Xhuljana Durmishi

Xhuljana is a PhD student studying glial-neuronal interactions in the zebrafish retina..

Due to their elaborate morphology, Müller Glia contact every neuron in the retina and facilitate the formation of synapses, especially in the inner plexiform layer (IPL).

Cell adhesion molecules are involved in the formation, maturation and maintenance of neuronal synapses in the brain, but little is known about the role they play in glial-neuronal interactions in the retina.

Using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing strategy to knock out specific cell adhesion molecules known to be expressed on Müller Glia, Xhuljana will investigate whether their morphology is affected and neuronal synaptic function is disrupted.

In her spare time, Xhuljana likes to hang out with friends, eat a good plate of carbonara and watch cat videos.

Xhuljana’s images