Lab Research Areas

The laboratory relates the fine-scale organization of synapses and neural circuits to brain function by developing fluorescent nanoscopy, neural activity imaging and behavior tracking technologies. It utilizes the larval zebrafish model together with these technologies to both explain the function of intact brains and characterize dysfunction in neurological disorders, thus enabling the development of effective interventions.

Scholar Profile

Dr. Freifeld’s Neuro-Engineering lab is part of the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. Her goal is to relate the fine-scale organization of synapses and neural circuits to brain function. In particular, whole-brain function will be monitored using a vertebrate model, the larval zebrafish, with novel methods of non-invasive neural activity imaging and simultaneous behavior tracking. Then, by developing novel variants of expansion microscopy, a fluorescent-nanoscopy technology, the nano-scale organization of synapses and neural circuits in these brains will be captured. Finally, with new analysis methodologies and biophysical models, structure-function relations will be established. In addition to explaining the function of intact brains, these technologies will be applied to characterize dysfunction in neurological disorders and enable the development of effective interventions.

Dr. Freifeld combines excellent engineering abilities with profound knowledge in biology, allowing her to find innovative solutions to outstanding challenges in biology. She obtained a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2013 and completed two postdoctoral appointments at MIT in the area of neural engineering. Dr. Freifeld has received multiple prestigious fellowships including the Fulbright International Science and Technology award, Stanford’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (SIGF) and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT.