Research Overview

Overview of Research

• Novel apoptotic and compensatory signaling activated during neurotoxic insult in the dopaminergic neurodegenerative process
• Protein misfolding and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in neurotoxicity
• Epigenetic reprogramming in neurotoxic stress
• Translational biomarker and drug discovery in neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration

Overview of Research

• Novel apoptotic and compensatory signaling activated during neurotoxic insult in the dopaminergic neurodegenerative process
• Protein misfolding and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in neurotoxicity
• Epigenetic reprogramming in neurotoxic stress
• Translational biomarker and drug discovery in neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration

Overview of Research

• Elucidating how olfactory and limbic systems are effected in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain injuries due to trauma or neurotoxicity
• Using optogenetics, chemogenetics, in vivo and in vitro electro-physiology, behavioral approaches, and neuroanatomy with advanced cellular imaging to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications

Overview of Research

• Engineering life biotherapeutic products in the form of beneficial microorganisms as novel treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
• Investigating the role of the gut microbiome in host health and disease processes

Overview of Research

• Microglial Hv1 Proton Channel as a Mediator of Environmentally-Induced Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration
  • This is a dual PI grant with Dr. Long Jun Wu at the Mayo Clinic. The overall objective of this proposal is to define the role of the microglial Hv1 proton channel as a contributor to paraquat-induced neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
• Exploring the role of paraquat exposure, the NLRP3 inflammasome and tau pathology
• Developmental Basis of Cognitive Dysfunction and Prodromal AD: Role of the Exposome
  • Environmental Exposome as a Driver of Alzheimer’s Disease
    This is a multi-PI grant with Dr. Dean Jones at Emory and Dr. Dwight German at UTSW to explore the relationship of environmental exposures with cognitive function and AD biomarkers in the Health & Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities (HABS-HD).
• Environmental Exposome as a Driver of Alzheimer’s Disease
  • This is a multi-PI grant with Dr. Honglei Chen at Michigan State and Brenda Plassman at Duke to explore the relationships between pesticide exposure in the Agricultural Health Study and Markers of ADRD neurodegeneration.

Overview of Research

• Understanding how dopamine (DA) neurons die in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and why substantia nigra compacta dopamine neurons are specifically susceptible in hope of developing new therapeutic targets