Exploring the Potential of Viral Contributors to Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer ‘s disease (AD) affects millions of Americans and causes significant morbidity and mortality. Although genetic determinants of AD have been a major focus of research over the last three decades, there is limited insight into co-factors that contribute to AD pathology and progression. Recent genetic associations implicating alterations in innate immunity to risk for AD, suggest that environmental factors, such as infection, may modulate brain immune function and could…
Biomarkers for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Blood based diagnostic marker for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) poses a significant burden on emotional and physical health and health care costs. According to US Department of Veterans Affairs, about 12% of Gulf war veterans, including those deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, suffer from PTSD in a given year and about 30% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime. The annual treatment cost for…
PHEWAS Approach to Study Alzheimer’s Disease
Genetics play an important role in late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) etiology. As AD develops over decades, elucidating the biological effects of AD-associated genetic variation across the adult lifespan may illuminate underlying processes in the causal pathway for AD, and potentially provide novel mid-life targets for behavioral and drug intervention. To address this, we are utilizing high dimensional, high-quality measurements from thousands of participants in a wellness program, aged 18 to…
Transcriptional Regulatory Networks in Alzheimer’s Disease
We are using Transcriptional Regulatory Networks (TRNs) to better understand the causes and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Our approach starts with measurements of gene expression in the brain, from which we create models that help to understand the changes in transcriptional regulatory structure that occur in Alzheimer’s disease. We are developing methods that help to identify cell-type specific changes in gene expression, as well as changes in gene regulation by transcription factors….
Alzheimer’s Disease & Brain Health
Alheimer’s Disease and Brain Health is an active area of research in our lab. Alzheimer’ Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, with a high financial and health burden on sufferers and family caregivers and, astonishingly, over 400 drug trials have essentially failed to treat the disease. We focus on the molecular neurochemistry of Alzheimer’s Disease with funding from the NIA through the AMP-AD consortium (Accelerating…
