The Daily Mail featured the Blurton-Jones Lab for their recent work on microglia replacement. Read the article in the Daily Mail here.
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Co-author Dr. Ghazaleh Eskandari-Sedighi and postdoctoral scholar in the Blurton-Jones Lab The Blurton-Jones lab, in collaboration with several other prominent research groups in the US and Japan, recently published an article in the journal Nature describing the role of TIM-3, a newly characterized molecule implicated in sporadic AD. The lead researchers on the project, Drs. Oleg Butovsy and Vijay Kuchroo, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, discovered the signaling pathway through which TIM-3, an immune-checkpoint molecule (encoded by HAVCR2 gene) regulates microglia function. The Blurton-Jones Lab played a critical role in this project by providing the human microglia modeling platform needed to complement…
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University of California, Irvine scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking new way to deliver disease-fighting proteins throughout the brain, potentially revolutionizing the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. By engineering human immune cells called microglia the researchers have created living cellular “couriers” capable of responding to brain pathology and releasing therapeutic agents exactly where needed. The National Institutes of Health-supported study, published recently in Cell Stem Cell, demonstrates for the first time that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)- -derived microglia can be genetically programmed to detect disease-specific brain changes – like amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease – and to…
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Dean LaFerla gives a presentation on MODEL-AD The Alzheimer’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease (ADPD) 2025 International Conference, held this year in Vienna, Austria, is an annual gathering for scientific experts and industry leaders in neurodegenerative diseases. This conference serves as a platform for sharing the latest scientific breakthroughs, clinical trial results, and innovative treatment strategies. With attendees from over 70 countries giving more than 1,200 poster presentations and 700 oral presentations, ADPD uniquely combines discussions on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related disorders, fostering a deeper understanding of their respective mechanisms and potential therapies. The conference also highlights the importance of global collaboration,…
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Assistant professor in Physiology & Biophysics and UCI MIND faculty co-authored a paper in the journal Nature that reveals a mechanism for memory preservation. To read a summary of the article, visit Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
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Today is World Down Syndrome Day! Did you know that individuals with Down syndrome have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease? UCI MIND and The Center for Aging Research in Down Syndrome (CFAR-DS) are dedicated to understanding and addressing this important issue. The UCI MIND Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Down Syndrome Core, led by Drs. Ira Lott and Elizabeth Head, is a pioneering initiative dedicated to advancing our understanding of Alzheimer’s in individuals with Down syndrome. CFAR-DS is a leading research institute with a mission to improve the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Dr. Elizabeth Head…
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Casey Vanderlip Casey Vanderlip, MD/PhD student in the laboratory of Dr. Craig Stark, has won the 2025 UCI Grad Slam Competition. The competition involves graduate students delivering 3-minute presentations on their research. Casey received $6,500 for his victory in the competition, which is intended to highlight the role of graduate trainees and enhance their public presentation skills.
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On March 13, UCI MIND and the UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Music collaborated to present "Finding Light: Alzheimer's Stories" by Robert S. Cohen. The evening featured a pre-concert panel that included the composer, the conductor of the UC Irvine Chamber Singers & Concert Choir, the Director of UCI MIND, and two research participants who represented the lived experience of individuals living with cognitive impairment. The panel was followed by an incredible two-act performance by the UCI Chamber Singers & Concert Choir. First, the Chamber Singers performed a collection of related and inspiring pieces. After an…
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Message from the Director For many, the new year is a time for fresh starts and resolutions. As we enter 2025, we at UCI MIND are taking the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the mission to conduct research to discover solutions for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. UCI MIND investigators are unwavering in our commitment to this mission. The remainder of this newsletter, as with all of our newsletters, describes the manifold elements of the work of UCI MIND—from conducting fundamental basic science, to running vital clinical trials, to sharing our knowledge with you the community we serve and…
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Research often feels incremental, building slowly on studies of large cohorts of people over long periods of time who enable scientists to answer critical questions with a high degree of precision needed to detect meaningful, if small, differences between groups. But every once in a while, even a single research volunteer can empower science to move faster, changing the way we think about disease mechanisms or opportunities for treatment. Alzheimer’s disease research includes many such cases. They include people with early onset of Alzheimer’s disease that helped us understand genetic causes of the disease, who also taught us much about…
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