Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Research Associate. Neurogenetics & Neurology: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2022
- Postdoctoral Fellow. Virology: Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, 2019
- PhD Molecular Biology: Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, 2015
Major Awards
- Butler-Williams Scholars Program. National Institute on Aging (NIA), 2023
- Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) Research Education Component (REC) Scholar program. WUSM, 2022
- Finalist extraordinary doctorate award, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, 2015
- Doctoral Student Research Award, Ministry of Science and Education, Spain, 2007
- Graduate Research Fellowship, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, 2005
- Undergraduate Research Award, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, 2004
Research Interests
My research primarily focuses on coupling stem cell modeling with genomic approaches to determine whether there is a common molecular mechanism that links the existence of certain MAPT mutations to the surge in tauopathies observed when they are present. To this end, I study transcriptomic profiles of iPSC-neurons, -astrocytes and -microglia carrying disease-related mutations and compare them to isogenic controls created using CRISPR/Cas9 protocols.
My long-term goal is to use ever more powerful novel approaches such as CRISPRi for multimodal genetic screening in human cell lines to understand more deeply the functions of several molecular drivers of disease and how to target these signatures to treat disease.
Key Publications
- Minaya Miguel A.,Mahali Sidhartha,Iyer Abhirami K.,Eteleeb Abdallah M.,Martinez Rita,Huang Guangming,Budde John,Temple Sally,Nana Alissa L.,Seeley William W.,Spina Salvatore,Grinberg Lea T.,Harari Oscar,Karch Celeste M., (2023) Conserved gene signatures shared among MAPT mutations reveal defects in calcium signaling. Front Mol. Biosci. 10:1051494.
Read publication »Conserved gene signatures shared among MAPT mutations reveal defects in calcium signaling - Filipello F, You SF, Mirfakhar FS, Mahali S, Bollman B, Acquarone M, Korvatska O, Marsh JA, Sivaraman A, Martinez R, Cantoni C, De Feo L, Ghezzi L, Minaya MA, Renganathan A, Cashikar AG, Satoh JI, Beatty W, Iyer AK, Cella M, Raskind WH, Piccio L, Karch CM, (2023 Jun). Defects in lysosomal function and lipid metabolism in human microglia harboring a TREM2 loss of function mutation. Acta Neuropathol. 145(6): 749-772.
Read publication »Defects in lysosomal function and lipid metabolism in human microglia harboring a TREM2 loss of function mutation. - Bhagat Reshma,Minaya Miguel A.,Renganathan Arun,Mehra Muneshwar,Marsh Jacob,Martinez Rita,Nana Alissa L.,Spina Salvatore,Seeley William W.,Grinberg Lea T.,Karch Celeste M.,; Long non-coding RNA SNHG8 drives stress granule formation in tauopathies. medRxiv 2023.
Read publication » Long non-coding RNA SNHG8 drives stress granule formation in tauopathies - Minaya M, Jensen TL, Goll JB, Korom M, Datla SH, Belshe RB, Morrison LA, (2017 12). Molecular Evolution of Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Complete Genomes: Comparison between Primary and Recurrent Infections. J Virol. 91(23)
Read publication »Molecular Evolution of Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Complete Genomes: Comparison between Primary and Recurrent Infections. - Minaya M, Hackel J, Namaganda M, Brochmann C, Vorontsova M, Besnard G, Catalán P. Contrasting dispersal histories of broad- and fine-leaved temperate Loliinae grasses: range expansion, founder events, and the roles of distance and barriers. Journal of Biogeography. 2017 September; 44(9):1980-1993. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13012
- Minaya M, Díaz-Pérez A, Mason-Gamer R, Pimentel M, Catalán P, (2015 Oct). Evolution of the beta-amylase gene in the temperate grasses: Non-purifying selection, recombination, semiparalogy, homeology and phylogenetic signal. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 91: 68-85
Read publication »Evolution of the beta-amylase gene in the temperate grasses: Non-purifying selection, recombination, semiparalogy, homeology and phylogenetic signal.
Funded Research Projects
NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) 8/1/2023 – 4/30/2028
Molecular drivers of tauopathies in stem cell models from diverse human populations
Role: PI