Carlos Condello, Ph.D.
May 11(Thu) - May 11(Thu), 2023
4PM
N Centre 86314 & ZOOM (ID: 728-142-6028)
Neuro@noon Seminar
Date: 4pm, Thursday, May 11th
Speaker: Carlos Condello, Ph.D.(Univ. of California, San Francisco)
Title: Novel imaging approaches to characterize the molecular pathology and cellular consequences of Alzheimer's disease.
Abstract: The Condello lab innovates new imaging methods and model systems to elucidate the cell and molecular biology of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. In today's talk, Dr. Condello will present two exciting research developments—one study recently published, and the other in preparation. Part 1: Proteins fold into amyloid structures with distinct conformations (strains) in neurodegenerative disease. The Condello and DeGrado labs developed a novel imaging method to rapidly identify these amyloid conformations in situ. EMBER identified conformational strain differences in Aβ and tau deposits in human brains from different diseases, including tau strains forming in difference cell types. These findings will facilitate the identification of pathogenic protein aggregates to guide research and treatment of protein misfolding diseases. Part 2: Lipids are essential for maintaining brain health and function. Imbalances in lipid levels are increasingly recognized as a common feature of normal brain aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Spatial methods are lacking to study lipidomic and transcriptomic changes to AD pathogenesis. The Condello and Abate labs developed a novel spatial multi-omic approach that allows spatially resolved metabolomics, transcriptomics, and fluorescent imaging for single brain slices. Preliminary data integration and pathway analyses have already revealed some surprising observations. The outcome of this work will increase our understanding of AD progression and may identify new disease mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets.