A family history of Alzheimer’s sparks interest in basic research

As an undergraduate at the State University of New York at Geneseo, Jenna Lentini wanted to become a medical doctor. However, life had a different plan for her. After both her grandmothers were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at about the same time, Jenna questioned her path and became interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. 

“As a family, we saw my grandmothers getting worse and worse with passing years with no hope in sight,” Lentini said. “Some of my relatives didn’t really understand what was happening, and I wanted to have the tools to explain what was going on with their wife, mother or sister.” 

Jenna Lentini

She decided to do research on the disease so she would be able to help her family comprehend what was happening. She joined Kinga Szigeti’s lab at SUNY Buffalo as a research assistant, looking into genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s disease.

“I was really inspired,” she said. “I was working with patient samples and making a direct correlation between the disease and new findings in the lab.”

Lentini’s interest in research solidified, and she went to graduate school at the University of Rochester in New York. She decided to move away from translational research and get her hands on basic science research to bring a different perspective to Alzheimer’s. She joined Dragony Fu’s lab. The Fu lab works on RNA modifications and enzymes that catalyze these modifications.

“And there I fell in love with RNA biology,” Lentini said.

Now a postdoc at Regeneron’s neuroscience department, she is trying to understand the role of long noncoding RNAs in human cortical development — a complex process that has been hard to study due to a lack of model systems.

“In the future,” she said, “I would like to tie in my love for RNA with Alzheimer’s and dementia research, with a focus on neurodegeneration.”