MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, announced today that a new Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program has been established within its Center for Health Sciences. This new SRI group of neuroscientists and researchers working at the cutting edge of science brings $6.2 million of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Funding also comes from the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Backus Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, and commercial clients.
Senior Scientists to Lead New Neurodegenerative Disease Research Program
Senior scientists Maryka Quik, Ph.D., Donato Di Monte, M.D., and Amy Manning-Bog, Ph.D., have joined SRI to lead the new research program. The team brings years of research experience on mechanisms and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as nicotine addiction.
The scientists will focus their research on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of central nervous system (CNS) neurodegenerative processes, and help identify potential therapeutics that control disease symptoms and slow disease progression. They will also evaluate the impact of environmental toxins as they interact with genetic risk factors that increase the incidence and severity of neurological diseases.
Dr. Di Monte, senior research physician in the Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Program, has extensive experience and expertise in models and mechanisms of neuronal degeneration. Most recently, he was a professor and director of the Basic Research Program at the Parkinson’s Institute. He completed postdoctoral training in biochemistry and toxicology first at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and then at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. He received his doctorate of medicine with honors from the University of Bari, Italy, where he specialized in internal medicine. He has published more than 140 research articles and reviews.
About SRI International’s Center for Health Sciences
Serving government and commercial clients in the health arena, SRI’s Center for Health Sciences uses a multidisciplinary research approach to address complex challenges that arise at the interface of the basic sciences, clinical medicine, health care economics, and the regulatory and legal environments.
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