How to make new neurons

How to make new neurons

Dr. Stuart Lipton and collaborators found a way to reprogram human skin cells directly into functioning neurons—a first step in creating personalized therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.

Meet Dr. Randal Kaufman

Meet Dr. Randal Kaufman

Dr. Kaufman joined Sanford-Burnham’s faculty in July 2011, where he now leads the Degenerative Disease Research Program.

Serendipity in science

Serendipity in science

Dr. Dongxian Zhang and his lab are making new discoveries in motor neuron degeneration—the cause of lethal diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Studying degenerative disease

The Degenerative Disease Research Program seeks to understand the fundamental molecular changes responsible for cell and tissue degeneration in the nervous system and other organs. Researchers in this program study degenerative diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, Huntington's disease, HIV-associated dementia, diabetes, and glaucoma.

Research - Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell - Degenerative Disease: About

Our degenerative disease researchers are a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary group with combined expertise in neurotransmitter receptor/ion-channel electrophysiology, mouse models of stroke and neurodegeneration, nitrosyl-free radical chemistry, and signal transduction research.

How our research helps improve health

Discoveries made by scientists in this program have paved the way for development of a drug for Alzheimer's disease that, for the first time, gets to the root of the problem, possibly preventing brain cell death rather than merely masking symptoms caused by loss of these cells. A number of other strategies are now being developed for either protecting cells or replacing cells lost due to degenerative diseases of the brain and other organs.

Research - Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell - Degenerative Disease: How Our Research Helps

Recent Developments

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Disarming the botulinum neurotoxin

Sanford-Burnham researchers determine the first 3D structure of the botulinum neurotoxin, together with the protein bodyguard that guides it through the body—revealing weak spots that could be exploited to develop new counterterrorism measures.  Read More...

Research - Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell - Degenerative Disease: Recent Developments

Recent Developments

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Your support is crucial in turning hope into healing. Learn More

Using stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease


A team led by Dr. Stuart Lipton discovers how stem cells can be used to generate dopamine-producing neurons and how these cells show therapeutic benefit in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease.

Recent Publications

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Research - Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell - Degenerative Disease: Recent Publications
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