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Mission
The mission of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research (CNDR) is to promote and conduct multidisciplinary clinical and basic research to increase the understanding of the causes and mechanisms leading to brain dysfunction and degeneration in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), Motor neuron disease (MND), and related disorders that occur increasingly with advancing age. Implicit in the mission of the CNDR are two overarching goals: 1.) Find better ways to cure and treat these disorders, 2. Provide training to the next generation of scientists.
“My goal for CNDR is not only to collaborate with researchers at Penn and from institutions across the globe with the mutual goal of finding better ways to diagnose and treat neurodegenerative diseases, but also to inspire and encourage the next generation of scientists on the importance of investigating these disorders that occur more frequently with advancing age.” – Virginia M.-Y. Lee, PhD, Director, CNDR
John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD | 1946 - 2022
In loving memory of John Q. Trojanowski, MD, PhD
Latest Research
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Clinical Manifestations
Friday, December 26, 2025
CONCLUSION: ACAD stands as one of the largest dementia cohort studies among Asians in North America. Ensuring standardized administration and data quality and integrity is crucial for generating meaningful, reproducible scientific outcomes. This study highlights the value of rigorous training for large cohort studies and underscores its impact on the broader scientific community.
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Biomarkers
Friday, December 26, 2025
CONCLUSION: Experiences of lifetime racial discrimination and burden of various forms of lifetime discrimination are associated with imaging biomarkers implicated in cognitive function. Associations are more pronounced within different ethnoracial groups.
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Biomarkers
Friday, December 26, 2025
CONCLUSION: Our multi-cohort study demonstrates that APOE-ε4 carrier status influences both brain atrophy patterns and their progression. While baseline APOE-ε4 effects were female-specific, progression rates were sex-independent. These findings advance our understanding of sex-specific genetic influences on AD-related brain changes.