The ALS Network and the Barrow Neurological Institute have teamed up to provide hands-on experience to promising young researchers. Ria Moharil, an incoming second-year neuroscience student at Arizona State University, is attending the Institute’s Summer Internship Program, and the sole participant in her cohort sponsored by the ALS Network.
The 2025 summer undergraduate program is a paid, 10-week internship offered to 42 undergraduate students from all colleges and universities, nationally and internationally. Students in the program work full time in a research laboratory under the mentorship of a Barrow scientist, actively participating in groundbreaking neuroscience research using the most advanced technologies and equipment. Barrow engages interns in not only translational research labs, but also in clinical research in various Neuroscience disciplines, including Neuro-Imaging, Neuro-innovation and Neuro-rehabilitation.
In addition to gaining hands-on laboratory research experience, interns attend weekly research seminars, learn about career options in scientific fields, and present their research at the annual Barrow summer intern research symposium, either as an oral presentation or a scientific poster.
Leading the Institute’s internship program is Rita Sattler, PhD, whose own lab work is focused on synaptic biology in neurodegenerative disorders like ALS and FTD. Dr. Sattler is a principal investigator and co-investigator of numerous active grants from the NIH/NINDS as well as several disease foundations, and is the David and Weezie Reese Chair for Neurodegeneration Research and a professor in the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Barrow Neurological Institute. She has also been a longtime friend of the ALS Network, serving on ALS Network’s Scientific Advisory Committee and attending the ALS Network Research Summit for many years as a participant and presenter.
In collaboration with Dr. Robert Bowser and Dr. David Medina, Ria’s internship project investigates the role of the ALS-associated protein Matrin 3 in ALS, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative diseases. A key component of her project includes the development of AI-based imaging tools for the high-throughput and unbiased quantification of pathology, which will greatly enhance analytic capabilities across neurodegenerative disease studies.
Ria’s interest in neurology stems from her high school biology course, where her interest has since delved into research in ALS, FTD, and related neurological diseases. She shares that her biggest surprise thus far in her internship research has been the overlap of certain mutations in Matrin 3 and TDP 43 between FTD, ALS, and Alzheimer’s disease, despite their relative differences.
“This internship and the ALS Network sponsorship has opened so many doors for me. Coming in, I was kind of still trying to figure out what I wanted to do, but I think this really solidified that I do want to become a physician and still be involved in research outside of the general school year. The support that I’ve gotten here and from the ALS Network, and having people that are encouraging you and supporting you, even if you’ve made mistakes, means everything to me.”
– Ria Moharil
The Barrow Neurological Institute Internship Program runs annually during the summer and is always seeking motivated and interested young researchers, including those who are interested in ALS research. Interns from previous years have been able to use this internship to gain co-authorships on scientific abstracts and manuscripts, enrich their graduate and medical school applications, and foster scientific collaborations and friendships throughout their future careers.
“Our support of the summer internship program showcases the power of partnership in advancing scientific discovery. Programs like Dr. Sattler’s at the Barrow Neurological Institute, and emerging researchers like Ria, are critical to recruiting and preparing the next generation of ALS researchers.“
– Sheri Strahl, MPH, MBA, President and CEO, ALS Network
Dr. Sattler shared her advice for the newer generation of ALS researchers:
“Be bold, come up with innovative ideas that you can test in the laboratory or in the clinic, in order to help us to understand how these diseases manifest, how they progress, and hopefully, how we can prevent all this from happening in the first place. Science is fun, science is a big exploration. It’s different every day, so enjoy it and have fun with it.”
– Dr. Sattler
Learn more about the internship program on the Barrow Neurological Institute’s website.