Ella Zeldich, PhD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Ella Zeldich is an Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She obtained her Ph.D. (Physiology and Pharmacology) from Tel Aviv University in 2009. Her current studies aim to understand the mechanisms leading to intellectual deficits and Alzheimer’s disease in Down Syndrome. As a molecular neuroscientist, Dr. Zeldich investigates the mechanisms leading to intellectual deficits and Alzheimer’s disease in Down Syndrome. Her team uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from individuals with DS to generate cortical organoids and assembloids to mimic neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes associated with trisomy 21. Dr. Zeldich utilizes cutting-edge technological approaches including CRISPR, single-cell multiome profiling, high-resolution imaging, and xenotransplantation of the organoids through a variety of collaborative studies.

There are several active projects in the lab including:
• Investigating the contribution of X-chromosome-linked genes to cellular phenotypes and AD-related pathology in Down Syndrome
• Defining epigenetic determinants in oligodendrocyte maturation in Down Syndrome.
• Developing strategies to assess activity of trisomic neurons using assembloids and xenotransplanted organoids.

Publications

  • Published 12/22/2025

    Herrema KE, Kharitonova EK, Bogatova D, Wilson M, Martin EA, Chung C, Puppo F, Klorfeld-Auslender S, Boucher P, Tsai LH, Muotri AR, Kuzum D, Devor A, O'Shea TM, Zeldich E, Thunemann M. A neurorecording toolkit for longitudinal assessments of transplanted human cortical organoids in vivo. bioRxiv. 2025 Dec 22. PMID: 41509201.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/11/2025

    Dowrey TW, Cranston SF, Skvir NJ, Lok Y, Bock P, Kharitonova EK, MacDonald E, Zeldich E, Gabel CV, Tyshkovskiy A, Monti S, Gladyshev VN, Sebastiani P, Perls TT, Andersen S, Murphy GJ. IPSC-based modeling of resiliency in centenarians reveals longevity-specific signatures. bioRxiv. 2025 Oct 11. PMID: 41279005.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/9/2025

    McCann RP, Bowley B, Pessina M, Yang Q, Xin H, DeVries SA, Wang M, Zhang Y, Chopp M, Zhang Z, Rosene DL, Zeldich E, Medalla M, Moore TL. Reduction of inflammatory biomarkers underlies extracellular vesicle mediated functional recovery in an aged monkey model of cortical injury. Front Aging Neurosci. 2025; 17:1605144. PMID: 40703679.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/23/2025

    Tsolias A, Mojica CA, Yamani R, Khanna SD, Abdullatif SA, Snyder BJ, Chang W, Guillamon-Vivancos T, Goodliffe J, Capriglione AL, Palanca ILT, Martinez J, Campbell JD, Luebke JI, Zeldich E, Medalla M. Transcriptional and functional profiles of muscarinic receptor-expressing neurons in primate lateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. bioRxiv. 2025 May 23. PMID: 40475401.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/5/2025

    Flores-Aguilar L, Hamlett ED, Araya P, Barone E, Bhattacharyya A, Carmona-Iragui M, Chan L, Christian B, Costa ACS, Costanzo F, Del Hoyo Soriano L, Dierssen M, Eichler EE, Fisher E, Galbraith M, Ghosh S, Gimenez S, Guedj F, Guidi S, Iulita MF, Mobley W, Pelleri MC, Potier MC, Rabin KR, Rachubinski A, Rebillat AS, Rubenstein E, Saternos H, Sordo L, Strydom A, Valle-Tamayo N, Waugh KA, Yu E, Zeldich E, Busciglio J, Head E. Imagine, Discover, Inspire: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society. Neuromolecular Med. 2025 Jan 05; 27(1):5. PMID: 39756004.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 39 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Neurophotonics Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, Center for Systems Neuroscience
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • Tel Aviv University (TAU), PhD
  • Tel Aviv University (TAU), MS
  • Tel Aviv University (TAU), BS

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