From September 23 to October 10 of this year, Yerevan State University hosted Professor Hayk Davtyan, a researcher from Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California, and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. As part of his visit, Professor Davtyan delivered a seminar titled "Application of CRISPR-Cas9 Technology in Neurodegenerative Disease Research."
In his presentation, Professor Davtyan emphasized that CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies have fundamentally transformed approaches to the study of neurological disorders. His research team applies these innovative methods to investigate the biology of human microglia and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.
He noted that microglia—being the brain’s innate immune cells—play a critical role in the development of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The professor highlighted that his team uses CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology to:
Study the effects of genetic modifications on microglial function
Develop new therapeutic transplantation approaches aimed at treating microgliopathies
Hayk Davtyan stressed that their current research focuses on developing new strategies for microglia replacement. Additionally, the group is actively working on microglial transplantation for the treatment of ALSP.
During his talk, Davtyan also shared that his team has designed a therapeutic microglial engineering approach within an Alzheimer’s disease model—demonstrating the potential of microglia as a targeted biotherapeutic tool.
At the end of the seminar, the professor addressed questions from the audience, discussed the involvement of students in educational and research activities, and detailed the baseline data required for precise analyses and other scientific matters.
As an international partner, Hayk Davtyan participated in the International Conference "Biological Sciences and Environmental Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals," held from September 24 to 26, within the framework of the "Program for the Advancement of Women Leaders – 2024" grant. The conference was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Faculty of Biology, where he also delivered a presentation as an invited speaker.
