Our brain defines us: It gives us our personality and our humanity. However, it is squishy and fragile! So, it isn’t surprising that nature not only protects it from the outside with the skull, but also from the inside with a cellular interface called the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
I have an interest in neurodegenerative diseases and study the (BBB) with an eye towards improving the delivery of therapeutic antibodies into the brain. I am currently working on developing the first in-vitro model of the BBB on a chip that is compatible with an advanced imaging method called lattice light sheet microscopy. To me, neuroscience research is not just a tool that benefits an individual, but also the community and society at large.
What career did you aspire to as a child and why?
I grew up in an academic family. Both my parents are professors in organic chemistry, and I have been always fascinated by their passion in science.
I applied for a research fellow position at the Kirchhausen Lab at Harvard Medical School two years ago and was thrilled to be accepted. Like with all beginnings, I was a little nervous about the move to Boston. I was coming all the way from England. However, the multicultural international environment at the university–particularly in the Kirchhausen Lab–combined with its history and hospitality—made the entire experience a pleasure. Living and studying away from home has been a remarkable opportunity to develop my self-confidence and independence.
Tell us more about your current work. Why are you so passionate about studying the blood-brain barrier (BBB)?
The BBB is a multicellular interface with specialised transport mechanisms. It helps the brain maintain an optimum environment for neuronal function. However, this barrier is a double-edged sword and poses a big challenge for drug development—stopping about 98% of new drugs from passing from the bloodstream into the brain. It is a big challenge to understand how to hijack the molecular mechanisms controlling the transport of biotherapeutics so we can enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of future treatments. And I personally love challenges!
What are you doing to better understand it?
While in-vivo models can be used to study an intact BBB in its physiological environment, their complexity and the lower throughput limit their use in screening. For this reason, in-vivo research is complemented by simpler and faster in-vitro models with an increased focus on the organ-on-chips concept.
Studying the transport of therapeutic antibodies in live BBB models is a big challenge since this process is very dynamic. We use an advanced imaging technique called lattice light sheet microscopy (LLSM) to resolve the required details with unprecedented resolution. During my time here at HMS, I have developed the first microfluidic device that is compatible with the limited space available for imaging in this microscope. We are now using this to build a functional microphysiological 3D organ-on-chip model of the human BBB.
What are some of your hobbies, talents or interests outside the lab?
I am trying my best to keep a good life-work balance—which isn’t an easy task when you’re an ambitious postdoc! Outside the lab, I enjoy playing soccer (the real football, sorry American fellas), table-tennis and chess. I managed to stick to our British tradition of playing soccer on Sunday (we call it Sunday League) and I am registered player at Mass Soccer League where I semi-professionally practice the game in Boston and around.
Photo by Anna Olivella