Ross Pelzel

PhD 2026

PhD Thesis

Leveraging functional differences in Huntington's disease astrocytes: insights into potential therapeutic strategies.

Current Position

Recent Graduate

Undergraduate Institution and Major:

St. Louis University - MO, B.S. in Neuroscience, 2020

Graduate Publications

  • Pelzel RJ, Herbst M, Rozema NB, Solem MA, Gomez-Pastor R. Silmitasertib, an FDA-designated orphan CK2 inhibitor, ameliorates neuropathology and motor dysfunction in a Huntington's disease mouse model. Neurotherapeutics. 2026;23(1):e00859.
  • Pelzel R, Brown T, Gomez-Pastor R. Astrocyte heterogeneity and gliosis in Huntington's disease: Histopathological insights into striatral and white matter pathology. Histol Histopathol. 2025;21:18971.
  • Solem MA, Pelzel R, Rozema NB, Brown TG, Reid E, Mansky RH, Gomez-Pastor R. Absence of hippocampal pathology persists in the Q175DN mouse model of Huntington's disease despite elevated HTT aggregation. J Huntingtons Dis. 2025 Feb;14(1):59-84.
  • Brown JL, Hart DW, Boyle GE, Brown TG, LaCroix M, Baraibar AM, Pelzel R, Kim M, Sherman MA, Boes S, Sung M, Cole T, Lee MK, Araque A, Lesné SE. SNCA genetic lowering reveals differential cognitive function of alpha-synuclein dependent on sex. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2022;10(1):180.

Graduate Advisor

Rocio Gomez Pastor, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience

Pelzel