My name is Sarah. I’m a Neuroscience PhD Candidate at Rosalind Franklin University, under Dr. Grace Stutzmann.

My research focusses on intracellular organelle deficits in early neuronal pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our lab has shown that calcium dysregulation via an endoplasmic reticulum channel, the ryanodine-receptor (RyR), impairs neuronal functioning and synaptic plasticity, resulting in cognitive decline. I have demonstrated that this aberrant calcium can disturb lysosome-mediated degradation of bulky protein deposits and disturb mitochondrial respiration, increasing cellular burden and toxicity. Modulating the RyR with therapeutics was able to rescue these deficits in early stages of AD, opening up possibilities for therapeutic intervention. This work has been done both in rodent models and inducible human neurons.

To achieve these goals, I perform calcium imaging, live-cell imaging, confocal microscopy, and generate human neurons. Additionally, immunofluorescence and molecular techniques are also applied.

Visit my links to see what I’ve been up to!

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Publications

Ca2+ dyshomeostasis disrupts cellular and synaptic functions in Alzheimer’s disease

McDaid J.; Mustaly-Kalimi S.; Stutzmann, GE. Cells 2020. 9(12):2655. doi: 10.3390/cells9122655.

Human-Induced Neurons from Presenilin 1 Mutant Patients Model Aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology

Schrank, S.; McDaid, J.; Briggs, C.A.; Mustaly-Kalimi, S.; Brinks, D.; Houcek, A.; Singer, O.; Bottero, V.; Marr, R.A.; Stutzmann, G.E. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 1030. doi: 10.3390/ijms21031030.

Reduced presynaptic vesicle stores mediate cellular and network plasticity defects in an early-stage mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Chakroborty S, Hill ES, Christian DT, Helfrich R, Riley S, Schneider C, Kapecki N, Mustaly-Kalimi S, Seiler FA, Peterson DA, West AR, Vertel BM, Frost WN, Stutzmann GE. Molecular Neurodegeneration, 2019 14(1). doi: 10.1186/s13024-019-0307-7.

Calcium Signaling Deficits in Glia and Autophagic Pathways Contributing to Neurodegenerative Disease

Mustaly-Kalimi S, Littlefield AM., and Stutzmann GE. Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 2018 29(12). doi: 10.1089/ars.2017.7266.

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Leadership/Teaching Experience

INSPIRE program coordinator, mentor, and lecturer

Graduate Student Association, Treasurer

All School Research Consortium Coordinator

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Awards

Impact Scholar Award (2021)

Student-At-Large Student Leadership Award (2020)

GSA Travel Award (2018)

INSPIRE Program Best Lecturer (2017)

Commitment to Research Award (2016, 2017)

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