wnogueirabrandao@bwh.harvard.edu
I am a postdoctoral researcher from Brazil and am currently affiliated with the Butovsky Lab. Since college, I have been dedicated to science, passionate about the crosstalk between immune and neuronal cells. During my Ph.D. at the University of Sao Paulo, I studied how the CNS and its products influence the immune response in neuroinflammatory diseases. Currently, I am investigating a new therapy to modulate microglia cells based on Xenon gas inhalation. Together, I am developing novel transgenic mouse models to identify the microglia’s role in Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. With the knowledge gained in Butovsky’s lab, I hope to address fundamental questions of the communication between microglial and peripheral immune cell interactions and apply this knowledge to develop novel therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab, I enjoy traveling with my family and spending time with my friends playing D&D.
nrosenzweig@bwh.harvard.edu
I am interested in investigating how immune cells and associated molecules affect brain function under physiological and neurodegenerative conditions, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). During my PhD studies, I focused on the role of suppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) on disease progression, in a mouse model of AD. The conceptual understanding that transient reduction in systemic immunosuppression has a beneficial effect on disease pathology, led me to continue to investigate the therapeutic application of these findings. As a postdoc, I extended my investigations to humans focusing on the role of APOE4, the strongest genetic risk factor for AD, in the regulation of the interactions between peripheral immunity and brain cells. Using transcriptomics of the immune landscape associated with APOE4, aging and cognitive decline, I aim to identify potential targets as therapeutic intervention for AD.
zyin2@bwh.harvard.edu
After receiving my M.D. in China, I pursued Neuroscience Ph.D. at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. I have a long-term interest in unveiling the functions of microglia subsets for developing microglia-based immune therapy to treat neurodegenerative disorders of both brains and eyes.
Since joining Dr. Butovsky’s lab, my research goals have been to identify how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk genes can regulate microglial subsets and demonstrate how microglia can be beneficial and detrimental in the context of AD and glaucoma. This work has been published in Immunity, 2022. My recent manuscript (Yin et al., Nat. Neuroscience, 2023) has identified that targeting microglial miR-155 induces a unique microglial subset in the transition from homeostasis to neurodegenerative microglia mediated via IFNg pathway, which plays a protective role in AD pathology and cognitive decline. Moreover, I demonstrate the negative role of microglial APOE4, Inpp5d, and Havcr2 in response to neurodegeneration in AD via mediating TGFb and Trem2 signaling (Yin & Rosenzweig et al. and Kimura & Yin et al., under revision). My studies show that blocking TGFb signaling provides a promising therapeutic intervention for AD. I am actively involved in translational studies to develop an approach to modulate microglial phenotype to treat AD.
I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, hiking, dancing, reading and yoga during my free time.
cflahou@bwh.harvard.edu
After a joint Erasmus-Mundus Master’s program in Spain and Italy, I obtained a PhD in Biomedical Sciences in the Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA) in Kyoto University, Japan. There, I focused on the immunology of iPS cell-derived therapies. After a short but well-appreciated return to my home country of France, I moved here to Boston as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Butovsky’s lab.
My goal has always been to find a way to reverse the damages caused by Multiple Sclerosis. To this end, I am now working on the crosstalk between the peripheral immune system and the CNS, while I leverage my skills in iPS cell research to deepen our understanding of microglia’s implication in promoting tolerance and neuroprotection, so that we can uncover new therapeutic modalities for MS.
You might be able to drive me outside the lab with promises of mountain hikes and hot chocolate, but I’m also amenable to cycling around as long as it’s not raining.
abrandao5@bwh.harvard.edu
Born in Brazil and with a Ph.D. in Physiopathology, I joined the Butovsky lab in 2020. Acting as Lab Manager and personal assistant to Dr. Butovsky, I carry out various responsibilities, combining administrative duties with active participation in scientific research. My role not only ensures the efficient functioning of the lab but also allows me to learn from and contribute to the groundbreaking work led by Dr. Butovsky. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends.
I grew up in Augusta, GA, and graduated from Northeastern University in 2022 with an M.S. in Bioinformatics. In the Butovsky lab, I am a Bioinformatician that processes and performs data analysis on all the bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq data sets. I work closely with all post-docs to identify novel therapeutic targets associated with neurodegenerative diseases using techniques such as differential expression analysis, pathways analysis, and machine learning. I work most closely with Dr. Brandao examining the effect of Xenon on microglia in AD and the crosstalk between astrocytes and microglia. In the future, I plan to continue my education by obtaining a Ph.D. in Immunology while utilizing machine learning techniques to study the interactions between the immune system and neurodegenerative diseases. Outside the lab, I enjoy cooking, traveling, and hiking with my dogs.
jcooper-hohn@bwh.harvard.edu
I am originally from London and am currently a rising senior at Harvard College. As a research trainee in the Butovsky lab, I have had the incredible privilege of developing my wet-lab skills and deepening my understanding of neuroimmunology and Alzheimer’s Disease pathology. Outside of the lab, I am actively involved in running the Harvard Biotechnology Club, through which I collaborate with innovative companies and experts in science and medicine. Beyond academics, I enjoy running and listening to new podcasts.
ivalenbreder@bwh.harvard.edu
After obtaining a BSc in Applied Mathematics and Molecular Biology in The Netherlands, I moved to the UK to pursue an MPhil in Computational Biology at the University of Cambridge.
I joined the Butovsky lab following my graduation to gain practical bioinformatics experience in the context of neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration, specifically. As a research assistant, I am looking forward to performing computational analyses on bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data to investigate immune-cell perturbations under the supervision of Dr. Neta Rosenzweig. I eventually aim to follow this experience with a PhD at the intersect of computational neuroimmunology and machine learning.