New York, New York, United States
My laboratory is focused on understanding the complex communication taking place between the systemic environment and the brain in the context of neurodegenerative diseases. We are particularly interested in characterizing the activity of TIMP2 and related proteins and their action in mediating long-range effects on neural circuits in the context of disease. We leverage both systems approaches and molecular, cellular, and behavioral methodologies to understand how the brain’s learning and memory circuits are shaped by these systemic influences.
Department of Neurology and Neurological Disorders, Laboratory of Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD My postdoctoral research sought to identify a blood-borne factor in the early stages of life that revitalizes plasticity processes within the aged brain. To accomplish this, my study was the first to incorporate the use of immunodeficient mice for the study of aging to screen putative protein activities from human material. This work led to the identification of several factors, including TIMP2, that play a role in regulating hippocampal plasticity.
Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Laboratory of David M. Holtzman, MD As a graduate student in David Holtzman's group, I leveraged powerful in vivo techniques such as in vivo microdialysis and stable isotopic labeling kinetics to examine the metabolism of amyloid-β, the toxic protein that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. I was particularly interested in understanding the mechanism by which APOE ε4, the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, influences amyloid-β accumulation. I found that human apoE isoforms differentially regulate brain Aβ clearance, suggesting that apoE4 is impaired in its ability to clear Aβ from the brain relative to other isoforms of apoE.