ARMI Welcomes Dr Nathalie Saurat as New Group Leader

We are delighted to welcome Dr Nathalie Saurat to the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) as our newest group leader. Dr Saurat brings extensive expertise in stem cell biology, neurodevelopment, and innovative approaches to understanding age-related neurodegeneration.

Dr Saurat completed her PhD under Dr Rick Livesey at the University of Cambridge, where she focused on cortical development and created stem cell models to investigate Down’s syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Following her doctoral studies, she joined the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York as a post-doctoral researcher in Dr Lorenz Studer’s laboratory, where she expanded her skillset by applying CRISPR screening technologies and computational tools to explore ageing in stem cell-derived neurons.

In April 2025, Dr Saurat joined ARMI, where she now leads a laboratory focused on unraveling the complex interplay between cellular ageing and neurodegenerative disease.

The Saurat Group takes a novel approach to understanding brain ageing and neurodegeneration. By programming age into neurons, astrocytes and microglia derived from human pluripotent stem cells, the team creates sophisticated 2D and 3D models, including brain organoids and microtissues, that act as “aged human brains in a dish” systems.

These models are paired with high-resolution techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics, inflammatory cytokine profiling, and functional assays to investigate how ageing and neuroinflammation affect brain function.

This innovative work strengthens ARMI’s position at the forefront of regenerative neuroscience and opens up new avenues for understanding and potentially treating neurodegenerative conditions.

Interested in joining the lab or collaborating on upcoming projects? Contact Dr Saurat at: nathalie.saurat@monash.edu. 

Please join us in welcoming Dr Nathalie Saurat to our research community!