Smita Saxena, PhD

Professor

Smita Saxena, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Missouri and a member of NextGen Precision Health. Trained at the University of Lausanne, University of Bern and the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Dr. Saxena has built an internationally recognized research program focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern neuronal vulnerability, adaptation and resilience in neurodegenerative disease. Her work centers on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron degeneration, with an emphasis on understanding how stress responses and cellular dysfunction contribute to disease onset and progression. Using patient-derived cellular systems, advanced imaging, transcriptomics and translational neuroscience approaches, Dr. Saxena investigates the pathways that shape neuronal survival and therapeutic responsiveness in neurodegeneration. Her research has provided important insights into adaptive neuronal signaling, biomarker discovery and disease-modifying mechanisms in ALS and related disorders. As a scientist, mentor and collaborative leader, Dr. Saxena is committed to advancing interdisciplinary neuroscience research that connects mechanistic discovery with therapeutic innovation for neurodegenerative disease.