Ella Zeldich

Dr. Zeldich obtained her Ph.D. degree at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in Tel Aviv University, Israel. In 2011, Dr. Zeldich joined the Department of Biochemistry at BUSM as a postdoctoral associate. Her research was focused on characterization of the molecular mechanisms leading to normal brain aging and the pathological processes associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, she explored the role of anti-aging Klotho protein in the brain as a target for prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative and demyelinating disorders such as AD, MS, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) utilizing principles of basic and translational research.
Dr. Zeldich joined the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in December 2018. Her current research is focused on elucidating molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the abnormal myelination associated with Down Syndrome (DS) and understanding the source of the defective communication between the glial and neuronal cells. One of the main goals of her research is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that can explain the high prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among DS individuals. In particular, Dr. Zeldich is investigating the connection between oligodendrocyte lineage establishment and maturation and myelin stability in the development of Alzheimer’s-related pathology. In her studies, she is using an advanced 3D cellular model derived from induced pluripotential stem (iPS) cells generated from individuals with DS. This cellular model, known as oligocortical spheroids, enables generation of oligodendrocyte, astrocyte, and neuronal populations in a comprehensive and dynamic environment for studying myelination processes in human cells. Dr. Zeldich expertise includes gene editing, translational research, confocal microscopy, immunostaining, RNAscope, Patch-seq and RNA-seq based methodologies.