Melissa Dorzin

Melissa Dorzin is a research student at the Stem Cell and Organoid Research and Engineering Center, where she contributes to projects focused on the development and application of stem cell-derived organoid models for studying human disease. Her work is centered on the use of advanced three-dimensional liver models to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic liver disorders.

Her primary research project focuses on modeling liver steatosis using human stem cell-derived liver organoids exposed to palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA), two fatty acids commonly used to mimic the lipid accumulation observed in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Through this work, she studies how excess lipid exposure affects liver cell function, metabolism, and disease progression, with the goal of establishing physiologically relevant in vitro models that can be used to better understand disease mechanisms and evaluate potential therapeutic strategies.

In addition, Melissa participates in projects involving organoid development and characterization, gaining hands-on experience in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and translational biomedical research. Her work contributes to the Center’s efforts to develop innovative human-relevant models for studying complex diseases and accelerating the discovery of new treatments.