Dr. Tiina Kauppinen

Tiina Kauppinen
Assistant Professor - Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Dr. Tiina Kauppinen is researching the role of microglia and how it could identify a treatment for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.

Her project, The role of PARP-1 as a modulator for microglial functions in Alzheimer's disease, has received funding from the Alzheimer Society of Canada's Research Program.

Activation of brain immune cells is well established in Alzheimer’s disease, but their role on disease progression is not completely understood.

Cell culture studies have shown that certain functions of immune cells can kill brain cells, while others are protective. Understanding the role of microglia could identify a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.

In this study Dr. Kauppinen will use novel system that allows her to specifically manipulate brain immune cell activation in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. She will prevent immune cell activation and evaluate effects on different cell types present in brain, and overall disease progression. She will similarly evaluate effect of continuous brain immune cell activation in Alzheimer’s disease mice model. Dr. Kauppinin will also evaluate whether brain immune cells have similar role in female and male mice.


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