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UID:20260503T002625EDT-8264UIp8Go@132.216.98.100
DTSTAMP:20260503T042625Z
DESCRIPTION:\nSupported by the generosity of the Killam Trusts\, The Neuro'
 s Killam Seminar Series invites outstanding guest speakers whose research 
 is of interest to the scientific community at The Neuro and ɬÀï·¬ Univers
 ity.\n\n\nRegister Now\n\nTo watch online\, click here\n\nHost: Ziv Gan Or
 \n\n\nFrom Genetic Risk to Cellular Mechanism in Parkinson's Disease\n\nAb
 stract: Parkinson's disease (PD) arises from the convergence of genetic ri
 sk\, neuronal vulnerability\, and immune dysfunction. Despite significant 
 progress in identifying disease-associated genetic variants\, connecting t
 hese variants to the specific cell types and biological pathways that driv
 e neurodegeneration has remained a central challenge. I will describe how 
 my lab integrates single-nucleus brain profiling\, primary microglia multi
 omic atlases\, and blood immune cell datasets to map the cellular and mole
 cular basis of PD. These resources are combined with statistical genetics 
 and AI/ML approaches to link disease-associated variants to candidate func
 tional genes\, cell types\, and pathways. Together\, they provide a cellul
 ar framework for understanding PD across idiopathic and genetic subtypes\,
  including GBA1- and LRRK2-associated disease. I will highlight how these 
 studies consistently implicate inflammation\, lysosomal dysfunction\, cell
 ular stress\, and impaired protein handling as core disease mechanisms. Fi
 nally\, I will discuss how candidate mechanisms are being tested in iPSC-d
 erived microglia and cellular models\, moving from genetic discovery towar
 d functional validation and the identification of new therapeutic targets 
 for PD.\n\nTowfique Raj\n\nTowfique Raj\, PhD\, is a Professor of Neurosci
 ence and Genetics and Genomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Si
 nai. He received his PhD in Genetics from the University of Cambridge and 
 completed postdoctoral training at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
  Dr. Raj’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerati
 ve diseases\, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He leads mult
 iple NIH-funded efforts to generate and analyze multi-omic datasets from P
 arkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease cohorts. His lab integrates fun
 ctional genomics\, statistical genetics\, and AI/ML to study how genetic v
 ariants affect disease-relevant brain and immune cells. A major focus of h
 is work is building large-scale omics atlases of human brain\, microglia\,
  and peripheral immune cells to identify disease mechanisms\, biomarkers\,
  and therapeutic targets.\n
DTSTART:20260512T200000Z
DTEND:20260512T210000Z
LOCATION:de Grandpre Communications Centre\, The Neuro\, Montreal Neurologi
 cal Institute\, CA\, QC\, Montreal\, H3A 2B4\, 3801 rue University
SUMMARY:Killam Seminar Series: From Genetic Risk to Cellular Mechanism in P
 arkinson's Disease
URL:/psychology/channels/event/killam-seminar-series-g
 enetic-risk-cellular-mechanism-parkinsons-disease-372821
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