August 2026 News

August 13, 2026

Awards, New Papers, and Announcements

• Caryl Sortwell (PI), Joe Patterson (Co-I), Irving Vega (Co-I), Jared Lamp (Co-I), and Sheila Fleming (NEOMED, Co-I) were awarded $1,357,990.85 from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to study “Therapeutic efficacy of TLR2 Antibody across disease stages in the rat alpha-synuclein preformed fibril model” 09/01/26 – 08/31/28
  
  
• Sun X, Ramakrishnan S, Ogbolu VC, Kanaan NM, Karch CM, Baas PW, Qiang L. Patient-derived forebrain cortical organoids reveal biphasic tau-MAP6-microtubule axis dysfunction in tauopathy. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Jul;22(7):e71565. doi: 10.1002/alz.71565. PMID: 42411568.
  
  
• DuBois KN, Pal S, Maher AC, Heidebrink J, Persad C, Giordani B, Hampstead BM, Bakulski KM, Morgan DG, Kanaan NM. Dementia etiology classification using NULISA plasma biomarkers and machine learning. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 Jun;22(6):e71603. doi: 10.1002/alz.71603. PMID: 42337943; PMCID: PMC13290646.
  
  
• Van Meter TE, Wilson EN, Elahi F, Rissman RA, Lago AL, Faber K, Gauthreaux K, Osorio R, Perkins M, Gray N, Morris J, Liu A, Stockwell H, Kukull W, Wilson R, Wingo TS, Kanaan NM, Russ K, Wilcock D, Biber SA, Bekris LM, Karikari TK. Pre-analytical guidelines for blood and CSF Biomarkers 2025: Recommendations from the NACC ADRC Biofluid Biomarker Best Practices Workgroup. Alzheimers Dement. 2026 May;22(5):e71252. doi: 10.1002/alz.71252. PMID: 42080228; PMCID:PMC13137281.
  
  
• Khan H, Gifford M, Kordbacheh A, Bury A, Panoushek S, Cole-Strauss A, Kemp CJ, Luk KC, Steece-Collier K, Kuhn NC, Kanaan NM, Sortwell CE, Patterson JR, Benskey MJ. Complement dysregulation during the early phases of synucleinopathy. Acta Neuropathol. 2026 Jul 20;152(1):7. doi: 10.1007/s00401-026-03057-8. PMID:42477211; PMCID: PMC13385250.
  
  
• Dr. Nick Kanaan is now serving as an Associate Director of the Michigan ADRC along with Sami Barmada (UofM) and Ana Daughtery (WSU).
  
  
• Ahmed Atwa was awarded a Dissertation Completion Fellowship from CNS
  
  
• Marco Perez was awarded an Extraordinary Fellowship Award from CNS
  
  
• Tessa Grabinski was reclassified to Research Assistant III
  
  
• Dr. Scott Counts was promoted to Professor
  
  
• Dr. Joe Patterson has been re-elected as MSU’s Councilor for the Michigan Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (term ends 2028 at the annual meeting to be held at MSU)
  
  
• Maibach Alzheimer’s Disease Expendable Research Fund - $500,000 - Signed
  
  
• Maibach Alzheimer’s Disease Endowed Research Fund - $500,000 - Signed
  
  
• Maibach Alzheimer’s Disease Endowed Faculty Fellowship - $1,000,000 – Pending Signatures

Welcome

• Ana Ramos - Academic Specialist - Vega Lab (start date: July 1, 2026)