Guoyan Zhao, PhD, an assistant professor of genetics and of neurology, and Erik Musiek, MD, PhD, the Charlotte & Paul Hagemann Professor of Neurology, both of WashU Medicine, have received a $433,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study brain cells called astrocytes and their roles in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The researchers will use single-cell genomics analyses and other leading-edge technologies to evaluate molecules called transcription factors and their ability to regulate the activation of astrocytes. These studies will shed light on whether these transcription factors could form the basis of possible treatment strategies that modify astrocyte activity in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
