Contact
- Email: deborah_ryan@urmc.rochester.edu
- Advisor: Howard Federoff M.D., Ph.D.
- Department(s):
- Phone: (585) 273-2197
- Address:
University of Rochester Medical Center
Box 645
601 Elmwood Ave.
Rochester, NY 14642
Area of Interest / Current Research
I work on identifying different pathological species of amyloid-beta in order to develop safe and effective therapies for Alzheimer ’s disease. In recent years the amyloid cascade hypothesis has been modified to include soluble amyloid-beta oligomers as major players in the synaptic pathology of AD. It would be advantageous to identify the exact molecular culprits in order to specifically target them. Another of my related projects includes studying immunotherapeutic approaches for AD. The literature has shown that antibodies to amyloid-beta can block or cause clearance of these toxic species. Therefore, stimulating the body to produce an appropriate humoral immune response is one potential therapy. The lab uses mouse models of AD to test these hypotheses.
Education
- 2003-current: Ph.D. student, Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Rochester
- 1999-2003: B.A. in Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University
Rotations
- David Pearce Ph.D., Spring 2004, Project: Development of an in situ probe to detect Cln6 and the expression profile of Cln6 within mouse cortex and hippocampus. Characterization of pyramidal neuron dendritic spine density within secondary visual cortex.
- Jan Moynihan Ph.D., Fall 2003, Project: To determine morphine’s effect on inflammation and blood brain barrier permeability.
- Daeyeol Lee, Ph.D. Summer 2003, Project: Primate training of visual decision making tasks, data analysis of local field potentials from multi-electrode recordings in pre-frontal cortex. .
Honors & Awards
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Training Grant
Other Interests
- Mountaineering and Backpacking
- Tennis
- Softball