Sima Al-Masri

My research career began in early 2023, and I fell in love with the goal of becoming a developing physician-scientist who can translate mechanistic findings from the lab into clearer understanding of disease progression and therapeutic targets in patients. Before joining the Nelson Lab, I trained in murine physiology research focused on renal transport, bringing experience in PCR and qPCR, ELISAs, tissue processing/homogenization, and Western blotting. In the Nelson Lab, I currently work with human iPSC-derived brain organoids and am currently building experience across the workflow, including organoid culture and quality control, viral transduction, live functional imaging, tissue processing for histology, and immunohistochemistry. I have supported in vivo work through assistance in surgical procedures and microscopy imaging. I am applying to MD/PhD programs this year and anticipate a career as a physician-scientist. As an ERA PREP Scholar, I am using my time in the Nelson Lab to build the technical range, experimental judgment, and consistency required for that path, and am increasing my background knowledge about Alzheimer's disease. I joined the Nelson Lab because I wanted training in research that stays tightly connected to human disease through the combination of human iPSC-derived cultures, plasma samples, post-mortem patient tissues, and I was especially drawn to applying these approaches to questions in Alzheimer’s disease and neurovascular dysfunction.