Riley Bessetti

PhD Candidate, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology

BS, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 2020

Concentrations in Molecular Biology and Chemistry

Riley Bessetti is a third-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in Dr. Karen Litwa’s Lab. The Litwa Lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of synapse formation in brain development and how alterations contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism.

Riley’s research investigates how environmental contaminants affect early synapse development and contribute to neurodevelopmental abnormalities and whether our bodies’ own antioxidant pathways can be leveraged for neuroprotection against their effects. To study this, she uses a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hIPSC) 3D organoid model of fetal brain development, also referred to as mini-brains. The Litwa Lab currently has funding from the NCSU Center for Human Health and the Environment as well as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health for her project. Riley hopes to publish her first paper from this project this summer.

Outside of the lab, Riley enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, friends, and her two dogs Bella and Sadie. She also enjoys cooking and baking and has recently begun sourdough bread making with a starter her father says is nearly 15 years old. So far, her favorite thing to make with her sourdough starter has been vanilla overnight pancakes.