Splash Biography

Alzheimer’s Disease is a devastating disorder caused by the death of neurons, usually leading to cognitive impairment, drastic mood/personality changes, and even severe memory loss. Alzheimer’s Disease already affects about 10% of people age 65 or older, and as our population ages, its prevalence is expected to increase further. Yet no effective treatments currently exist. We are researchers at UCSF interested in studying Alzheimer’s Disease and hopefully developing new ways to treat it—and we want to share what we’ve learned!

Biomedical science has advanced incredibly far in the last few decades. If you lose a leg, you can get a new one; if your heart fails, you can get a new one. But what about your brain? The World Health Organization predicts that neurodegenerative diseases, or diseases caused by the death of neurons, will be the leading cause of human mortality by 2040. Yet most neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, still have no cure or truly effective treatments. Come learn about cutting-edge strategies researchers are coming up with now to try to change that, using tools like stem cells and gene editing!

We are two aspiring scientists excited about new advances in gene editing and stem cell technologies. Come learn more about what the future of medicine might have in store! And if we have time, we’ll teach you how to juggle.