Single cell approaches to identify contributions to neurodegenerative disease

To understand the complex and interdependent pathways that contribute to neurodegenerative diseases, we apply multimodal approaches to understanding tissue dynamics at the single cell level. We apply single cell RNA sequencing, mass cytometry and flow cytometry of cells derived from the gut, blood and brain to understand how different cellular communities change in their structure and function. We apply cutting edge bioinformatics approaches to identify and interpret associations between transcriptional and proteomic state changes with organismal susceptibility to genetic and environmental triggers. These relatively unbiased approaches allow us to prioritize new targets and pathways for therapeutic intervention in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.