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Dr Savannah Rocha-Wrigley
Name:
Dr Savannah Rocha-Wrigley
Job Title:
Postdoctoral fellow and manager of the Biological Imaging and Neuroanalysis Core
Place of work / study:
Colorado State University
Area of Research:
My research focuses on time-specific and region-specific glial activation and inflammation in environmental toxin models of neurodegeneration.
How is your work funded:
Our research is federally funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Tell us a little about yourself:
My longstanding research is focused on the molecular pathways that contribute to the initiation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. My undergraduate training in Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology provided the foundational knowledge needed for an in-depth understanding of the intimate interplay between microorganisms, genetics, immunology, and overt disease states. I began researching neurodegeneration as an undergraduate student at Colorado State University within Dr. Mark Zabel’s laboratory and took a keen interest to the biochemistry underlying misfolded prion proteins and how structural and conformational changes of these proteins were capable of causing disease. I found these rogue biological processes resembled complex puzzles that captivated my thoughts and motivated the continuation of my research throughout my Ph.D. at Colorado State University within Dr. Ronald Tjalkens laboratory.
My dissertation research focused on investigating how environmental exposures contribute to sex-specific, cell-specific, and brain-region specific progression of neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and protein misfolding/aggregation in novel models of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). I designed, optimized, and implemented high-throughput multi-plex immunofluorescence staining panels, generated panel specific protocols for whole tissue immunofluorescence and brightfield montage imaging, and generated and curated artificial intelligence deep learning based neural networks to standardize multi-parametric quantification. Since, I have continued to research and characterize environmental exposures that lead to neurodegenerative disease outcomes within the Tjalkens laboratory as a Postdoctoral fellow. In addition, I manage the Biological Imaging and Neuroanalysis Core at Colorado State University where I am able to share my passion for basic biology, histology, microscopy and machine based learning with industry professionals and academicians worldwide.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have an extensive Harry Potter lego collection!
Why did you choose to work in dementia:
Dementia and neurodegeneratative diseases are the fastest growing diseases worldwide. These diseases often have no cure and few treatment options that are only effective for short periods of time. I chose to work in this field, not only because I feel that we have only really uncovered the tip of the iceberg with the research that has been conducted to date, but I see an opportunity to help and give hope to a large population of individuals that come from every country in the world. The potential of being able to unify and transcend the day-to-day struggles we all face motivates me to continue to investigate these complex and challenging diseases.
What single piece of of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Do not be afraid to be inquisitive. Your ideas are what make you unique and that is what you bring to the field. Chase those ideas, explore those ideas, because you never know when a 3am idea may change they way a field is perceived for future generations.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Nothing right now
Favourite film of all time?
The Giver
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
I love spending time with my four dogs, gardening, and building legos!
