Ashley Crisp

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in the US today. I am interested in further understanding the molecular mechanism behind this disease using C.elegans as a model system. I am utilizing a microinjection technique to overexpress AD-relevant genes to explore their effect on neuronal health and behavior. This includes both C. elegans genes related to human and the human genes themselves expressed in the worm. I also use transgenic-labeling techniques to visualize individual neurons with fluorescent light. I am working to identify which neurons are particularly vulnerable in the hopes that we will be able to prevent neuronal this death in the worm and eventually in humans.

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