Dr. Philip Wong

Biography

Philip Wong is a professor in the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. Over the past 20 years, he has focused his research on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). His group has developed programs aimed at defining molecular pathways that are potentially amenable to therapeutic interventions, utilizing molecular biological approaches and transgenic gene knockout strategies. He has made significant contributions to validating BACE1 and gamma-secretase as therapeutic targets for AD through various mouse models that exhibit amyloidosis and tauopathy, which are key drivers of neuronal loss. Wong's current research efforts include clarifying disease mechanisms and validating therapeutic strategies aimed at developing functional biomarkers for ALS-FTD and AD. His team's ongoing projects involve characterizing new families of splicing repressors and their role in regulating cryptic exons in the nervous system, as well as exploring novel gene therapies for ALS-FTD. Wong has played an essential role in uncovering the physiological functions of RNA binding proteins like TDP-43, particularly their impact on disease progression in neurodegenerative disorders.

Research Interests