For more than 30 years, Thompson has been researching new therapies for Huntington’s disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive breakdown of the brain’s nerve cells, causing irreparable decline in patients’ physical and mental abilities. Currently, there’s no cure. But a nearly $12 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will allow Thompson to launch a first-in-human clinical trial of a novel neural stem cell therapy. To date, the institute has awarded Thompson a total of $17.6 million to support her research efforts to find a cure for this devastating disease.
What skills or qualities have been crucial to your success?
Collaboration has been essential. I was trained in that approach to science and have always felt that integration of different skills and expertise provides outcomes that one could never do alone. Positivity, listening to other perspectives, and resilience.
Have there been specific moments in your life and career that have had a significant impact on who you are today?
Interacting with the families who have the diseases we work on, especially Huntington’s disease, going to Venezuela to work with the families there. Their bravery and perseverance in the face of unbearable family devastation have been a never-ending inspiration.
What would you tell your younger self knowing what you know now?
To have confidence in your decisions, to understand that life works out in unexpected ways, and to enjoy the ride.
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