Elizabeth RhoadesUniversity of Pennsylvania
“When Good Proteins Go Bad”
“Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases from the bottom up”
You may have heard about genetic factors that predispose people for developing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, but in the vast majority of cases there is not a known genetic cause. In fact, aging – which we are all doing – is the primary risk factor for developing these diseases. I will talk about what these diseases have in common, how they differ, and what we are doing to understand the very basic biology relevant to the diseases.