Sandra Cristina Almeida

Sandra Cristina Almeida, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School with dual appointments in the Department of Neurology and the NeuroNexus Institute, as well as graduate program affiliations in Neuroscience, Translational Science, and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia (FTD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer's disease (AD), using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models to investigate molecular mechanisms.

• Education: BS in Biochemistry and PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Coimbra, Portugal

Her work systematically examines how mutations in genes like progranulin, C9ORF72, TDP-43, and MAPT impact neuronal physiology, with recent studies revealing mitochondrial dysfunction, RNA toxicity, and potential therapeutic interventions. She employs gene editing and cellular differentiation techniques to create disease-specific models.

Representing a 15-year publication span (2003-2024), her research spans molecular neuroscience, stem cell biology, and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. Key collaborations include Fen-Biao Gao, Brigitte van Zundert, and Miguel Sena-Esteves.

Dr. Almeida's publications demonstrate expertise in:

• ALS/FTD pathogenesis
• iPSC disease modeling
• Mitochondrial dysfunction
• RNA repeat expansions
• Neurodegenerative therapeutics
• Genomic instability

Her laboratory work integrates cellular models with translational neuroscience to uncover reversible neuronal defects and develop interventions for neurodegenerative disorders.