Michelle Maxson

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS, affect millions of people worldwide. The etiological basis of neurodegeneration involves the complex cross talk between genetic mutations, environmental factors, neuroinflammation and multiple cell types in the brain and periphery.

Interestingly, many disease-causing alleles, especially those affecting endocytic function, have direct deleterious effects on phagocyte populations in the brain and periphery. These cell types, microglia and macrophages, respectively, depend on intracellular trafficking pathways for their immune and homeostatic functions. Although previously underappreciated, the endocytic dysfunction of phagocytes in neurodegenerative disease likely contributes to the inflammation observed in the brain and periphery during neurodegeneration. 

The Maxson laboratory focuses the study of microglial and macrophage endocytic mechanisms that contribute to neurodegenerative disease. The use of genetically tractable iPSC and zebrafish models to study the role of these disease mechanisms will allow us to leverage state-of-the-art 4D high resolution imaging with robust quantitation methods to strengthen the connection between phagocyte endosomal pathways and neuronal health.