Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Priyanka Sinha

Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Priyanka Sinha

We’re delighted to introduce the latest winner of our Early Career Scientist Grant!

Priyanka Sinha is a senior postdoctoral researcher in the Albers Lab at Mass General Brigham/Harvard Medical School, USA, and collects a handy $500 grant from Hello Bio to support her career development.

For the past five years we’ve been awarding monthly grants to life science PhDs or postdocs, and we’re proud to have helped more than 50 life scientists with the cost of travel to conferences, publishing fees, lab supplies, and more.

Priyanka plans to use her grant to help fund her attendance at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2025 in San Diego in November 2025. She will present her work on neurodegenerative diseases revealing how prolonged innate immune activation via pathogenic dsRNA may drive neuronal death.

When we asked Priyanka how she felt about receiving the grant, she told us:

Receiving this award is deeply meaningful to me. It not only recognizes my work on neuroinflammation and its role in Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and epilepsy, but also encourages me to keep pushing the boundaries of what we know about how the brain responds to disease. Support like this fuels discoveries that can one day translate into better therapies for patients and families. It strengthens my commitment to both science and mentorship, and I am grateful for the opportunity to carry this work forward. Priyanka Sinha, Mass General Brigham/Harvard Medical School, USA, Hello Bio Early Career Scientist Grant winner

Congratulations Priyanka! First, can you tell us a bit more about what you’re working on at the moment?

I am currently investigating how neuroinflammation contributes to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. My work focuses on understanding how immune pathways in the brain interact with neurons and glial cells. By mapping how these immune responses change over time and accelerate disease processes, my goal is to identify molecular mechanisms that could be targeted for new therapies. Alongside this, I am deeply committed to mentoring and training the next generation of neuroscientists, ensuring that discoveries in the lab ultimately translate into meaningful impact for patients and families affected by these devastating disorders.

What excites you most about working in neuroscience?

What excites me most about neuroscience is its potential to bridge fundamental discovery with real-world impact. The brain is extraordinarily complex, and yet small insights, like understanding how immune pathways influence neurons, can shift how we think about diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, or epilepsy. I find it deeply motivating that work in the lab can eventually open new doors for therapies and bring hope to patients and families. At the same time, neuroscience constantly challenges me to stay curious, ask bold questions, and mentor others who will carry the field forward. That combination of discovery, impact, and human connection is what keeps me passionate about this work every day.

Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?

I deeply admire my mentor, Dr. Mark Albers, for his innovative work developing a smell test that may help detect dementia much earlier than current methods allow. He has also pioneered a way to isolate neurons from the nose using a simple brush, which provides a unique window into the earliest changes in brain cells and gives us powerful insights into what goes wrong in neurodegenerative disease. His research exemplifies the kind of translational science I aspire to—where discoveries in the lab directly inform tools that improve patients’ lives. I am also inspired by Dr. Catherine Dulac, whose groundbreaking work revealed that galanin neurons in the brain are critical for parental behaviour. Her ability to connect molecular and neural mechanisms with complex social behaviours shows how neuroscience can illuminate fundamental aspects of what makes us human. Both of their approaches remind me that curiosity-driven, rigorous science can have profound implications for health and society.

What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?

One of the biggest challenges life scientists face today is bridging the gap between discovery and impact. We are generating more data than ever through advanced technologies but translating those findings into meaningful therapies remains a slow and resource-intensive process. Securing sustained funding is also a major hurdle, particularly for early-career scientists who are trying to launch independent ideas in a highly competitive environment. Beyond resources, I think another challenge is ensuring that science remains inclusive and collaborative, so that diverse perspectives drive innovation. Despite these obstacles, I believe that our collective creativity and persistence will continue to move the field forward and bring real hope to patients and families.

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Thank you so much Priyanka! We wish the best with your future research and we hope you enjoy the SfN Meeting in November!

Connect with Priyanka:

• LinkedIn: Priyanka Sinha

Are YOU a life science PhD or postdoc researcher? Why not apply for our next monthly grant!

Application is quick and easy, just fill out the form here: https://hellobio.com/early-career-scientist-grant-application

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