Christopher J. Barnum, PhD, began his career studying the neuroinflammatory consequences of stress; particularly those that involve changes in microglia and inflammatory cytokines. His interest in PD began when he collaborated with Dr. Christopher Bishop to explore the role of neuroinflammation in levodopa-induced dyskinesia. To further understand the contribution of inflammation to PD, he joined Dr. Malú Tansey’s lab where he has led the pre-clinical testing of peripherally administered XPro1595, a promising disease-modifying therapy that acts by selectively blocking soluble TNF.  As a result of this work, Dr. Barnum has become increasingly interested in identifying PD patients with ongoing peripheral and central inflammation that may receive therapeutic benefit from anti-soluble TNF therapy. Dr. Barnum received his PhD in behavioral neuroscience from Binghamton University.