Gopal Thinakaran, PhD
Eric Pfeiffer Endowed Chair in Alzheimer's Res, Morsani College of Medicine
Ceo Byrd Alzheimer's Center, and Research Institute
Professor, Morsani College of Medicine, Molecular Medicine
Contact Info
4001 E Fletcher Avenue
MDC36
Tampa FL 33613
Academic Email:
thinakaran@usf.edu
Academic Phone:(813) 974-9214
View My C.V.
Interdisciplinary and Emerging Signature Programs
- Allergy, Immunology & Infectious Disease
- Biomedical Engineering & Nanomedicine
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Neurodegenerative Disease
- Neuroscience
Research Interests
- My lab (www.thinakaranlab.org) investigates mechanisms regulating Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. For over twenty years, we have investigated multiple aspects of AD cell biology. Our research has provided valuable insights into the regulation of APP trafficking and metabolism by APP secretases, cellular mechanisms involved in the generation of beta-amyloid peptides, and neuronal transcytosis of BACE1. Recently, we have characterized an essential function for the late-onset AD risk factor BIN1 in regulating synaptic vesicle dynamics that impacts on spatial learning and memory. We use an integrated approach that combines hypothesis-driven mutagenesis, biochemical characterization, detailed subcellular localization, advanced microscopy, live-cell imaging, and electrophysiology to accomplish our goals. Cultured non-neuronal cells, primary neurons and microglia, human iPSCs, and genetically-modified mice serve as experimental models in our investigation.
