Research Overview
The Casadesus Lab focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which extrinsic (lifestyle or environment) and intrinsic (aging) physiological factors impact CNS function and drive or protect the brain from developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
A current focus in our laboratory is to understand the fundamental role of CNS expressed hormone G-coupled receptors in CNS function and plasticity. We evaluate, both, how hormone/receptor complexes linked to AD risk regulate CNS cellular/molecular functions and how dysregulation in the physiological systems they signal in (i.e., menopause or obesity/diabetes) impact CNS function and drive AD risk.
Our laboratory is also interested in evaluating sex differences in disease response as a mechanism to uncover genes that may confer resilience and risk to AD development. Current work is focused on understanding the sexually dimorphic mechanisms that protect the female brain after severe infection or the male brain from metabolic stress (i.e. diabetes).
We address the above questions using in vivo and in vitro systems and a diverse number of approaches including surgical manipulations, transcriptomics and bioinformatics, and standard cellular molecular techniques (AAV, CRISPR/Cas9). The overarching goal of the laboratory is to develop therapeutic strategies that can protect the brain and slow or forestall AD development.
what we are doing in our lab
Research Focus Area
• Neuropharmacology
• Neurodegeneration
• Neuroendocrinology
what you would learn in our lab
Research Tools & Skills
• Cell Culture
• Neuron Tracing
• AAV and Lentiviral delivery
• Immunohistochemistry and microscopy
• Behavioral pharmacology
• CRISPR/Cas9
• Transcriptomics
• Protein analysis
current & up to date publications
Recent Publications
Check out the recent publications from the Primary Investigator (PI), Dr. Gemma Casadesus
contact the PI
Dr. Gemma Casadesus
gcasadesus@ufl.edu