Hope Center Members

Our Team

The diverse laboratories that make up the Hope Center represent scientists and physician scientists on the Medical and Danforth campuses of Washington University.  In addition to the Principal Investigator of each laboratory, there are graduate students, post docs, technicians, and others, more than 500 investigators in total, who ensure that research moves forward.

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  Beau Ances MD, PhD, MSc

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Therapeutic Strategies for HIV Associated Neurocognitive Impairment Read More

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  Yuna Ayala, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, St. Louis University

  Role of RNA processing and TDP-43 function in neurodegeneration Read More

• 

  Randall Bateman, MD

  Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology

  Alzheimer’s Disease: Pathophysiology, biomarkers, predictive diagnostics and treatments Read More

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  Philip Bayly, PhD

  Lilyan and E. Lisle Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering

  Biomechanical factors in traumatic injury to the brain and spinal cord Read More

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  Jan Bieschke, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

  Mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in age-related protein misfolding Read More

• 

  Kendall Blumer, PhD

  Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

  Signal transduction in the cardiovascular, nervous and visual systems

  Read More

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  David Brody, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Translational research in traumatic brain injury Read More

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  Michael Bruchas, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

  Genetic, pharmacological, and behavioral dissection of G-protein coupled receptor signal transduction in pain and neuropsychiatric disorders

  Read More

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  Janice Brunstrom-Hernandez, MD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Motor disorders arising from injury to the developing brain Read More

• 

  Nigel Cairns, PhD, FRCPath

  Research Professor of Neurology

  Protein misfolding, inclusion formation and neurodegeneration in Frontotemperal Dementias Read More

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  Yu-Qing Cao, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

  Voltage-gated calcium channel, synaptic transmission and pathophysiology of migraine headache

  Read More

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  Anil Cashikar, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor in Cell Biology & Physiology

  Multivesicular body and ESCRT functions in proteostasis Read More

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  Valeria Cavalli, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology

  Molecular, cellular and epigenetic mechanisms regulating axon regeneration Read More

• 

  Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD

  Professor of Anesthesiology

  Molecular and cellular mechanisms of itch sensation

  Read More

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  John Cirrito, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Relationship between synaptic activity and amyloid-beta metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease Read More

• 

  Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Pathology & Immunology

  Transcriptional regulatory networks in photoreceptor development, evolution, and disease Read More

• 

  Anne Cross, MD

  Professor of Neurology

  Neuroimmunology related to multiple sclerosis Read More

• 

  Michael Crowder, MD, PhD

  Dr. Seymour and Rose T Brown Professor of Anesthesiology

  Fundamental mechanisms of neuronal cell death following hypoxic injury Read More

• 

  Carlos Cruchaga, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

  Second-generation sequencing technology to identify rare variants implicated in neurodegenerative diseases Read More

• 

  Ralph Dacey, MD

  Henry G & Edith Schwartz Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Regulatory mechanisms of the cerebrovascular microcirculation Read More

• 

  Adish Dani, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor of Pathology & Immunology

  High-resolution imaging of synaptic architecture and function Read More

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  Marc Diamond, MD

  David Clayson Professor of Neurology

  Therapeutic Mechanisms in Human Disease: Polyglutamine Disease Pathogensis and Protein Misfolding in Tauopathy Read More

• 

  Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD

  Professor of Developmental Biology

  Axonal biology in development and disease Read More

• 

  Hans Dietrich, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Regulatory mechanisms of cerebrovascular microcirculation Read More

• 

  Krikor Dikranian, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology

  Neurodegeneration in the developing and mature brain Read More

• 

  Gerald Dorn, MD

  Philip & Sima K Needleman Professor of Medicine

  Pink-parkin signaling and mitochondrial quality control Read More

• 

  Joseph Dougherty, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Genetics

  Identification of genes and cell types responsible for neurological disorders in humans. Read More

• 

  Alex Evers, MD

  Henry E Mallinckrodt Professor of Anesthesiology

  Molecular mechanisms of anesthetics in the nervous system Read More

• 

  Anne Fagan, PhD

  Research Professor of Neurology

  Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma biomarkers of early stage Alzheimer’s Disease Read More

• 

  Simon Fisher, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Medicine

  Role of nutritional and hormonal brain signaling in pathogenesis of obesity, diabetes, and impaired hypoglycemic counterregulation

  Read More

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  Carl Frieden, PhD

  Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics

  Protein folding, structure Read More

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  Robert Gereau, PhD

  Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology

  Roles of mGluRs in pain plasticity Read More

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  Jeff Gidday, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Identifying endogenous epigenetic mechanisms of neurovascular protection in acute and chronic disease Read More

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  Alison Goate, DPhil

  Samuel & Mae S Ludwig Professor of Genetics in Psychiatry

  Genetic and genomic approaches to uncovering susceptibility to neurological and psychiatric diseases Read More

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  Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Genetic basis of epilepsy Read More

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  Dennis Hallahan, MD

  Elizabeth H and James S McDonnell III Distinguished Professor

  The mechanisms of cell death in normal tissues during cancer therapy Read More

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  Byung-Hee (Henry) Han, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Mechanisms of CAA-induced cerebrovascular impairment Read More

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  Phyllis Hanson, MD, PhD

  Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

  Protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions in neuronal membrane trafficking Read More

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  Matthew Harms, MD

  Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Genetic causes of hereditary neuromuscular diseases Read More

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  Charles Harris, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Medicine

  Molecular effects of the glucocorticoid stress hormones Read More

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  Tamara Hershey, PhD

  Professor of Psychiatry

  Clinical and cognitive neuroscience Read More

• 

  Erik Herzog, PhD

  Professor of Biology

  Molecular mechanism of circadian rhythms Read More

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  Robert Heuckeroth, MD, PhD

  Alumni Endowed Professor of Pediatrics

  Molecular mechanisms of neuronal development Read More

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  Didier Hodzic, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

  Role of LINC complexes (Linkers of the Nucleoskeleton to the Cytoskeleton) in nucleokinesis and neuronal migration Read More

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  David Holtzman, MD

  Andrew B & Gretchen P Jones Professor of Neurology

  Cellular/Molecular/Biomarker studies of Alzheimer’s Disease and neonatal brain injury Read More

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  Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD

  Professor of Developmental Biology

  Understanding the molecular mechanism of aging and longevity in mammals Read More

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  Mark Jacquin, PhD

  Professor of Neurology

  Molecular mechanisms of mammalian sensory system development, plasticity and repair Read More

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  Sanjay Jain, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Medicine

  GFL-Ret mediated mechanisms in the development, repair and regeneration of the nervous and urogenital systems Read More

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  Eugene Johnson, PhD

  Professor of Neurology

  Biological function and pharmacological potential of GFL neurotrophic factors Read More

• 

  Celeste Karch, PhD

  Research Instructor in Psychiatry

  Molecular mechanisms underlying tauopathies Read More

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  Daniel Kerschensteiner, MD

  Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

  Neural circuit assembly and visual processing in the retina Read More

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  Albert Kim, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery Read More

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  Robyn Klein, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Medicine

  Cellular and molecular studies of viral and autoimmune encephalitides Read More

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  Vitaly Klyachko, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

  Understanding the synaptic basis for neural plasticity with the goal of understanding how neural circuits analyze information Read More

• 

  Paul Kotzbauer, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders Read More

• 

  Terrance Kummer, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor in Neurology

  Mechanisms of neuronal injury in acute brain trauma Read More

• 

  Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD

  Professor of Neurology

  Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage Read More

• 

  Mingjie Li, MD, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Developing viral vectors for applications in neuroscience Read More

• 

  David Limbrick, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Neuronal membrane physiology, patch-clamp electrophysiology, CSF proteomics, hydrocephalus, neuroprosthetics, brain tumor biology Read More

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  Susan Mackinnon, MD

  Sydney M & Robert H Shoenberg Professor of Surgery

  Allograft and the effects of GDNF on Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Read More

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  Moe Mahjoub, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Medicine

  Mechanisms of cell-cell signaling in normal development and neurodegenerative disease Read More

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  Robert Mecham, PhD

  Alumni Endowed Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

  Cell-matrix interactions, extracellular matrix and development, vascular development and disease Read More

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  Steven Mennerick, PhD

  Professor of Psychiatry

  Physiology of glutamate and GABA neurotransmission in the CNS Read More

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  Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD

  James S McDonnell Professor of Genetics

  Axonal degeneration, regulation of myelination, neuronal energetics and mitochondrial function in neuropathy and neurodegenerative disease Read More

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  Timothy Miller, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Mechanisms of neurodegeneration and gene targeted therapies in motor neuron diseases Read More

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  Kelly Monk, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology

  Molecular mechanisms of myelin formation and repair Read More

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  John Morris, MD

  Harvey A & Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology

  Establishing phenotypes for inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias Read More

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  Erik Musiek, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Aging, oxidative stress, and circadian clock genes in neurodegenerative diseases. Read More

• 

  Jeanne Nerbonne, PhD

  Alumni Endowed Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology in Developmental Biology and Internal Medicine

  Molecular mechanisms controlling the regulation and dysregulation of membrane excitability in the cardiovascular and nervous systems Read More

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  Karen O’Malley, PhD

  Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology

  Mechanisms underlying the specification, regulation and neurodegeneration of dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems Read More

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  David Ornitz, MD, PhD

  Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology

  Neuronal development, regeneration, physiology Read More

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  Daniel Ory, MD

  Alan A and Edith L Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine

  Molecular basis of Niemann-Pick C disease and the regulation of NPC1 and NPC2 genes in cholesterol homeostasis Read More

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  Rohit Pappu, PhD

  Professor of Biomedical Engineering

  Mechanisms of aggregation and neurodegeneration in polyglutamine expansion disorders, specifically Huntington’s disease Read More

• 

  Joel Perlmutter, MD

  Elliot Stein Professor of Neurology

  Pharmacology, physiology and pathophysiology of basal ganglia and movement disorders Read More

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  Richard Perrin, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Pathology & Immunology

  Novel cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and staging of neurodegenerative diseases
  Read More

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  Alan Pestronk, MD

  Professor of Neurology

  Diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment of immune, hereditary and degenerative neuromuscular disorders Read More

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  Steve Petersen, PhD

  James S McDonnell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience

  Behavioral and fMRI studies of attention and cognitive development Read More

• 

  Laura Piccio, MD, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Induction and regulation of adaptive autoimmune responses in Multiple Sclerosis Read More

• 

  Marcus Raichle, MD

  Professor of Radiology

  Functional brain imaging with positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance Read More

• 

  Wilson (Zack) Ray, MD

  Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Development of innovative technology targeting neuroprosthetic interfaces Read More

• 

  Joshua Rubin, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Pediatrics

  Biology and treatment of pediatric brain tumors Read More

• 

  Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD

  Professor of Biomedical Engineering on the Joseph and Florence Farrow Endowment

  Tissue and cellular engineering approaches to neurological diseases Read More

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  Mark Sands, PhD

  Professor of Medicine

  Pathophysiology and novel therapies for lysosomal storage diseases Read More

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  Anneliese Schaefer, JD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Hope Center Executive Director Read More

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  Bradley Schlaggar, MD, PhD

  A Ernest & Jane G Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology, in Neurology

  The development and plasticity of human cognition and language Read More

• 

  Robert Schmidt, MD, PhD

  Professor of Pathology & Immunology

  Pathogenetic mechanisms of diabetic and age-related autonomic neuropathy Read More

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  Michael Shoykhet, MD, PhD

  Instructor in Pediatrics

  Establish mechanistic basis for selective vulnerability of defined neuronal population to hypoxic-ischemic insult Read More

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  Joy Snider, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Mechanisms of protein degradation and intracellular calcium homeostasis in neurodegenerative disorders Read More

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  Sheng-Kwei (Victor) Song, PhD

  Professor of Radiology

  Development of non-invasive imaging of central nervous system white matter Read More

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  William Spees, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor of Radiology

  White-matter diffusion fMRI Read More

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  Paul Taghert, PhD

  Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology

  Circadian neurobiology and developmental neurobiology Read More

• 

  Liu Lin Thio, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Glycine receptors in the central nervous system Read More

• 

  Heather True-Krob, PhD

  Associate Professor of Cell Biology & Physiology

  Protein misfolding and aggregation of prion proteins Read More

• 

  Fumihiko Urano, MD, PhD

  Samuel E Schechter Professor of Medicine

  Patient-based therapeutic development for Wolfram syndrome, the link between endoplasmic reticulum and neurodegeneration Read More

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  Gregory Van Stavern, MD

  Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

  Neuro-inflammation in patients with optic neuritis (ON) affects neuronal activity within visual pathways. Read More

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  Andrei Vlassenko, MD, PhD

  Research Assistant Professor of Radiology

  Advanced neuroimaging techniques in aging and neurodegenerative disorders Read More

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  Lihong Wang, PhD

  Gene K Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

  Functional and molecular imaging by non-ionizing electromagnetic and ultrasonic waves Read More

• 

  Yong Wang, PhD

  Research Instructor of Radiology

  Developing and applying MRI methods for quantification of pathological changes in neurodegeneration diseases Read More

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  Conrad (Chris) Weihl, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Neurology

  Protein degradation pathways and their relation to aging, muscle weakness and neurodegeneration Read More

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  Michael Wong, MD, PhD

  Professor of Neurology

  Cellular mechanisms of epileptogenesis and seizure-induced brain injury Read More

• 

  David Wozniak, PhD

  Research Professor of Psychiatry

  Role of NMDA receptors in neuropathologic changes and cognitive decline Read More

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  Gregory Wu, MD, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurology

  Antigen presentation and inflammation in the central nervous system Read More

• 

  Kelvin Yamada, MD

  Professor of Neurology

  Modulation and derangements of synaptic transmission at central nervous system synapses Read More

• 

  Qin Yang, MD, PhD

  Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology

  Understand neural cell reprogramming/regeneration and generate “safe” neural cells for neurological disorder treatment Read More

• 

  Hiroko Yano, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases; Epigenetic regulation of gene expression in Huntington’s disease Read More

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  Andrew Yoo, PhD

  Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology

  MicroRNA-mediated neuronal reprogramming and chromatin remodeling Read More

• 

  Weixiong Zhang, PhD

  Professor of Computer Science & Engineering

  Whole transcriptions modeling and analysis in neurodegenerative diseases Read More

• 

  Gregory Zipfel, MD

  Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery

  Role of cerebral amyloid angiopathy on cerebral blood flow, cerebral ischemia, cerebral hemorrhage, and dementia; Pathophysiology and novel therapeutic approaches for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage Read More

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  Charles Zorumski, MD

  Samuel B Guze Professor of Psychiatry

  Modulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission Read More