Research

Focus areas of the Lipid Homeostasis and Neurobiology in Aging and Dementias Lab include:

  • Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and cerebrovascular functions in Alzheimer's disease. Impairments of the cerebrovascular system likely contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. APOE4 variant is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. APOE4 not only exacerbates amyloid-β accumulation in the brain but also disturbs cerebrovascular function. Meanwhile, the APOE2 and APOE3-Christchurch variants have shown some protective effects regarding Alzheimer's disease. Our research group studies the roles of APOE isoforms and cerebrovascular functions in disease pathogenesis.
  • ABCA7 and Alzheimer's disease. Recent genome-wide association studies have identified that the ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 (ABCA7) gene and APOE are strongly associated with the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Thus, our research group also studies how ABCA7 loss of function impacts Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.
  • Cellular senescence in aging and dementias. Aging is the greatest risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and the accumulation of senescent cells is characteristic of biological aging. Cellular senescence is not only critical during development, tissue repair and tumor suppression but also it results in cell cycle arrest of the senescent cells, the senescence-associated secretary phenotype and mitochondrial damage. Understanding the balance between beneficial and detrimental cellular senescence during biological aging may uncover the mechanisms behind dementias and other pathological aging processes.
  • Clinical applications of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). IPSCs and iPSC-derived therapeutics are an appealing avenue for treating a multitude of pathologies. Our translational research uses iPSCs and their products to develop therapies for age-related and neurological pathologies.
  • A multimodal approach to aging and dementias. Lab research is best performed using many models, each having its own benefits and drawbacks. In our research group, we work with iPSCs, 3D in vitro models, transgenic mouse models, postmortem human brain samples from the Mayo Clinic Biobank and biomarker samples from patients for a multifactorial investigation of aging and age-related dementias.