Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that can severely impact an individual’s memory, behavior, and thinking. There have been great advancements in the understanding and research of AD molecular mechanisms in the scientific community. These studies have also introduced that a patient’s sex may contribute to differences in severity, risk factors, and disease progression. The focus of this study is to delve into these sex-specific variations based on region and cell-type-specific molecular studies. This project leverages the large-scale transcriptional (changes in gene expression) and epigenomic profiles of individuals with AD to create and understand single-cell RNA-sequencing maps across mouse and human samples. This will allow for an analysis across sex, age, and genetic risk parameters to better understand the causal mechanisms for the sex-related differences. The overall goal is to understand the full scope of this disease by capturing the sex-specific variability and using this information to ultimately develop personalized therapeutic approaches for AD.

I am excited about SuperUROP because it gives me the unique opportunity to conduct in-depth, high-level research and also be an effective communicator. I have always been fascinated with the applications of computer science to solve our world’s most challenging biological problems, so I am grateful to have this hands-on experience to both learn about the scientific research process and also contribute to our understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease.