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In 2019, Matt, Mel E and Mel G founded the iPSZürich network. They are motivated young scientists who bring together three different institutes (Institute of Medical Genetics, Department of Metabolism (Children's Hospital) and Institute of Regenerative Medicine, IREM) at UZH. New members are Vanessa Budny, Clara Duré and David Taborsky (all PhD student at IREM). They all aim to establish cross-institutional collaborations and expand the networks of young scientists working with iPSC in Zurich.
Melanie Generali, PhD
melanie.generali@uzh.ch
In the early 1960s, the key properties of stem cells were defined by Ernest McCulloch and James Till and presented a breakthrough that provided a steppingstone for future science. Melanie has discovered her deep interest in stem cells 6 years ago and it still continues and grows.
She studied biology first in Germany and later on in Switzerland. In 2014, she started her PhD at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) of the University of Zurich. Her project involved the reprogramming of blood cells into iPSCs, followed by the differentiation into smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. The final goal was the manufacturing of tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVG). During her postdoc she generated and purified clinical-grade iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to regenerate ischemic heart tissue in close collaboration with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA, Kyoto, Japan). Since July 2021 she is Head of the iPSC Core Facility at IREM.
Being able to see how scientific innovations can be applied in the future is what really drives and motivates her
Vanessa Budny
vanessa.budny@irem.uzh.ch
Vanessa Budny is a PhD student in the Tackenberg/Nitsch group at the institute for regenerative medicine (IREM) in Schlieren, Switzerland. Her project focusses on the role of apolipoprotein E in human astrocyte physiology in the context of Alzheimer’s disease.
Vanessa obtained her master’s degree in medical biology with specialization in neuroscience and in science, management and innovation at the Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. She first got introduced to iPSCs during her master internship in the Nadif Kasri lab at the RadboudUMC in Nijmegen where she established a dual-SMAD-based NPC differentiation protocol to investigate developmental abnormalities in Koolen-de Vries syndrome patient cell lines. In May 2021 she started her PhD at UZH where she will generate APOE isogenic iPSC-derived astrocytes and neurons to investigate differences in pathways known to be affected in Alzheimer’s disease especially regarding the energy metabolism. By joining the iPSZürich team Vanessa wants to contribute to the exchange of knowledge between researcher and supporting especially junior researcher creating a stronger network within the field of iPSC research.
Nicole Ziak
nicole.ziak@usz.ch
Nicole is a PhD student in the Hornemann lab in the Institute of Clinical Chemistry at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ). Before, she studied Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zurich and did her master thesis in a lab for drug formulation and delivery.
Her research focuses on the generation of inducible neurons (iNeurons) from human iPSCs. The project involves comparing lipid profiles of healthy induced motor, sensory and cortical neurons to those from patients with serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) mutations, linked to neuropathies as well as to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In both neurodegenerative diseases, the respective neuron types degenerate while the others types remain unaffected. Understanding their lipid profile differences is crucial, as lipids play significant roles in cellular function and membrane integrity. The findings could provide insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for managing these conditions.
By joining the iPSZurich team, Nicole wants to contribute to knowledge exchange within the iPSC community, supporting collaborations and innovations in research.
Evelina Voloviceva
evelina.voloviceva@usz.ch
Evelina Voloviceva is a PhD student in the Lipoprotein Group at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry (IKC) in Schlieren, Switzerland. Her research focuses on the composition and functions of the apolipoprotein E (apoE) particles in the brain in the context of Alzheimer’s disease.
Evelina earned her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland). During this time, she completed a one-year research internship at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (USA), where she discovered her interest in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
In September 2022, Evelina started her PhD at UZH/USZ, where she is generating astrocytes, pericytes, and microglia from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The ultimate goal of her work is investigating the unique protein and lipid compositions of apoE particles produced by each cell type and their roles in Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Joining the iPSZürich team, Evelina is excited to contribute to the community of iPSC researchers, encourage collaborations and knowledge exchange.
Karan Ahuja
karan.ahuja@kuleuven.be
Karan is a PhD student at Department of Biology KU Leuven, Belgium. He works on development of human iPSC-based brain models for studying neuron-glia interactions in a rare neurodegenerative disease known as Wolfram Syndrome.
He studied Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Delhi, India. In 2019, he came to Belgium for pursuing Masters in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, where he worked on generation of human iPSC derived 2D neuron-glia coculture models. In 2021, he started his PhD at KU Leuven, where he aim to develop 3D brain models to understand brain cellular communication in Wolfram Syndrome patients. He has obtained Swiss Excellence Fellowship in 2024 for pursuing research exchange program at ETH Zurich, for conjugating his brain models with bioengineering approaches like Microfluidic-Multielectrode Array systems.
Karan’s goal in joining the iPSZürich team is to expand his iPSC network by building collaborations across the iPSC research community and support young researchers in knowledge exchange.
Thank you to our alumni: Dr. Matthew Denley, Dr. Ambra Villani, Beata Vekeriotaite, Melanie Eschment, Clara Duré, David Taborsky
The induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lecture series, brings together early-career researchers (Undergraduate Students, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows) and experts working on exciting new innovations in the field. The main goal is to provide a forum to disseminate state-of-the art iPSC research, trigger free-ranging discussions and help to inspire ideas of current research projects in the field of iPSC technologies.
