Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

(1) Understanding Meningeal Immunity in Aging: Examining how aging alters meningeal immune cell composition, lymphatic function, and cytokine signaling at the brain borders. Focus is placed on how these changes disrupt neuroimmune homeostasis, promote chronic neuroinflammation, and contribute to cognitive decline. (2) Understanding the role of Meningeal Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease: Investigating how meningeal immune dysfunction influences amyloid and tau pathology through impaired clearance and altered immune cell trafficking. The work emphasizes how meningeal neuroimmune signaling shapes microglial activation and drives neurodegeneration. (3) Deciphering the link between the immune system and the nervous system in Down syndrome: Defining how trisomy driven immune alterations, including interferon hyperactivation and microglial priming, reshape neuroimmune interactions. This project focuses on how chronic neuroinflammation accelerates early onset Alzheimer like pathology. (4) Fetomaternal Microchimerism During Healthy and Pathological Pregnancies: Exploring how fetal and maternal cell exchange contributes to neuroimmune modulation within the maternal brain and meninges. Emphasis is placed on how microchimeric cells influence immune tolerance, inflammation, and long term brain function.<br/>