The society for Arab Neuroscientists recently presented the Dr. Raniyah Ramadan Young Arab Neuroscientist Travel Award in recognition of excellence in research and contributions to the advancement of neuroscience globally and in the Arab world to FIU Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work postdoctoral fellow Dr. Aseel Eid,
The award was presented in San Diego, CA at the 13th Annual Arab Neuroscientist Social as part of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.
Eid presented research that at the meeting that was entitled, “Sex and Genotype Differences in Astrocyte Response to Inflammatory Stimulus in Humanized APOE Mice.
At the age of 65, women have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s, compared to a 1 in 11 chance for men. Eid’s research compared differences in cells isolated from male and female mice with different genotypes to understand why Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent in females. Her research found that glial cells isolated from female mice, which are cells in the central nervous system that are important in regulating inflammation, were more reactive to an inflammatory stimulus than males. This finding suggests a potential reason for why females are more susceptible in Alzheimer’s disease.
“I’m honored to win the award. This is recognition for the work that I’ve been able to complete in the laboratory,” said Eid. “It also validates why this is such an important issue. Females make up the majority of all Alzheimer’s cases, however most laboratory research uses male mice.”
Eid is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Stempel in the Environmental Health Sciences department in Dr. Jason Richardson’s laboratory, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences. Aseel is of Palestinian descent, but grew up in Coventry Rhode Island. She received her bachelor‘s degree from the University of Connecticut and her doctorate degree from the University of Rhode Island in 2012.
“I was very pleased to see Dr. Eid’s hard work recognized by this prestigious award. She is a dedicated and talented scientist with a passion for making an impact on the scourge that is Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Jason Richardson, associate dean of research at Stempel College. “Her research has significant implications for understanding individual differences in risk for Alzheimer’s and points to potential for identifying treatments tailored to individual risk factors.”