2025 Winter Neurodegeneration Summit

Thomas is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Dr. Michael Henderson at Van Andel Institute. Thomas’s research focuses on the molecular alterations induced by misfolded α-synuclein through both wet lab and bioinformatics/-omics-based approaches. Prior to his Ph.D., Thomas received his Bachelor’s degree in psychology and Master’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from Grand Valley State University.

Vanessa Howland is a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Darren Moore’s lab at the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Moore Lab studies the molecular pathophysiology of inherited Parkinson’s disease. Vanessa’s current research focuses on understanding how mutations in genes linked to inherited Parkinson’s disease disrupt neuronal function and lead to neurodegeneration, with a particular interest in the role of endolysosomal dysfunction and impaired cellular trafficking on Parkinson’s pathogenesis.

Mike Kubik graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2014 with a B.S. in biomedical sciences with a chemistry minor, and a B.A. in Russian studies. He worked as a research technician in Michigan State University’s Translational Neuroscience Department under the tutelage of Dr. Nicholas Kanaan from 2016-2018, and under Dr. Caryl Sortwell from 2018-2021. He completed a graduate certificate in medical neuroscience at Michigan State between 2020-2021 before being accepted into their neuroscience Ph.D. program. The focus of his work has been therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders. His dissertation work investigates the impact of a novel pharmaceutical ROCK inhibitor in models of synucleinopathy. Concurrently, he is working on a project that repurposes Terazosin, an FDA-approved drug used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, in models of Parkinson’s disease. Mike enjoys spending his free time with his cat, Pushkin, and his dog, Puddles.

Brishti White holds a B.S. in psychology and biology with a neuroscience emphasis and an M.S. in clinical and translational science. With over seven years of research experience, her work has explored traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative diseases and immune system dynamics. Brishti has published in journals such as Experimental Neurology and the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, and is contributing author of a Springer Nature book chapter. Currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Michigan State University, Brishti investigates how MHC-II-positive microglia drive inflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Utilizing antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology to target CIITA, her research aims to mitigate neuroinflammation and reduce immune cell recruitment. Brishti is also deeply passionate about science outreach. She co-created the Feed Our Brains philanthropic campaign to combat childhood food insecurity while in undergrad and has led numerous neuroscience educational initiatives, engaging thousands of community members and fostering public interest in brain science. In her free time, Brishti enjoys honing her landscape photography skills, traveling, hiking, white water rafting, live music, and spending time with friends and family.

Mona Abdelhamid is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Department of Translational Neuroscience at Michigan State University. She holds both a master’s and a Ph.D. in neurobiochemistry from Nagoya City University in Japan. During her master’s program, she contributed to a project that led to a patent for their discovery of the effect of Lactoferrin on ApoE secretion, a significant finding in the field.

Her master’s research focused on the effects of Lactoferrin on Alzheimer’s disease, demonstrating that Lactoferrin supplementation improved memory in J20 mice by reducing amyloid-β production. In her Ph.D. work, Mona investigated the impact of Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Her findings indicated that probiotic supplementation reduced amyloidosis and neuroinflammation while enhancing levels of synaptic proteins.

Currently, Mona is studying the therapeutic effects of EcN4RL-DOPA in Tg344-19 AD rats. This custom-designed E. coli probiotic produces adjustable levels of L-DOPA and has shown promising results in improving memory and reducing amyloid-β plaque deposition and microglial activation, aiming to establish a novel gut-brain mechanism that increases norepinephrine and dopamine levels during the early stages of the disease.

Mona’s expertise encompasses stereotaxic surgery, behavioral analysis, tissue processing, immunostaining, cell culture, animal models, biochemical analysis, molecular biology, and data interpretation.

Jacob Howe, a Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience at Michigan State University, focuses his research on neuroinflammation in neurodegeneration, particularly in Parkinson’s disease. He joined Dr. Caryl Sortwell’s lab in 2020 and is set to defend his dissertation in March 2025. Outside academia, Jacob is married to Ashley, with whom he has a daughter, Brooklyn, and another child on the way. He enjoys outdoor activities, landscaping, and spending time with his family and their dog, Sampson.

Dr. Melissa Hoyer investigates the fundamental cellular processes that support neuronal health with a focus on organelle proteome landscapes. Her leading-edge research has deep implications for understanding the mechanisms that drive protein and organelle degradation, which are defective in neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Hoyer earned a B.S. in molecular biology and chemistry from University of Wyoming followed by a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from University of Colorado (Adviser: Dr. Gia Voeltz). Her dissertation research helped elucidate the relationship between the endoplasmic reticulum and endosome fission, which has significant implications for signaling receptor sorting and degradation in the endocytic pathway. Her graduate work was supported in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

She then joined the lab of Dr. J. Wade Harper at Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, where she investigated organelle structure, function and quality control in stem cells as they differentiate to neurons. Her research has revealed powerful new insights into lysosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum, both of which are cellular organelles with links to protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. She was awarded the Jane Coffin Child Fellowship (2019 –2022) and the Fred and Joan Goldberg Fellowship (2022–2024) in recognition of her scholarship.

In 2024, Dr. Hoyer joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Neurodegenerative Science. Her lab explores the underlying mechanisms that control organelle protein levels in neurons to decipher how organelle proteome landscapes are linked to organelle structure, dynamics and function. Her research aims to better understand the establishment of neurons and maintenance of neuron cell health — both of which are dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases.

Undergraduate university: Northern Michigan University (B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Physiology)

Thesis: Project title to be determined

Mentor: Michael Henderson, Ph.D.

Experience: Worked in Dr. Erich Ottem’s lab assisting in determining the process of synaptic degradation in muscular dystrophy.

Hometown: Hudsonville, MI

Hobbies: Baking and playing the cello

Marco holds a B.S. in biology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. He joined the Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University in the fall of 2021 and became a member of Dr. Nicholas Kanaan’s laboratory in 2022 within the Department of Translational Neuroscience. Presently, his research focuses on the interaction between tau and Protein Phosphatase 1 and their functional implications in primary neuron cultures. To investigate these mechanisms, he employs a range of protein biochemistry, biophysical, and microscopy techniques. Outside the lab, Marco enjoys cycling, spending time outdoors with friends, and the company of his cat, Pancho.

Dr. Naman Vatsa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Lucknow, India. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the National Brain Research Centre, India. During his Ph.D., he worked on several projects including basic and translational studies on Angelman syndrome, Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. After graduate school, he was associated with BioXcel Corporation (India), where he worked in the drug discovery toward drug repurposing for neurological rare disorders using artificial intelligence. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Michael Henderson at Van Andel Institute, where he investigates the underlying pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease and aims to leverage that knowledge for development of potential therapeutics.

Dr. Bang-An Wang is a geneticist whose research weaves together experimental and computational approaches to explore epigenetics in brain development and neurodegeneration.

He earned his B.S. in biochemistry from Shandong University and his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Guo-liang Xu, Dr. Wang identified dysfunction in the Lefty-Nodal pathway as the molecular mechanism underlying embryonic developmental defects caused by the disrupted DNA demethylation pathway.

In 2016, Dr. Wang joined the lab of Dr. Joseph Ecker at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he held roles as a postdoctoral fellow and a staff scientist. While at Salk, he investigated epigenetic regulation of brain cell heterogeneity and its effects on neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration. Dr. Wang co-developed snmCAT-seq, a novel, robust single cell multi-omics method that enables capture of methylome, transcriptome and open chromatin within one cell. snmCAT-seq has enabled discovery across numerous high-impact projects that explore cell diversity in the brain, including the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Human Cell Atlas and the American Heart Association-Allen Initiative in Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment.

In 2025, Dr. Wang joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Neurodegenerative Science as an assistant professor. His lab leverages multi-disciplinary methods to explore the roles of epigenetics in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Wang’s research has resulted in several awards, including the 2018 Salk Innovation Award and inclusion in the Top 10 Scientific Advances in China in 2016 and 2012.

Dr. Yang Yang leverages leading-edge imaging technologies to illuminate new insights into neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Her research has revealed the structures of critical disease-related protein filaments — an important step toward developing improved treatments.

Dr. Yang earned a B.S. in bioscience from Beijing Forestry University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (adviser: Dr. Zihe Rao). She then continued her work in the Rao Lab as a research associate, where she spearheaded structural studies into the human niacin receptor HCA2-Gi signaling complex.

In 2020, she joined the labs of Dr. Sjors Scheres and Dr. Michel Goedert at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology as a postdoctoral fellow. While there, she led several cryo-EM projects to visualize protein filaments associated with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Her findings revealed key differences among filament types, shedding light on disease presentation and identifying potential targets for treatment.

Dr. Yang joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Structural Biology in 2024, where she employs cryo-EM and other advanced techniques to gain mechanistic insight into neurodegenerative diseases.