Wolfdieter Springer, Ph.D., receives grant from Florida Department of Health’s Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program

Wolfdieter Springer, Ph.D. (NSCI ’11), Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic in Florida, received a grant from the Florida Department of Health’s Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.

Dr. Springer’s research team is investigating specific protein labels involved in cellular clean-up pathways known as autophagy as potential new biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. Increased levels of these degradation tags and associated signaling molecules are indicative of accumulating cellular damage or ineffective clearance from cells. Understanding levels may inform physicians about a patient’s Alzheimer’s risk, staging and disease progression.

Dr. Springer is an associate professor of neuroscience in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.