Growing up, Elian Sanchez ’24 dreamed of becoming a heart surgeon—until he watched the Netflix documentary series “The Mind Explained” during the COVID-19 lockdown. He suddenly found he couldn’t stop thinking about the brain.

“I felt so strongly that I wanted to learn more,” he says.

A standout student in biology and psychology at the Community College of Rhode Island, he transferred to the URI Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program for his junior year. This past spring, he joined the lab of Marin Manuel, assistant professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and Ryan research assistant professor of neuroscience, whose work has helped advance the study of motor neurons in the spinal cord.

“I was really drawn to Dr. Manuel’s work and methods,” Sanchez says. “He is a passionate, kind, and an amazing professor.”

As a researcher in the Manuel lab, Sanchez helps investigate whether disruptions in the development or function of neuromuscular junctions––the sites where motor neurons and muscle fibers communicate––contribute to motor deficits in cerebral palsy. The research could help identify potential drug targets for the disorder, a motivating factor for Sanchez.

“Research resonates with my goal to make a difference,” he says.

Sanchez began his master’s in molecular neuroscience at URI this fall, with plans to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D. program. Even with a goal to become a neurosurgeon, he is inspired to maintain a research career.

“I think it is amazing to help find answers to explain things we didn’t know before,” he says. “The more I learn about the brain and spinal cord, the more I want to know.”