CLP faculty member Hande Özdinler, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern, will present her path-breaking research on upper motor neuron degeneration at the next CLP Chalk Talk. Özdinler’s white board presentation entitled, “Why upper motor neurons get sick and how can we help them? Hint: This is a team effort.” , will take place on March 6 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in The Richard and Barbara Silverman Hall for Molecular Therapeutics and Diagnostics’ third floor atrium in Evanston.
Özdinler, a member at the Mesulam Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Les Turner ALS Center, received a Master’s degree in a program spanning chemical engineering, molecular biology, and genetics focusing on biotechnology. She received a PhD in Cell Biology, Anatomy and Neuroscience from Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center. She became a postdoctoral fellow at Neurosurgery Department of Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Medical School, prior to joining Northwestern as the founding director of the second Les Turner ALS Laboratory.
Özdinler’s research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular basis of selective vulnerability observed in neurodegenerative diseases. The Özdinler lab primarily focuses on understanding the biology of upper motor neurons as well as the mechanisms that are responsible for their progressive degeneration, which is a hallmark in diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and primary lateral sclerosis. Her research program extends from biomarker discovery to development of drug verification platforms, and generation of mouse models of diseases to identification of novel targets for gene delivery approaches. Her work has been supported by National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging, and foundations, such as Les Turner ALS Foundation, ALS Association, and A Long Swim.
The Özdinler lab discovered that increased ER-stress is one cellular mechanism that is responsible for upper motor neuron vulnerability and degeneration. This discovery has been highlighted in the Northwestern Medicine Newsletter, ALSA, ALZforum and ALS Forum. She speaks at neurological conferences around the world and is actively involved in organizing meetings, seminars and symposiums so that leading scientists and clinicians can share their knowledge of ALS research and clinical care. Most recently, she organized the annual Les Turner Symposium on ALS and NeuroRepair which celebrated research, patient care and education, which included presenters from premier teaching hospitals in the Chicagoland metropolitan area.
CLP Chalk Talks are free open to all. Registration is requested, but not required.
Snacks and beverages will be provided.
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