Speakers

Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD, Alan A and Edith L Wolff Professor of Developmental Biology, Washington University in St. Louis

Maintaining Brain Circuits: New Therapeutic Strategies for Neurodegenerative Disease 

Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, James S. McDonnell Professor and Chair, Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis

Ancient conflicts: Modern Uses for a Primordial Immune System

Our discovery of a new family of metabolic enzymes and their role in maintaining neural circuitry has led to new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative disease. Their origins as early tools in the battle between bacteria and viruses identifies these enzymes as components of a primordial immune system. Exploiting this discovery has implications for neurodegeneration, bacterial infections, and plant resistance. To translate these discoveries into treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, we established the Center for Neurometabolism and Axonal Therapeutics with a gift from Phil and Sima Needleman and co-founded Disarm Therapeutics with Atlas Ventures.

On the third Thursday of every month , ICTS Precision Medicine hosts a session featuring WashU faculty working in translational genomics/precision medicine areas. Talks are typically oriented toward biotechnology, diagnostics, informatics, start-ups and precision interventions based on medical genomics innovations.