Gianna Maltbie

Hi, my name is Gianna Maltbie and I am a senior at Clarkstown North High School.  This is my third year in the science research program and I am currently studying Enteroviruses and their implication in the onset and progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with my mentor Dr. Lombard. Outside of Science Research, I help run the Science Research Club, Ram's Horn, Debate, Clarkstown Golf Team, and Public Speaking. I run a student organization in my free time to bring environmental awareness to Clarkstown!

Right now, I am currently finalizing a paper on a hypothesis that enteroviruses (like HIV, coxsackie, and poliovirus) play an integral role in ALS, an invariably fatal disease rising in frequency over the next decades. In our paper, we gather that viral infection leads to TDP-43 dysregulation, inadequate lysosomal acidification, and poor nucleocytoplasmic transport as a result of guanine quadruplex folding, the Arc-Gag Complex, and hyperphosphorylated TDP-43, resulting in eventual neuron death. 

Here are some of my graphics for the article!

I have also had the research experience of working at Columbia University, focusing on environmental principles and climate activism. There, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Robert Pincus, a climate physicist. In collaboration with him, I created a paper that I submitted to the Fall 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search.