Ruslan Rust, PhD, holds the position of Assistant Professor of Research in Physiology and Neuroscience at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute in the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

A central focus of his research is to overcome existing limitations in cell therapies for stroke and Alzheimer's disease by using advanced genetic, molecular, and computational tools. As a cell source, he uses different induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells, including pericytes and neural stem cells (NSCs). The transplants are gene-edited to overcome current limitations of cell therapies including graft delivery across the blood-brain barrier, immunocompatibility to the host, and safety. The efficacy of these optimized cell therapies is assessed through a comprehensive experimental pipeline, consisting of state-of-the-art in vivo imaging, deep learning-based behavioral profiling, and single-cell omics technologies. The insights gained from this research may contribute to advancing cell therapy for stroke and Alzheimer's disease closer to clinical application.