Aviram (Avi) Nessim, B.S.
Research Trainee
Stony Brook University - Mass General Hospital
Avi recently graduated summa cum laude from Stony Brook University with B.S. degrees in Biology and Psychology.
Avi brings to our Lab nearly four years of research experience focused on sex differences in dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. His Honors Thesis, “Biochemical Mechanisms Underlying Sex Differences in Alzheimer’s Disease: An in vitro Autoradiography Study of Postmortem Parietal Cortex,” and his presentations at numerous international conferences reflect his commitment to the field.
In addition to his bench research, Avi also served as his lab’s Clinical Research Coordinator.
In the Goldstein lab, Avi is an excellent addition to the HATCH team to help investigate sex differences and assess early-life risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease.
About the HATCH Study : For early prevention, it is critical to develop sex-dependent risk assessments to identify in earlier midlife those at highest risk for AD later in life, prior to disease manifestation. We are leveraging the MassGeneral Biobank to create a Healthy Aging Translational CoHort (HATCH), composed of individuals between ages 50 – 70 years who are high- and low-risk for AD. High-risk is defined as genetic risk and/or clinical risk (i.e., having a diagnosis of either major depression, hypertension, and/or diabetes, known major risk factors for AD). Low-risk individuals do not have any of these. We are characterizing high- and low-risk individuals extensively assessing genetic, immune, hormonal, neurovascular, metabolic, and clinical functions.
Using HATCH, we aim to develop a clinical risk algorithm that will identify in early midlife those who are at highest risk for cognitive decline and AD later in life.