Master’s university: Grand Valley State University (M.S. in cell and molecular biology)

Thesis: Uncovering the functionality of PD risk-SNPs at the HLA locus in microglia

Experience: After completing her Master’s degree in cell and molecular biology from Grand Valley State University, Alix worked in Dr. Gerry Coetzee’s lab at Van Andel Institute for two years, studying single nucleotide polymorphisms in the context of breast cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Previously, she worked in Dr. Katrina Paumier’s lab at Michigan State University, where she studied therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Hometown: Greenville, MI

Hobbies: Spending time with my husband and two kids, exercising and dancing

Publications

Booms A, Coetzee G. 2021. Functions of intracellular alpha-synuclein in microglia: Implications for Parkinson’s disease risk. Front Cell Neurosci.

Pierce SE, Booms A, Prahl J, van der Schans EJC, Tyson T, Coetzee GA. 2020. Post-GWAS knowledge gap: the how, where and when. npj Parkinsons 6:23.

Booms A, Coetzee GA, Pierce SE. 2019. MCF-7 as a model for functional analysis of breast cancer risk variants. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.