Illustration by Quincy Sutton
Faculty
Dongming Cai, MD, PhD, Director
Dongming Cai, MD, PhD
Professor, Director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care
2024 Medical School Dean's Distinguished Lecture Honoree
Email: [email protected]
Experts@MN Research Profile
Cai Lab
Bio: Dr. Cai is a Professor of Neurology at The University of Minnesota and a Physician Scientist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. She was trained in Neuroscience with Marie Filbin, Ph.D at Hunter College of The City University of New York, and in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology during postdoctoral research with Nobel laureate Paul Greengard, Ph.D at The Rockefeller University. Later, Dr. Cai had her Neurology Residency training at Yale School of Medicine. By combining expertise in basic neuroscience and clinical neurology, her laboratory studies focus on translating current understanding of disease mechanisms into development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for AD, TBI, and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Research Summary: Our research studies the regulation of brain lipid composition and metabolism by ApoE isoforms in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathogenesis.
We are developing preclinical candidates and new chemical scaffolds for AD therapies. Investigating the mechanistic actions of newly developed drug candidates in AD will help us better understand the pathways underlying ApoE-associated AD pathogenesis.
Another major lab focus is understanding the mechanisms underlying ApoE4-associated impairment in phospholipid homeostasis and AD development. We recently characterized a novel regulatory role of a microRNA in the ApoE4-PIP 2 -synj1 pathway. We are currently further evaluating the therapeutic and diagnostic implications of this miRNA in AD.
Other projects in the lab explore the interaction between ApoE4 and other risk factors, such as traumatic brain injury and female sex in AD development and progression. We also investigate the role of ApoE isoforms in injury models such as spinal cord injury.
Our research group closely collaborates with the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, the Department of Neuroscience, and the Department of Pharmacological Studies at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Karen Ashe, MD, PhD, Director Emerita
Karen Ashe, MD, PhD
Founding Director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care
Edmund Wallace and Anne Marie Tulloch Chairs in Neurology and Neuroscience
Department of Neurology
Phone: 612-499-0751
Email: [email protected]
Experts@MN Research Profile
Ashe Lab
What motivates Dr. Ashe?
Bio: Karen Ashe, MD, PhD, is the former director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care and holds the Edmund Wallace and Anne Marie Tulloch Chairs in Neurology and Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota, where she has been a faculty member of the Neurology department since 1992. She received her MD from Harvard University and her PhD from MIT. Her mouse models of Alzheimer's disease have been used the world over for validating genetic linkage studies, understanding disease pathogenesis, seeking markers of early disease processes, and testing candidate therapies. Among many honors, she has received the MetLife Award for Alzheimer’s disease research, the Potamkin Prize of the American Academy of Neurology, the Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Achievement Award of the Alzheimer’s Association, and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2022, she co-founded Myriel, Inc. and currently serves as its CEO.
For over 20 years she has been engaged in the study of the molecular genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology of prion diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. Her contributions are in three main areas: the genetics of human prion diseases; transgenic models of prion and Alzheimer’s diseases; and the molecular basis of memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Her dream for the Grossman Center is for it to lead the world in developing an effective, safe, and affordable prevention for Alzheimer’s disease.
Peng Liu, PhD
Peng Liu, PhD
William Mantyh, MD
William Mantyh, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
Phone: 612-624-6056
Email: [email protected]
Experts@MN Research Profile
Mantyh Lab
Research Summary: The Mantyh Lab research team aims to further the development of blood and imaging biomarkers for neurodegenerative disease and include underrepresented communities in research.
The Mantyh Lab team is currently investigating neurodegenerative prevalence and biomarkers in American Indian communities.
Shauna Yuan, MD
Shauna Yuan, MD
Collaborators
Michael Howell, MD
Michael Howell, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Education & Faculty Affairs
Division Director, Sleep Medicine
Director, Neurology Clerkship
Email: [email protected]
Experts@MN Research Profile
M Health Fairview Clinical Profile
Bio: Dr. Howell is a professor and the Division Head of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Neurology and is dedicated to developing novel strategies to improve brain function and sleep health. He is the Director of the Sleep Performance Training for Athletes Program at M Health Fairview, helping elite athletes and sports teams optimize their performance through better sleep and circadian health. He is also the Vice-Chair for Education and Faculty Affairs in the Department of Neurology.
Research Summary: Dr. Howell's research interests include characterizing the relationship between sleep and neurological disorders, and determining whether these processes are reversible with current or experimental therapies. His research is funded by the National Institutes for Health and current projects include: sleep in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsons's disease, the development of novel treatments for hypersomnias including narcolepsy and related conditions, and the development of novel strategies to improve the sleep health for organizations and populations.
Paul Tuite, MD
Paul Tuite, MD
Professor in the Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurologist treating Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease and other Movement Disorders
Email: [email protected]
Bio: Paul Tuite, MD, is a neurologist who treats adult patients with Parkinson's Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, and other movement disorders. Dr. Tuite sees his patients at the University of Minnesota Health Clinics and Surgery Center and the University of Minnesota Health Maple Grove Clinics. His clinical interests include atypical parkinsonism, chorea, corticobasal degeneration, medication-induced movement disorders, multiple system atrophy, myoclonus, progressive supranuclear palsy, and tremor. In addition, Dr. Tuite is a Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Joe Gaugler, PhD
Joe Gaugler, PhD
Professor and Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, School of Public Health
Phone: 612-626-2485
Email: [email protected]
Research Summary: Dr. Gaugler’s research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and other chronic conditions. As an applied gerontologist, his interests include Alzheimer's disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for persons with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older adults with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, his interests also include mixed methods and implementation science.
Danni Li, PhD, DABCC
Danni Li, PhD, DABCC
Associate Professor of Lab Medicine and Pathology
Email: [email protected]
Bio: Dr. Li is a faculty investigator in the Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL) where she applies mass spectrometry (MS) to the discovery of biomarkers for diagnosis including for Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, heart disease, and cancers.
She was trained in analytical chemistry and in proteomics research using MS technology, particularly in identifying proteomic biomarkers that are clinically relevant and have an impact on patient care. Biomarker discovery is a key area of translational research. Besides identifying biomarkers that may be important in clinical medicine, Dr. Li is addressing several challenges posed by MS technology. One is to develop standard protocols to ensure the reproducibility of biomarkers. Another is to design each study in a way that takes into account the complexity and heterogeneity of biological samples and eliminates potentially confounding factors. A third challenge is data analysis of hundreds or even thousands of biomarkers that are expressed at different levels and identifying those that are clinically significant. Collaboration with trusted experts in engineering, bioinformatics, and biostatistics is necessary for study design and data analysis and interpretation. Li believes biomarker research, increasingly a team effort, can lead to advances in precision medicine and better clinical outcomes for patients.
Ling Li, PhD
Ling Li, PhD
Professor and VFW Endowed Chair in Pharmacotherapy for the Elderly
Graduate Programs in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology (ECP), Neuroscience (GPN), and Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (MPaT)
Associate Department Head, Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology (ECP)
Phone: 612-626-2359
Email: [email protected]
Bio: Ling Li, PhD, Professor and VFW Endowed Chair in Pharmacotherapy for the Elderly in the Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, focuses on the connections between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases. An experimental pathologist and molecular biologist/neurobiologist by training, Li has developed multiple research programs to investigate the pathogenesis and pharmacotherapy of AD and atherosclerosis using genetically modified mouse models for over 20 years.
Research Summary: The research in the Li lab employs a combination of genetic, pharmacological, behavioral, electrophysiological, and advanced cellular/molecular approaches to address basic and clinical questions. Current research projects in the Li Lab include: the role of cholesterol, isoprenoids and protein prenylation in regulating synaptic plasticity and cognitive function in AD; structure and function of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and associated apolipoproteins (APO); and the therapeutic potential of HDL-mimetic peptides to rescue lipidation deficiency associated with APOE4 and to enhance cerebrovascular function and cognitive performance in aging and in AD. Other research projects in the laboratory include the role of systemic and neuro-inflammation in aging and in AD, modeling and reversing Alzheimer’s pathology in human iPSC-derived brain organoids, and the therapeutic potential of natural and synthetic anti-inflammatory compounds for AD. Another newly developed, ongoing interdisciplinary research project in the Li lab, in collaboration with Maxim Cheeran, PhD, a virologist and neuroimmunologist, and Walter Low, PhD, a neuroscientist and computational biologist, is to define the acute and long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection (“long-Covid”) and its interaction with APOE on cognitive function and pathogenic processes in aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
The long-term goal of the Li lab research is to develop effective approaches to prevent/mitigate cognitive decline and other comorbidities associated with aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
Jonathan Sachs, PhD
Jonathan Sachs, PhD
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Phone: 612-624-7158
Email: [email protected]
Research Summary: The Sachs Lab is making innovative discoveries at the molecular scale. The work combines experimental biophysics and cell biology with sophisticated computational modeling using some of the world’s fastest supercomputers to explain how molecules malfunction in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's and inflammatory diseases like arthritis. They use that new knowledge to develop cutting-edge approaches to discover new therapeutic strategies, including small molecule drug discovery and protein engineering.
Rui Zhang, PhD FAMIA
Rui Zhang, PhD FAMIA
- Dr. Zhang Received a New R01 to Research Drug Repurposing for Alzheimer's Disease
- U of M researchers receive $1.2M to study role of AI in breast cancer treatment
- Center for Learning Health System Sciences: All of Us Risk Modeling
- Detecting synergistic effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia
Liam Chen, MD, PhD
Liam Chen, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Email: [email protected]
Bio: Significant progress has been made over the past two decades on the pathogenesis of individual neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), as well as their distinct neurodegenerative processes. However, different neurodegenerative syndromes have been mainly studied mechanistically in isolation. There has been a lack of concerted effort to ascertain whether and how these pathogenic processes may be linked to one another. The Chen laboratory is interested in understanding the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, developing diagnostic markers and validating therapeutic targets. The laboratory uses an interdisciplinary approach involving Drosophila model, rodent model, iPS cells and postmortem human brain tissue to study the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in central nervous system.
Noam Harel, PhD
Noam Harel, PhD
Professor Department of Radiology and Department of Neurosurgery
Phone: 612-625-8399
Email: [email protected]
Bio: Dr. Harel is a Professor in the departments of Radiology and Neurosurgery, at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his B.Sc. in biology from Tel Aviv University, Israel, Dr. Harel moved to the University of Toronto, Canada, where he received his MSc (1996) and PhD (2000) in Physiology and Neuroscience for mapping auditory areas using optical imaging technique. For his post doctoral training, Dr. Harel moved to the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota where his research focused on the development of methods for high-resolution MRI and functional MRI (fMRI) applications using high magnetic fields (7T & 9.4T). In particular, Dr. Harel developed fMRI capabilities for mapping columnar and laminar organization in cerebral cortex both in human and animal models. In 2002, Dr. Harel moved to the University of Pittsburgh as a research associate and soon after returned to Minnesota and joined CMRR as a faculty member.Dr. Harel's current research focuses on the development and integration of 7T and high field neuroimaging data into deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgical navigation in particular and brain surgery in general.
Bharat Thyagarajan, MD, PhD, MPH
Bharat Thyagarajan, MD, PhD, MPH
Douglas Whiteside, PhD, ABPP/CN
Douglas Whiteside, PhD, ABPP/CN
Eric Waldron, PhD, LP, ABPP-CN
Eric Waldron, PhD, LP, ABPP-CN
- Neuropsychological Sequelae of Neurologic Insult
- Language
- Functional Brain Imaging
N Bud Grossman Center Faculty and Staff
Group photo of the N Bud Grossman faculty and staff
