Principal Investigator
Rashid Deane, B.Sc., Ph.D.
rashid_deane@urmc.rochester.edu
The role of the neurovascular unit (blood-brain barrier, pericytes, astrocytes, microglia and neurons) in controlling the brain’s microenvironment in health and disease. This includes clearance mechanisms of molecules (e.g., tau), from the aging and injured brain, and the impact of toxicants and metals in the development of cognitive decline and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Understanding how the aging brain distributes and eliminates molecules may lead to novel therapeutic approaches for the diagnosis and prevention of AD, and thus minimize the burden of the pending AD tsunami.