From studying post-viral fatigue to engineering transparent mouse brains, round three of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute’s Big Ideas grants will push the bounds of what’s possible
From studying post-viral fatigue to engineering transparent mouse brains, round three of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute’s Big Ideas grants will push the bounds of what’s possible
Join us as we look back on some of the key studies we covered here at Wu Tsai Neuro and the Knight Initiative in 2025 to give a (very partial) overview of the impact of our community’s research efforts this past year
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Knight Initiative postdoc Yi Zeng is working to understand the role a central protein plays in both diseases—and whether it might point toward new diagnostics and treatments
Research from Knight Initiative Director Tony Wyss-Coray's lab show that an Alzheimer's hallmark—myriad oily droplets in brain cells called microglia—may help connect several of the disorder’s better known but not well understood features.
Neurons are built to last, but with age, bad things can happen to them. Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate Katrin Andreasson's work shows a lot of it is triggered by what’s happening to immune cells outside of the brain.
Amyloid plaques have long been the focus of Alzheimer’s therapies. But Wu Tsai Neuro's Emmanuel Mignot and others are focusing on the stringy tangles of a protein called tau, the unsung second hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
Knight Initiative researchers are uncovering the fine points of how our brains learn to move. In the long run, their findings could help devise better treatments for Parkinson's disease.
A study of killifish reveals how protein dysfunction develops in vertebrate brain cells, a key driver of aging – shedding light on cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
Knight Initiative researchers used a new lab model of aging human neurons to show that as cells age, lysosomes fall into disrepair and waste builds up—feeding a damaging cycle that could lead to Alzheimer’s.
Blood and cerebrospinal fluid markers tied to inflammation and metabolism sort some patients into subgroups, according to Knight Initiative researchers, a step toward predicting progression and tailoring care.
The technique, which used genetically healthy donor cells, prolonged life and function in mice with a disease similar to Tay-Sachs. It may help with other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The lab’s second crop of pilot awards will foster research in visual attention, the neurophysiology of exercise, and therapies for autism and mild cognitive impairment associated with aging.
Andreasson received the Inge Grundke-Iqbal Award for her work on restoring cognition in Alzheimer's. Karly Cody, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Knight Initiative researcher Elizabeth Mormino, was also honored.
Is your brain aging faster than your chronological age? New research shows it could raise your risk of death and dementia significantly—and offers promise for early intervention.
Knight Initiative-funded research ran the gamut from chemistry to public health, but one theme brought it all together: Studying what makes the brain resilient will help more people live better lives.
