NGI affiliated lab includes any faculty using high-throughput omic data to understand the pathobiology of human with focus on leverage human samples to study neurodegenerative diseases. There is no cost to join, but there are many benefits to becoming an NGI Center Affiliated lab member.
Sees patients for Parkinson’s disease and atypical Parkinsonism, tremor, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, botulinum toxin, deep brain stimulation (DBS).
Evaluating the utility of intraindividual variability in cognition and personality as predictors of AD risk, applying novel statistical techniques (e.g., dynamic structural equation modeling) and computational models to further understand cognitive changes in the earliest stages of AD.
The Berezin Lab searches for optical signatures of biological tissue using hyperspectral imaging from ultraviolet (UV) to shortwave infrared (SWIR), designs optically active probes to understand chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in vivo, and develops novel optical instrumentation for spectroscopy and imaging. Our research interest lies in the investigation and application of molecular excited states — the cornerstone of a variety of chemical, physical and biological phenomena.
Dedicated to conducting brachial plexus and peripheral nerve research that is directly relevant to patients, clinicians, scientists, and policy-makers. The lab has 2 components: (1) Epidemiologic, economic, and clinical analysis of brachial plexus injuries and (2) Translational nerve research.
Gereau Lab utilizes a combination of behavioral studies, patch clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, in vivo imaging, molecular and genetic approaches to understand the signaling pathways involved in nervous system plasticity that underlies pain sensitization. Their mission is to identify novel approaches to reverse this maladaptive plasticity to provide new therapeutic strategies to reduce pain and its impact on patient quality of life.
Primary research interest is the development of combinatorial methods for biological applications. A key focus is to identify patterns in genetic data, such as the one shown at the top of this webpage, and determine associations of these patterns with traits of interest, such as Alzheimer disease.
For the last 20 years, work in Jonathan Cooper’s Pediatric Storage Disorders Laboratory (PSDL) has focused upon investigating the pathogenesis of the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs, or Batten disease), and other similar neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders. They have unbiased stereology to characterize multiple mouse and larger animal models NCL, and have used this information in order to be able to target a range of different pre-clinical interventions to where they can be most effective. This work has led to several clinical trials and an approved treatment for CLN2 disease
A major effort of Corbo lab is directed toward understanding the transcriptional regulatory networks that orchestrate the development and function of photoreceptors. They are employing a wide range of experimental and computational techniques to decipher these networks. Recently, they generated comprehensive maps of rod- and cone-specific open chromatin using ATAC-seq and have leveraged these maps to elucidate the differences in cis-regulatory grammar between these two cell types. They are now using a massively parallel reporter assay called CRE-seq to further interrogate the architecture of photoreceptor cis-regulatory elements. Our ultimate goal is to create a complete, quantitative model of photoreceptor transcriptional regulation including a detailed cis-regulatory grammar. This model will serve as a template for translating between both coding and non-coding variants and the complex cellular phenotypes of photoreceptors that result in blindness.
The Dickson laboratory studies the mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) disorders, which are lysosomal enzyme deficiencies affecting the catabolism of glycosaminoglycans. Central nervous system manifestations include progressive intellectual disability, communicating hydrocephalus, dysmyelination, spinal cord compression, and cortical atrophy. Our lab studies cerebrospinal fluid delivery of recombinant enzymes to treat central nervous disease due to MPS, and has demonstrated biodistribution of intrathecally-delivered recombinant enzymes throughout the neuroaxis of MPS models, with correction of lysosomal storage. The laboratory also studies neuroimaging and neuropathology of white matter in MPS brain and the humoral immune responses to therapeutic enzymes. Projects range from bench to bedside including clinical trials.
Dedicated to conducting brachial plexus and peripheral nerve research that is directly relevant to patients, clinicians, scientists, and policy-makers. The lab has 2 components: (1) Epidemiologic, economic, and clinical analysis of brachial plexus injuries and (2) Translational nerve research.
The Benzinger Lab uses novel position emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images to investigate biomarkers in aging and neurodegenerative diseases very early.
Gereau Lab utilizes a combination of behavioral studies, patch clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, in vivo imaging, molecular and genetic approaches to understand the signaling pathways involved in nervous system plasticity that underlies pain sensitization. Their mission is to identify novel approaches to reverse this maladaptive plasticity to provide new therapeutic strategies to reduce pain and its impact on patient quality of life.
Research is focused on GWAS, Single Cell RNA-seq/ATAC, Spacial transcriptomics, Epigenetics, Proteomics.
The Gordon Neuroimaging Lab focuses on understanding the complexities of the aging brain. This includes studies of both healthy aging as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease. We integrate cognitive testing alongside advanced neuroimaging techniques, including MRI (volumetric, DTI, and fMRI) and PET imaging (amyloid, tau, and FDG). Our research crosses multiple domains and is at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, psychology, neurology and radiology
Formation, development, and application of genetic, genomic and bioinformatic methods to better anlayze and integrate exome and genome sequencing, SNP array, RNA-sequencing ,epigenmoic, metabolomic and protemomic data
The goal of the Karch lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms that drive neurodegenerative diseases using functional genomic and stem cell approaches. Dr. Karch has built a somatic and stem cell collection containing a series of deeply clinically characterized cell lines from individuals carrying genetic drivers of Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease
Applying statistical, machine learning, deep learning and data mining approaches on diverse biomedical dataset integration and interpretation, to solve the challenges in bioinformatics, system biology, and image informatics
Epidemiological studies show a rapid increase in dementia in Hispanic populations. However, there is little understanding of disease onset, progression, and biomarker trajectories in Latino populations. Jorge’s aims to understand genetic versus social determinants that drive Alzheimer’s disease in Latino populations
Mollah Lab is focused on developing computational approaches to address critical challenges in Systems Medicine where we apply network-based models on multi-omics data to understand complex diseases at the systems level. We are particularly interested in exploring the ways in which genomic / proteomic technologies coupled with computational approaches drawn from AI, machine learning, graph theory, linear algebra, and operation research can transform cancer research, leading to new biological insights and revolutionizing clinical practice.
Improving health outcomes and supporting weight management in adults ages 18-65 who are currently taking antipsychotic medication.
Understanding the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease by leveraging big data approaches in combining genetic, clinical, and neuroimaging data, with the overarching goal of deriving clinical relevant information to drive innovations in treatment strategies, and improve precision in clinical decision-making and risk stratification. data:
Medical Genetics is the main focus of Sardiello lab. Working on the foundation that the Human Genome Project has built, they are constantly trying to characterize un-annotated genes and proteins that are associated with hereditary disorders.
Medical Imaging and Data Science (MINDS) Lab, led by Aristeidis Sotiras, PhD, is powered by a team of researchers developing unique computer algorithms and machine learning techniques to better understand brain development, brain aging, and brain tumor segmentation
The goal of Urano laboratory is to reveal the molecular mechanisms of Wolfram syndrome and develop patient-based therapeutics for this complex disorder using genetic information from each patient and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
Treats Brain aneurysms, Arteriovenous malformations (AVM), Cavernous malformations (cavernoma), Dural arteriovenous fistulas, Spinal vascular malformations, Ischemic stroke, carotid stenosis (carotid endarterectomy, angioplasty/stenting), intracranial stenosis, Moyamoya disease, bypass surgery, Open, endoscopic and radiosurgical treatment of skull base tumors including Pituitary tumors, Meningomas, Acoustic neuromas, Chordomas, Chondrosarcomas, Sinonasal tumors, Microvascular or macrovascular decompression and radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (shunt, venous sinus stenting), Jugular venous compression syndrome, Intracranial hypotension/CSF-venous fistula, Intraarterial chemotherapy.
Yoo Lab studies the role of microRNAs and chromatin remodeling complexes in neurogenesis and devise cellular reprogramming approaches to generate human neurons by directly converting skin fibroblasts to neurons. Their goal is to model adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders with patient-derived neurons and study how aging of human neurons contributes to the vulnerability to neurodegeneration data.
The goal of our research is to understand the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis of inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS-brain and spinal cord). Our studies utilize detailed and quantitative imaging of human CNS, with cutting edge techniques developed at this institution. Other studies employ animal models for the human disease multiple sclerosis (MS), such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and cuprizone toxicity models. Together with the laboratory of Hope Center member Dr. Laura Piccio, we study the effects of adipokines (cytokines derived from adipose tissue) in animal models of MS. We are currently funded to a) use an imaging method called Gradient Echo Plural Contrast imaging in a longitudinal study of patients with different subtypes of MS, b) use diffusion imaging to study MS brains and spinal cords, and c) to perform an open-label study of every-other-day fasting in MS patients undergoing relapse.
Dmitriy A. Yablonskiy, PhD, is a professor of radiology and a principal investigator in the Biomedical MR Center for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Yablonskiy’s work focuses on revealing new biophysical mechanisms underlying MRI signal and using these mechanisms for developing new MRI-based techniques to study biological tissue structure and functioning. Since entering the MRI field, Yablonskiy has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-review papers in the areas of MRI and physiology that are highly cited.
Some of the Yablonskiy Lab’s major achievements include the development of gradient echo plural contrast imaging (GEPCI) and its advance version the genetically-informed quantitative gradient recalled echo (qGRE), in vivo lung morphometry with hyperpolarized 3He MRI, and quantitative BOLD (qBOLD). Yablonskiy has also developed quantitative methods of diffusion MRI, MRI spectroscopy, lipid quantitation in fatty livers, and biophysical theory of brain temperature regulation. These new methods provide safe and non-invasive in vivo biomarkers for monitoring progression of different diseases, thus opening doors to substantially improve diagnostics and perform fast and accurate longitudinal studies for clinical monitoring and research trials.
Recent work is focused on applying MRI-based GEPCI and qGRE techniques to link brain genetic and cellular microstructure with brain functioning in healthy people and patients with brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Abhi is an Instructor in Dept. of Psychiatry in Dr. Celeste Karch’s laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry. During her PhD, Abhi elucidated the regulatory role of cytokine signaling pathways in the function of lipid antigen presenting molecule CD1d and restricted innate lymphocytes, Natural Killer T (NKT) cells. For her postdoctoral work, Abhi chose to work in neuroimmunology, whereby her initial work was focused at understanding mechanisms involved in CD4+ T cell-mediated motor neuron survival in peripheral nerve injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Thereafter, Abhi carried out preclinical testing of antisense oligonucleotides against α2-Na+/K+ ATPase, which is upregulated in astrocytes and contributes to non-cell autonomous neurodegeneration in ALS. Her current work aims to understand TREM2 signaling in neurodegenerative diseases in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-differentiated microglial cells. She has experience in different forms of scientific writing including grants, manuscripts, review articles and is an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple journals.