Elena Navarro-Guerrero

I investigate links between Alzheimer's disease (AD), lipid accumulation, processing, and neuroinflammation using genome CRISPR knockout screening in iPSC-derived microglia. I am a research fellow at Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK), with 9 years of experience in Functional Genomics. I have performed the first genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in human iPSC-derived macrophages and conducted several screens in other disease models, including human pancreatic beta cells (Nature) and macrophages (SciReports). 

I joined Xcellomics in 2021, a partnership between Recursion and the University of Oxford, where I oversaw CRISPR/Cas9 screens within the CHTS lab. I supervise a team developing platforms for functional genomics screens on human disease models, optimising high-content readouts, and developing genomics approaches for integrating CRISPR/Cas9 into human iPS-derived microglia.

I earned my B.Sc. in Biotechnology in 2010 from the University Pablo de Olavide and my Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of Seville, studying carotid body neural-crest stem cells and CD10's role in neurogenesis and angiogenesis under hypoxia. These adult neural stem cells offer extraordinary opportunities for studying plasticity and regeneration in the nervous system, as well as for developing new potential therapies for neurological disorders.