Distinguished Lecture Series – Alzheimer’s Disease Landscape in The Retina

Description

Dr. Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui is Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles. Her primary research focus is on early diagnosis and immune-based therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Koronyo-Hamaoui Laboratory has shown that the hallmark pathologies of AD, amyloid-β protein (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), along with inflammation and neuronal degeneration are present in the retina and mirroring brain pathology in human patients, beginning at early stages. A unique approach has been developed in her lab to detect amyloid plaques in the retina of living animal models and patients by a noninvasive optical retinal imaging. This innovation unveils new possibilities for investigation of Alzheimer’s pathology in the retina. It may also facilitate early diagnosis and noninvasive monitoring of disease progression.