The main goal of Velasco’s research is to develop in vitro models using human pluripotent stem cells, to study the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases. To this end, she is generating next-generation long-term cultures of 3D cerebral organoids that resemble the cellular complexity, tissue architecture, and local connectivity of the developing human cerebral cortex.
Velasco is also an affiliate in Harvard University’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, where, with the team led by Paola Arlotta, she seeks to understand the mechanistic principles that govern cortical development and function.
Prior to joining the Broad Institute in 2017, Velasco completed her postdoctoral training in the lab of Esteban Mazzoni at New York University, working on a project aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms behind direct programming of pluripotent stem cells to motor neurons. She has additional experience in neurobiology, acquired by working as a Marie-Curie postdoctoral fellow at the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo, Spain.
Velasco holds a Ph.D. in human biology as well as a bachelor’s degree in medical biotechnology, both from the University of Turin, Italy.