The major interest of the Condello lab is to study the cellular and molecular biology of neurodegenerative diseases. Our research program can be divided into 3 thematic areas: 1) We aim to understand the complex and dynamic role of glial cells, in particular microglia, and study their functional interactions with healthy and degenerating neurons. 2) We are focused on elucidating mechanisms of neuronal and glial vulnerability or resilience to aberrant protein accumulation (proteinopathy) as found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders (ADRDs). 3) The lab is studying the kinetics, toxicity and conformational heterogeneity of pathogenic protein self-assemblies ("prions") causing AD and ADRDs. Because of these interests, the lab has recruited a diverse team of scientists and established several collaborations with chemists, structural biologists, bioengineers, and neurobiologists to pursue these interconnected topics.
To reveal biological mechanisms of protein aggregation, neurodegeneration, and innate immunity (microglia biology), we employ an interdisciplinary approach including cell and molecular neuroscience, biophysics, chemical biology and systems biology methods. Often, we innovate new imaging approaches and model systems to illuminate complex neurobiological phenomena not easily studied with conventional methods. We employ genetic and pharmacological manipulations to define cause and effect relationships in mouse and rat models. In tandem, we study genetic risk factors (e.g., TREM2 and CSF1R mutants) and human biology of disease using patient brain samples and human cell lines to inform and validate discoveries made in our rodent models.
In summary, the Condello lab is a multidisciplinary laboratory with strong collaborations across multiple departments pursuing topics ranging from basic to translational neuroscience. We are driven to discover mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutics for neurodegenerative disease.
News
- September 2024: Congratulations to Yang for receiving the NIH K99/R00 award from the National Institute on Aging!
- August 2024: New paper published in Acta Neuropathologica: Severe neurodegeneration in brains of transgenic rats producing human tau prions
- August 2024: New opinion article published in JAMA Neurology: Expanding the Prion Paradigm to Include Alzheimer and Parkinson Diseases
- July 2024: Congratulations to Julio Leon for being awarded the Alzheimer's Association Research Fellowship
- June 2024: New paper published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications: Cryo-EM structures reveal tau filaments from Down syndrome adopt Alzheimer’s disease fold
- June 2024: Welcome to our newest graduate student, Saheli Singh (Neuroscience)!
- March 2024: Welcome to our newest graduate student, Carlota Pereda Serras (PSPG)!
- October 2023: Welcome to our newest graduate student, Emily Graham (MSTP/Tetrad)!
- September, 2023: Henry Pan awarded BrightFocus Postdoctoral Fellowship
- July, 2023: Best of luck to lab member Marie Shi on her MD/PhD journey at the Boston University!
- July, 2023: Dr. Carlo Condello promoted to Associate Professor
- March, 2023: New paper published in PNAS: EMBER multidimensional spectral microscopy enables quantitative determination of disease- and cell-specific amyloid strains
- January, 2023: New paper published in Nature Communications: CSF1R inhibitors induce a sex-specific resilient microglial phenotype and functional rescue in a tauopathy mouse model
- December, 2022: Carlo Condello awarded New Frontiers Research Award from Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research (PBBR) at UCSF
- November, 2022: New paper published in PNAS: Aβ and tau prions feature in the neuropathogenesis of Down syndrome
- July, 2022: Welcome to our newest graduate student, Stephanie Huard (BMS)!
- May, 2022: Carlo Condello named The Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation Awards Program in Alzheimer's Disease Drug Discovery Research 2021 Award Recipient
- December, 2021: New paper published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications: Emergence of distinct and heterogeneous strains of amyloid beta with advanced Alzheimer’s disease pathology in Down syndrome
- October, 2021: Hyunjun Yang receives Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research Postdoctoral Independent Research Grant
- September, 2021: Welcome to our newest research assistant, Marie Shi!
- August, 2021: Carlo Condello receives the Ludwig Family Foundation Early Career Award
- July, 2021: New manuscript posted on BioRxiv: Emergence of distinct and heterogeneous strains of amyloid beta as Alzheimer’s disease progresses in Down syndrome
- July, 2021: Carlo Condello receives John A. Watson Faculty Scholar Award (UCSF School of Medicine, Dean's Diversity Fund)
- June, 2021: Best of luck to lab member Madhy Garcia on her graduate school journey at the University of California, Irvine!
- June, 2021: Welcome to our newest graduate student, Ian Steele (PSPG)!
- May, 2021: Welcome to our newest postdoctoral fellow, Erika Castillo!
- March, 2021: New manuscript posted on BioRxiv: CSF1R inhibitor levels determine sex-specific phenotype of resilient microglia and neurofunctional rescue leading to extended survival in tauopathy mice
- October, 2020: Hyunjun Yang awarded Bright Focus Postdoc Fellowship.