Sonia Vallabh
About Sonia Vallabh
Sonia Vallabh is a prion scientist who co-directs a prion lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She has a background in law and biological sciences, having worked on prion disease research and co-founded the Prion Alliance.
Work at Broad Institute
Sonia Vallabh has been a Prion Scientist at the Broad Institute since 2015. She co-directs a prion lab at the institute alongside her husband, Eric Minikel. During her tenure, she has engaged in significant research related to prion diseases. Vallabh completed her PhD research under the guidance of Stuart Schreiber in the Chemical Biology and Therapeutics Science program. Her work at the Broad Institute has contributed to advancing the understanding of prion diseases and developing potential therapeutic approaches.
Education and Expertise
Sonia Vallabh holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Swarthmore College, where she studied from 2002 to 2006. She later attended Harvard Law School, earning her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from 2008 to 2011. Vallabh's academic background is complemented by her extensive experience in biological and biomedical sciences, having worked as a PhD student at Harvard Medical School from 2014 to 2019. Her education and training have equipped her with a robust foundation in both legal and scientific disciplines.
Background
Before her current role, Sonia Vallabh worked as an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technician at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2012 to 2014. Her research journey continued at Harvard Medical School, where she focused on biological and biomedical sciences. Vallabh's diverse background in both law and science informs her approach to prion disease research and advocacy.
Achievements in Prion Research
Sonia Vallabh has made notable contributions to prion disease research. She launched PrionRegistry.org in collaboration with the CJD Foundation and CJD International Support Alliance, creating a centralized online portal for prion disease research involvement. Additionally, she co-founded the Prion Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing therapeutics for prion disease. Vallabh also collaborates with Dr. Steven Arnold at Massachusetts General Hospital on a clinical study focusing on pre-symptomatic carriers of genetic prion disease mutations.