Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD

Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD is Professor of Neurology at University of Alabama at Birmingham and Parkinson Association of Alabama Endowed Chair with 28 years experience in Neurodegenerative disease research. She discovered that fibrils of α-synuclein act as seeds to template the growth of α-synuclein inclusions from endogenously expressed α-synuclein in neurons. These inclusions are similar morphologically and biochemically to those found in Parkinson’s disease. Importantly, she found the fibrils do not cause phenotypes in neurons lacking endogenous α-synuclein, demonstrating that corruption of normal α-synuclein contributes to disease-related phenotypes. Her lab is currently interested in how pathologic α-synuclein disrupts neuron function, and how altered glycosphingolipid metabolism contributes to cognitive PD phenotypes. Finally her group has explored how LRRK2 contributes to axonal transport and targeting of LRRK2 effectors to the synapse. Laura was chair of Department of Defense Parkinson’s Research Programmatic Panel and is an Associate editor at Neurobiology of Disease and eNeuro.