Mohamed Aboukilila

I have a solid background in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology theory and research techniques with extensive experience in the fields of RNA and developmental biology. In addition to obtaining my medical degree (M.D.) from Alexandria University in Egypt, I obtained a PhD in Quantitative and Systems Biology from UC Merced. During my PhD, I used systems biology approaches to study the role of mRNA synthesis and decay dynamics during neural development, with special interest in the peripheral nervous system. The goal of my research was to understand the patterns and mechanisms of cell type-specific transcriptional & post-transcriptional control of gene expression that contribute to a highly dynamic tunable gene expression program required for development. In addition to the multitude of skills I acquired during my doctorate studies, I was lucky to be subjected to many state-of-the-art methods and techniques during my time as a post-doctoral fellow. As a postdoc at UCSF, I was able to model cortico-thalamic connectivity during normal development and in DiGeorge syndrome by using iPSC-derived cerebral organoids and organotypic brain slice cultures. Using single-cell RNA-seq, single-cell ATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, advanced microscopy tools, and electrophysiological assays like multi-electrode arrays & calcium imaging, we uncovered specific molecular programs regulating cortico-thalamic tracts as well as the cellular diversity in the pre-frontal cortex & thalamic nuclei. Currently, as a postdoc at the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Münster, I have been testing a number of synthetic photocaged 5’ cap analogues to regulate the translation, stability and immune response of mRNAs in vivo with high spatio-temporal precision.