An associate professor in URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, Fallini’s work focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegenerative disease, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Using stem cell cultures, Fallini studies human disease in a dish, with Sirtori a postdoctoral fellow.

They hope to create a foundation for the in vitro study of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. By better understanding the processes that contribute to these conditions, Fallini and Sirtori hope to identify mechanisms that could be targeted for therapeutic intervention.

While animal models of TBI are commonly used, emerging research suggests that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived brain organoids offer a promising human-specific alternative. Widespread use has been limited, because the equipment required is expensive and specialized.