Basic Science Research
The close connection between basic science and clinical experience allows for observation and rapid iteration of discoveries to help patients and their families and, ultimately, find cures.

Led by Dr. Stanley Prusiner, the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND) is committed to creating therapeutics that will halt diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and dementia resulting from traumatic brain injuries. The IND leads the basic science arm of the UCSF Parkinson’s Spectrum Disorders Center.

  • Discovering Therapeutics for Tauopathies
    Investigators: Steve Olson, Nick Paras, Amanda Woerman & Stanley B. Prusiner
  • Discovering Drugs for Multiple Systems Atrophy Prions
    Investigators: Nick Paras, Steve Olson, Amanda Woerman & Stanley B. Prusiner
  • Cytotoxicity and Infectivity of Human Brain-Derived Prions in Cell Culture Models
    Investigator: Amanda Woerman
  • Designing Anti-Prion Drugs for Tauopathies and Synucleopathies Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy
    Investigator: Dan Southworth
  • Neurodegeneration in Zebrafish: Developing Scalable Animal Models for Large-Scale Chemical Screens
    Investigator: David Kokel
  • Novel Approaches to Computational Drug Mechanisms of Action
    Investigator: Michael Keiser
  • Elucidating Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Disease Processes
    Investigator: Martin Kampmann
  • Fronto-Striatal Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Anxiety Behaviors
    Investigator: Lisa Gunaydin
  • Tau-Lowering Therapies Targeting Molecular Chaperones & Protein Quality Control
    Investigator: Jason Gestwicki