Our Mission
Advancing collaborative brain science to drive discovery, innovation, and training in neurodegenerative disease research
Our mission is to foster an environment that centralizes the infrastructure, leadership, and administrative support for a highly collaborative interdisciplinary team of researchers with access to state-of-the-art resources. Together, we can accelerate the drive for discovery and innovation in basic and translational research on major neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia. This center-focused mission to assemble all these components under one roof will not only strengthen our ability to attract and forge long-lasting regional, national, and international partnerships among major academic and corporate stakeholders but also to recruit and train new scientists, including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and undergraduate research students specializing in basic and translational brain science.
Senator Johnny Isakson
Senator Johnny Isakson’s enduring legacy is marked by his dedication to public service and his unwavering commitment to advancing research on neurodegenerative diseases. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2015, Isakson transformed his personal health challenge into a mission to support others facing similar conditions. He established the Isakson Initiative to raise awareness and funding for research into neurocognitive diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
At the University of Georgia (UGA), his alma mater, Isakson’s vision materialized through the creation of the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research, bolstered by a $4.5 million endowment. This initiative led to the establishment of the Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research (ICNDR) within UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine, which focuses on how the interplay among genetics, environmental risk factors, and lifestyle contributes to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthering this commitment, the Isakson Initiative contributed $1.4 million to endow ICNDR professorships, further ensuring his vision for a center of research excellence focused on translational brain science.
Senator Isakson’s legacy continues to inspire progress in understanding and combating neurodegenerative diseases, reflecting his lifelong dedication to serving others. By uniting interdisciplinary expertise and fostering innovative research, ICNDR strives to turn scientific insights into tangible clinical impact, continuing Senator Isakson’s legacy of hope and progress for those affected by neurocognitive diseases.
Message from Our Director
Welcome to the Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research. As Director, I am excited to invite you to be part of our growing mission to advance discovery, collaboration, and impactful therapeutic strategies in the fight against not just Parkinsonian disorders, but also cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias.
We are actively building a vibrant and diverse community of collaborators. Whether you are a scientist looking to join a multidisciplinary research effort, a graduate or undergraduate student eager to train in a high-impact research setting, or an institutional partner seeking to align with a mission-driven center, we welcome your interest and inquiries.
Indeed, to ensure that CNDR researchers have access to the cutting-edge tools needed to leverage CNDR’s multidisciplinary team-science venture, we are strategically focused on building closely integrated core labs designed to dissect disease mechanisms and gene-environment interactions and to identify minimally invasive biomarkers for early detection and assessing treatment interventions. Together, these novel findings and tools can be tested and validated in models of increasing relevance to humans in our translational discovery pipeline.
To fully realize late Senator Isakson’s vision for a long-lasting center of research excellence, philanthropic and strategic partnerships are essential to our ability to grow, discover, and translate findings into real-world impact. Your support enables us to recruit exceptional talent, expand our capabilities, and pursue bold ideas that can lead to transformative change in brain health.
We believe the greatest breakthroughs happen when people and ideas converge around a shared purpose. You can say that’s the core conviction that fuels our mission. I invite you to explore ways to engage with our Center—through collaboration, training, partnership, or giving—and to join us in shaping the future of neurodegenerative disease research and the discovery of innovative therapies.
Warm regards,
Anumantha Kanthasamy, Ph.D.
John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
Director, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research
University of Georgia
Our Facilities
Paul D. Coverdell Center
The Coverdell Center is located at 500 D.W. Brooks Dr, across the street from the main College of Veterinary Medicine building.
You can find our facilities on the second floor of the Coverdell Center.
Visitor parking is available at the nearby Carlton Deck.
