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Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Cell Biology at New York University. His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, emphasizing the regulation of neurobiology that governs normal and pathogenic protein fate. His studies involve understanding the proteolytic processing, control of protein export at axons and synapses, and the dysfunction of the endosomal-lysosomal system which plays a central role in Alzheimer's disease. Through cell modeling studies, he has identified that early endosomes are major generators of toxic beta-amyloid peptide, implicating endosomal dysfunction in the mechanism of beta-amyloid accumulation, a key feature of sporadic Alzheimer's disease. His work utilizes genetic manipulation of proteolytic systems in mouse models alongside cell culture to discern the impacts of dysregulated proteolytic processing on neuronal cell death pathways. Nixon's research aims to uncover the molecular determinants that affect cytoskeletal protein transport and assembly, key processes that are hindered in neurodegenerative conditions.
Open Program in Biomedical Sciences (Vilcek Institute) covers departments like Biochemistry, Pathology, Neuroscience, Microbiology, etc.