I joined the Kaczorowski lab as a graduate student in the summer of 2013. My current research focuses on identifying genetic factors involved in modifying susceptibility or resilience to both age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Using a variety of behavioral assays and molecular techniques, I have monitored a panel of genetically diverse mice across the lifespan and have identified those strains that are either particularly susceptible or resilient to disease. Genetic mapping techniques enabled the identification of genomic regions involved in modifying this phenotype, and currently I am using a combination of approaches, including viral gene therapy and electrophysiology, to identify and validate specific genes in these regions involved in disease susceptibility. The goal of my research project is to identify those genes that may be targeted to delay disease onset, ultimately providing new therapeutic targets and insight into disease mechanisms.

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