News and Events | Page 11 | Helen & Robert Appel Alzheimer’s Disease Research Institute

Congratulations! Leon Levy Fellowship in Neuroscience awarded to Virginia Gao

Dr. Virginia Gao from the Burré lab received the Leon Levy Fellowship in Neuroscience. Her proposal, “Mechanisms of α-synuclein mediated pathology in the central and enteric nervous system in Parkinson’s disease,” seeks to understand how biochemical changes in the gut and brain contribute to disease pathogenesis using animal models and human subjects.

The Eighth Annual Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium is scheduled virtually on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020

The Eighth Annual Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute Symposium is scheduled virtually on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020 from 1:00PM - 2:30PM.

This is an outstanding annual event hosted by Dean Choi, Appel Alzheimer's Institute and the Feil Family BMRI. Dr. Li Gan, Director of the Appel Institute will open the symposium, followed by four cutting edge scientific presentations by Dr. Jonathan...

Congratulations! Second R01 from the NIH Awarded to Dr. Anna Orr’s team

Mitochondria are organelles that produce energy and participate in normal intracellular signaling. However, they also release free radicals that can impair neural cells and promote disorders of the brain. The main contributing factors in dementia, including aging and proteinopathy, are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of free radicals. Recent evidence suggests that mitochondrial free radicals act as central drivers of diverse pathogenic processes in dementia. Dr. Orr’s...

Congratulations! New R01 from NIH awarded to Dr. Wenjie Luo

DAP12 (also called TYROBP) acts as an adaptor protein in microglia involved in the cross-interaction of signaling networks of microglial surface immune receptors, including AD risk gene TREM2. DAP12 has been implicated as a central player in an AD-associated microglia specific module. Dr. Luo will investigate the functions of DAP12 in regulating microglia-mediated tau metabolism and inflammation and dissect the molecular and cellular mechanism underpinning these activities.

Congratulations! New R01 from NIH Awarded to Dr. Anna Orr

TDP-43 is a nucleic acid-binding protein linked to neurodegenerative disorders, but its roles in non-neuronal cells like astrocytes are poorly understood. The proposed research will examine how astrocytic TDP-43 affects glial-neuronal interactions and cognitive impairments. These studies will unravel novel intracellular and intercellular molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits in neurodegenerative disease and may reveal promising therapeutic strategies for TDP-43-related pathology...