Abishek Arora

About me

I am a final year PhD student in the Tammimies Lab, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet. As KI's representative in the NeurotechEU Student Council (2021 – 2023), I advocated for access and excellence in neuroscience education and research.

Before moving to KI, I received my Master of Science in Neuroscience (2016 – 2017) from the Department of Experimental Psychology and St Catherine's College, University of Oxford. I was awarded the Felix Scholarship to pursue my graduate studies at Oxford, specialising in neurodevelopment, motor systems, molecular neuroscience and clinical mental health.

In India, I completed my Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Medical Biotechnology (2012 – 2016) from the Centre for Medical Biotechnology – Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh. At Amity, I was awarded with a Gold Medal and Chancellor's Award in recognition of my academic and social welfare activities.

Positions of Responsibility

• Board of Governors Member, NeurotechEU (2022 – 2023)
• Co-Chair, NeurotechEU Student Council (2021 – 2022)
• Board Member, Doctoral Students' Association (2020 – 2021)
• Student Safety Ombudsperson, Department of Women's and Children's Health (2020 – 2021)
• Union Council Member, Medicinska Föreningen (2020 – 2021)

Research description

An understanding of how the brain develops in health and disease, is crucial for improving patient outcomes and well-being. Such knowledge can be applied for developing robust and cost-effective diagnostic and treatment strategies. 

As a PhD student in the Tammimies Lab, I am interested in the molecular and clinical processes that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Deciphering complex gene-environment interactions using a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived model of ASD is the key goal of my research. For this, I use in-vitro gene editing tools and environment simulations in iPSC derived human neurons and cerebral organoids. Findings in this direction will be an essential starting point for precision clinical interventions.

Read more about our work as a part of the Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND) and KIND Genomics.

Funding

• HKH Kronprinsessan Lovisas förening för barnsjukvård (2023)
• HKH Kronprinsessan Lovisas förening för barnsjukvård (2022)
• KI Travel Grant (2021)

Previous Research

As a Research Assistant (2017 – 2018) for the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA) at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, I worked with Prof Gabriele DeLuca, Dr Louise Silver and Prof Margaret Esiri, to analyse the clinical processes underpinning dementia.

During my graduate studies at Oxford, I developed a 3D printed, high-throughput system for the culture of cerebral organoids from hiPSCs with Prof Francis Szele. I also characterised novel, post-mortem molecular markers in progressive multiple sclerosis with Prof Gabriele DeLuca.

Teaching portfolio

Courses

• 4BI109 Bioinformatics, MSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2022
• 1BI037 Cell-, Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, BSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2022
• 4BI109 Bioinformatics, MSc Biomedicine (CMB, KI), Autumn 2021

Lectures

• Basic Structure and Development – From Egg to Embryo, Medical Programme (CMB, KI), Spring 2021

Tutorial/ Small Group Teaching

• Genetics in Health and Disease, Medical Programme (CMB, KI), Spring 2020

Research/ Laboratory Training:

• Mihai Ovidiu Degeratu (MSc Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Autumn 2021 – Now PhD Student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
• Jenny Humphrey (Medical Programme, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Autumn 2020 – Now Clinician at Region Stockholm
• İlayda Erakın (BSc Molecular Biology and Genetics, İzmir Institute of Technology, Turkey), Spring 2019 – Now R&D Specialist at Turklab Medical Devices
• Hala Habash (BSc Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden), Spring 2019 – Now PhD Student at Karolinska Institutet

Education

PhD Medical Science (Neuroscience) – Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet (2019 – Present)

MSc Neuroscience – Department of Experimental Psychology and St Catherine's College, University of Oxford (2016 – 2017)

BSc (Hons) Medical Biotechnology – Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh (2012 – 2016)

Academic honours, awards and prizes

Light Senior Scholarship – St Catherine's College, University of Oxford (2017)

Felix Scholarship – University of Oxford (2016)

Gold Medal and Citation – Amity University Uttar Pradesh (2016)

Shree Baljit Shastri Award – Amity University Uttar Pradesh (2016)