{"id":25050,"date":"2025-09-18T22:53:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T02:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/?post_type=profile&#038;p=25050"},"modified":"2025-10-09T15:25:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T19:25:58","slug":"melissa-pergande","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/profile\/melissa-pergande\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Pergande"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<h3 style=\"font-family: sans-serif;\">Research<\/h3>\n<p>Research in the Pergande Lab aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms driving neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on the contribution of glial cells to disease onset and progression. We employ high-resolution mass spectrometry-based multiomic approaches, including proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics, to define cell-type-specific dysfunction and identify novel therapeutic targets.<br \/>\nTo model disease-relevant mutations in a human context, we utilize induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons and glia. These scalable in vitro systems enable systems-level profiling of pathogenic mechanisms in a cell-type-resolved manner. By integrating multiomic datasets, we map how disease-associated perturbations alter cellular pathways and network interactions. Our long-term goal is to establish a systems-level understanding of glial biology that can guide the development of targeted treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.<\/p>\n<p><!--<a href=\"http:\/\/www.perganderesearch.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n\n<h3 style=\"font-family: sans-serif; color: #399;\">Pergande Lab Website<\/h3>\n\n<\/a>--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: sans-serif;\">Publications<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=OTdcTS4AAAAJ&#038;hl=en&#038;oi=ao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Scholar<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: sans-serif;\">Techniques &amp; Resources<\/h3>\n<p>The Pergande Lab leverages advanced instrumentation and cellular models to drive discovery:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mass Spectrometry Platforms<\/strong>: Bruker timsTOF Pro2, Thermo Orbitrap Eclipse Tribrid, and Agilent 6495D triple quadrupole for discovery-based and targeted analyses<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chromatography Systems<\/strong>: Agilent 1290 Bioinert UHPLC, Dionex Ultimate 3000 HPLC,  Evosep One and Thermo Easy-nLC 1200.<\/li>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cellular Models<\/strong>: hiPSC-derived neurons, astrocytes and microglia; CRISPR-edited mammalian cell lines to model disease-relevant mutations<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bioinformatics Infrastructure<\/strong>: Two dedicated high-performance computing systems for multiomic integration (proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics) and pathway\/network analysis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Together, these tools enable systems-level, quantitative mapping of molecular dysfunction in glial cells.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"font-family: sans-serif;\">What\u2019s Next for Graduates of the Pergande Group?<\/h3>\n<p>Pergande lab members will obtain a broad range of skills spanning analytical chemistry, biochemistry and neurobiology.  Primarily, they will gain substantial experience in the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry data collection and analysis, multiomic data integration, and the design and implementation of hiPSC-based disease models. Group members will also have opportunities to learn and implement proteomic, lipidomic, and metabolomic workflows and computational analysis of large-scale datasets. In addition, trainees will develop expertise in translational neurobiology, collaborative research, and scientific communication, preparing them for careers across both academia and industry. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10766,"template":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/25050"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/profile"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10766"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/25050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25102,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/25050\/revisions\/25102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}