The Department of Neurobiology is pleased to welcome Lydia Daboussi, Ph.D. as an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology. Dr. Daboussi’s research is focused on the question of nervous system regeneration – a central challenge in neuroscience is how to promote nervous system regeneration. Most research strategies for understanding and preventing neurodegeneration are ‘neuron-centric.’ This approach overlooks the interplay between neurons and glia that facilitate neuronal function. Dr. Daboussi has focused on Schwann cells, a type of peripheral glia that engage conserved intracellular pathways to promote axonal myelination, and neural regeneration after injury. As a postdoc, Dr. Daboussi identified intrinsic cellular responses induced by Schwann cells that promote axonal maintenance and regeneration. – microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF). The nexus between injury and disease, demonstrated by MITF function, has broad implications for understanding and treating axonal loss in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and metabolic diseases like diabetic peripheral neuropathy. For this work, Dr. Daboussi was awarded fellowships from the George E. Hewitt Foundation and the Salk Institute (Women & Science from Salk and Jonas Salk). Dr. Daboussi was recruited as a Rising to the Challenge faculty hire, which was a joint effort with Bunche Center. Please join us in welcoming her to our ranks.
