Micaela Glat

My Research: Genetic treatment strategies for MSA degenerative disease

Decreasing Suffering: MSA (Multiple System Atrophy) is an incurable degenerative disease. I hope to develop a reliable model of the disease that will allow for the discovery of its source and for innovative treatment options that will lessen the suffering of patients. Whereas existing models are based on mice, the model that I am developing will be based on stem cells taken from people with MSA. I believe that this model has the potential to show us what is really going on in the brains of people who suffer from this disease.

“When I think about how I moved to Israel by myself, I am reminded of the great challenge I overcame and the hard work I did.”

No Longer Alone: I was born and raised in Argentina, but after taking part in a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip when I was 18, I decided to move to Israel. I moved by myself, without any family or anyone I knew in Israel, with very basic knowledge of the language and with very little money. The differences between the local culture and the one I grew up in were an endless source of frustration and the loneliness in the first few years was a constant burden. I am now surrounded by friends, a supportive husband and a successful research career, reminding me of the great challenge I overcame.

The Drive to Research: I cannot imagine myself doing anything other than researching neurodegenerative diseases. I plan to continue to post-doctoral studies and then to establish a lab at one of the universities, hospitals or research institutions. I learned that higher education is for people who have the drive to research running through their veins and who have the deep-seated desire to better understand the world around them – to the point that they have trouble understanding how anyone could want to do anything else with their life.

Micaela is a PhD student at the Sagol School of Neuroscience.

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