Neele Thom
Class of 2021
Education: BS in Biology at UW Bothell; MS in Biological Sciences at Cal Poly
Biography
Neele is interested in stem cell research and regenerative medicine because of their potential to transform modern medicine. Her experience in translational research has inspired her to pursue research that employs basic biological knowledge to serve a clinical purpose. She is particularly interested in researching diseases related to dysregulation in the hematopoietic hierarchy and the therapeutic potential of re-engineering hematopoietic stem cells. Upon completing the program, she hopes to continue being involved in research to develop and refine stem cell-based therapeutics.
Neele completed her internship at CSL Behring in the bioanalytics department which was supervised by Dr. Jefferey Ahlers, and she was mentored by Dr. Danielle Krasner. The team worked on assay development for CSL’s gene therapy products which target rare hematological diseases including anemia’s and immunodeficiency conditions. The role of the bioanalytics team was to create and optimize protocols for sample assessment in order to ensure the efficacy of CSL’s gene therapy products during clinical trials. Neele’s work focused on improving differentiation culture protocols and developing new cell assessment methods for the current Sickle Cell Anemia gene therapy project as well as for CSL’s next disease target project.
