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Dr. Maria Carolina Marchetto received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil in 2005. She completed a 5-year postdoctoral fellowship in Neurobiology and Neuroscience at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. At UC San Diego, Dr. Marchetto served as a Staff Scientist in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute, leading projects that studied neuronal development utilizing human and non-human primate stem cells. Her research primarily focuses on using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate the cellular behavior of human neurons in relation to neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Marchetto's work examines human evolution in the context of brain expansion and neuronal development, employing innovative methods to use stem cell models of human and non-human primates to test hypotheses regarding the role of disruptions in human-specific cellular and molecular signatures during development, and their potential impact on mental health. This research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Mental Health and private foundations. Dr. Marchetto teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on using stem cell models to study the evolution of neuropsychiatric conditions, alongside educational topics in neuroscience meditation and ethical dilemmas in stem cell research.
Salk Institute • La Jolla, CA
Led projects studying neuronal development using human and non-human primate stem cells.
Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).