Greta Pintacuda holds a D.Phil. in molecular and cell biology from the University of Oxford. During her time at Oxford, she conducted research in the laboratory of Neil Brockdorff, where she leveraged embryonic stem cells models to study the interplay of different molecular pathways involved in X-chromosome inactivation during the early stages of development. After completing her doctoral studies, Pintacuda pursued postdoctoral training at the Broad Institute and Harvard University, working in the labs of Kevin Eggan and Kasper Lage. Her postdoctoral research involved the integration of human genetics, human neural cell models and biochemistry to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Project: An iPSC-based platform for the discovery and functional characterization of novel master regulators of autism-associated genes in the developing brain

Our research combines neuronal models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with proteomic profiling to establish relevant protein-protein interaction networks of autism-linked genes. By directing our attention to network convergence, we aim to identify regulatory complexes that orchestrate the expression of multiple genes, each individually associated with neuronal phenotypes observed in autism during crucial stages of brain development. The motivation behind this research is to provide insights that can guide therapeutic interventions with a focus on targeting “master regulators” of autism-associated pathways rather than addressing dysregulated genes individually.