Latinx@Broad Speaker Series Archive

Estefania Reyes Bricio
Genentech

Establishing a high-throughput drug delivery optimization screen in iPSC derived neurons.

November

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Ana Paula-Silva, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Sibille Lab

Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Variants and Their Association With Brain Structural Measures in Bipolar Disorder.

Dr. Ana Mendes-Silva is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Molecular Brain Science at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto. Her research interests focus on addressing the gaps in our current understanding of how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to psychiatric disorders by surveying mitochondrial DNA variants with the ultimate goal of improving mitochondria-targeted therapies. Currently, Dr. Mendes-Silva is investigating whether mitochondrial DNA variants are associated with structural brain changes in psychosis spectrum disorders. For her work, Ana has received the 2022-2023 Womenmind Fellowship Award, 2021-2022 Discovery Fund Fellowship Award, 2022 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Travel Award, among others.

September

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Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz
Yale University

Decoding the Epigenomic Landscape of Trauma across the Lifespan

Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz's research interests include the study of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms associated with psychiatric disorders. She investigates how trauma-related events increase the vulnerability of developing mental disorders later in life.

August

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Érica Vieira
University of Toronto

Liquid Brain Biopsy: Brain-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Neuropsychiatric disorders

Dr. Érica Vieira has conducted basic and translational research in neuroimmunology over the past ten years. She has focused her research on evaluating peripheral biomarkers in psychiatry and neurological disorders to identify the link between the periphery and central nervous system. The main focus of her research as an Independent Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is to investigate the role of peripheral biomarkers in several mental illnesses, including neurodegenerative, cognitive dysfunction, and mood disorders. Her long-term career goal is to establish a sustainable, diverse, and independent laboratory in Canada. After completing her M.Sc. and her Ph.D. at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Biochemistry and Immunology, She had the opportunity to investigate the role of immunological changes in different neuropsychiatric disorders across the lifespan, including major depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and epilepsy.

In 2019, she moved to Canada to join the Neurobiology of Aging and Depression Laboratory. She established many collaborations studying peripheral biomarkers and extracellular vesicles in patients with mood disorders (late-life depression, bipolar disorder), addiction, psychosis, and neurodegenerative disorders. In less than two years, Dr. Vieira became Principal Investigator of a sub-project in addiction and cognitive dysfunction and was awarded a very competitive fellowship from Labatt Network Family Foundation for Depression Biology. Based on her prior experience in peripheral biomarkers in neuroinflammation and developing studies with human studies 

July

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Krystal Tsosie
Vanderbilt University

Indigenous Biomarkers, Bioethics, and Biobanks

Krystal Tsosie research focuses on pre-eclampsia (PE) which is defined by the onset of high blood pressure and excess excretion of protein in urine during mid-to late stages of pregnancy. The incidence of PE has been increasing in the United States, especially among pregnant women from disadvantaged socioeconomic populations, highlighting a need in health disparities research. Her aim is to utilize available genotype and clinical data to create and test a validated multiple logistic regression risk model for PE to examine the genetic and non-genetic determinants that contribute to PE disease risk. She is aware that there is a dearth of genetics studies with AI research participants, partially due to historical and cultural incongruities in establishing informed consent. She has a distinct opportunity to examine the ethical complexities of informed consent in an American Indian population. She presents a genetic, epidemiologic, and bioethical multifaceted approach towards investigating the impact of PE in American Indian women.

June

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C. Eduardo Guerra Amorim
California State University Northridge

Paleogenomic Insights into Human History and Adaptation

C. Eduardo Guerra Amorim is a population geneticist interested in human evolution, anthropology, medical genetics, and in leveraging large datasets to contribute to the understanding of the biology of our species and of its closest relatives. Amorim’s research explores the interplay between demography, mutation, natural selection, and culture in determining the patterns of genetic diversity of human populations and how it impacts human health and evolution. Amorim works with African-Brazilian communities, indigenous populations, and, lately, has been working with large, public genomic databases from humans and other species.

May

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Dr. Alejandra Rodriguez Ramirez
Department of Pharmacogenetics
Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry

Imaging Genetics of Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are conditions associated with alterations in brain structure and function, several studies had related some of these variations with clinical characteristics and treatment effects in patients with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. One of the main factors implicated in the regulation of brain anatomy and function are genetics, which had been also associated with mood disorders and their features. The use of combined technologies of genetics and brain imaging have opened new opportunities to explore the neurobiological mechanism behind the clinical presentation, treatment, and prognosis of mood disorders. In this lecture we will share the experience of a Mexican lab in a newly developed field of research.

April

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Vanessa Goncalves
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Evidence of mitochondrial genetic association in the risk for schizophrenia

Vanessa Gonçalves has a multidisciplinary background in genetics, molecular biology, statistics, and epidemiology. Her research interests lie in advancing research on the role of mitochondrial gene variants in the risk for, and phenomenology of, neuropsychiatric disorders. Her research portfolio also includes pharmacogenetic studies focusing on the mitochondrial system. Her findings are very translatable into important medical improvements, such as new biomarkers, reduced side effects/medication failure, enhanced diagnostics, and better therapies for psychiatric patients.

March

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Paola Giusti-Rodriguez
University of Florida

The LatinX Genomics Consortium: Advancing Psychiatric Genomics in Latinx Populations

Paola Giusti-Rodriguez grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she earned a BS in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. She completed her PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University, where her doctorate research focused on studying the molecular basis of neurodegeneration. She employed the multi-parental Collaborative Cross mouse population to better understand antipsychotic side effects. Her work lies at the intersection between neuroscience and functional genomics, and she aims to integrate the tools and techniques of these fields to shed light on the genetics of neuropsychiatric disorders.