Ruslan Rust, PhD

Ruslan Rust, PhD, holds the position of Assistant Professor of Research in Physiology and Neuroscience at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute in the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

A central focus of his research is to overcome existing limitations in cell therapies for stroke and Alzheimer’s disease by using advanced genetic, molecular, and computational tools. As a cell source, he uses different induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells, including pericytes and neural stem cells (NSCs). The transplants are gene-edited to overcome current limitations of cell therapies including graft delivery across the blood-brain barrier, immunocompatibility to the host, and safety. The efficacy of these optimized cell therapies is assessed through a comprehensive experimental pipeline, consisting of state-of-the-art in vivo imaging, deep learning-based behavioral profiling, and single-cell omics technologies. The insights gained from this research may contribute to advancing cell therapy for stroke and Alzheimer’s disease closer to clinical application.

• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland — PhD — 08/2019 — Neuroscience and Vascular Biology

• Zlokovic, Berislav
• Lyden, Patrick
• Towfighi, Amytis
• Mack, William
• Winstein, Carolee
• Thompson, Paul