Dr. Nidaa Ababneh is a research scientist at the Cell Therapy Center (CTC), University of Jordan, where she established a state-of-the-art laboratory for iPSC technology and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. She joined ​CTC in May 2017 after earning her DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences from the University of Oxford, where she focused on motor neuron disease (MND) research.

During her DPhil, Dr. Ababneh pioneered the use of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to correct the C9orf72 repeat expansion mutation, a key genetic driver of MND. Her work successfully normalized disease phenotypes and restored dysregulated disease pathways, offering critical insights into the molecular mechanisms of MND. Her findings were presented at prestigious national and international conferences across Europe, the US, and beyond, earning her several research grants and awards.
Since joining the CTC, Dr. Ababneh has made significant strides in patient-derived iPSC disease modeling. She has successfully generated iPSC lines from healthy controls and patients, differentiating these stem cells into functional neuronal subtypes. This approach allows her to study human neuronal cells "in a dish," offering a rare opportunity to investigate human neurological disease mechanisms in living cells.

Her research aims to identify the molecular underpinnings of hereditary neurological diseases and develop therapeutic strategies to these rare but impactful conditions. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to the development of personalized treatments for patients with genetic neurological diseases, advancing both basic science and clinical applications.​