld De Bellescize

I am a MSc Brain and Mind Sciences student at UCL. My research project focuses on comparing microglial responses to early (amyloid) and late (tau) pathology in Alzheimer’s disease. I am using a combination of bioinformatics and cell culture approaches to investigate which APOE related pathways drive amyloid responsive states in microglia. I grew up in France and obtained my bachelor’s from Maastricht University, where I studied Natural Sciences. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, reading and hiking.

Heleni Singer

Heleni Singer is a Clinical Neuroscience MSc student at the Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Heleni completed her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Philosophy at Boston College, MA, USA. During her time there, she undertook internships and practicums at the University Hospital Zurich, University College London, and dedicated time to the Language Learning Lab, and the Morality Lab of Boston College to expand her research interests. Currently, her dissertation project explores the role of the DAB2 and LRP6 genes in microglial inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of the lab, Heleni loves to read and explore London with friends! She enjoys playing tennis, volleyball, hiking, and running, and to celebrate her 23rd birthday this year, she ran 23km! 

Zaynah Shazad

Zaynah is an MSc Neuroscience student. Her undergraduate project was a computational analysis of genetic resilience against APOE4-associated dementia, which led to new drug targets being discovered. Her master's project is focused on the inhibitory drug for the transmembrane protein IFITM3 developed at the DRI by Greg Towers and David Selwood. Her aim is to test the effectiveness of inhibiting IFITM3 in a HMC3 microglial cell line and human iPSC-microglia, to ascertain either a neuroprotective or damaging role for IFITM3 in aging and Alzheimer's Disease. Her other interests are the association of ultra-processed foods with dementia and translating findings from the lab to the community in a regional charity foundation program she works with.

Lexie Turner

Lexie Turner is an MSc Clinical Neuroscience student in Dr Dervis Salih’s lab, exploring the common risk genes and mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease and age-related Macular Degeneration. She completed her undergraduate in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, and is interested in exploring the changes in cognitive functions associated with ageing and disease.
Outside of the lab, Lexie loves theatre and live music, and even got the chance to perform at the Camden fringe in an original musical!

Silvia La Penna

Silvia is studying for her MRes in Translational Neuroscience. Her dissertation in Dr. Salih's lab explores the CD74 and HLA-DQB1 genes and their expression in microglia and involvement in Alzheimer's disease. She has a Bachelor degree in Biology and PG diploma in Genomic Medicine both obtained at Queen Mary University of London. Her main interests are using genetic testing techniques in Alzheimer's research to find risk genes that can help diagnose AD faster and earlier in life.

If not in the lab, Silvia can typically be found in an art gallery or a park dissociating while painting and having an overpriced sweet treat :))

Lara Khaled

Lara is a BSc Biology student at the University of York with a particular interest in the role of the immune system in Alzheimer’s disease. During her internship, she is investigating the function of LAPTM5 in Alzheimer’s pathology by combining cell culturing techniques with computational analysis using GWAS.

Originally from Egypt, she grew up in England attending a German school before beginning her degree in Biological Sciences. Outside of the lab, she enjoys painting and competes in boxing and mixed martial arts.