Leslie Thompson, Ph.D.

Research Program Award (R35)
Image
photo of Leslie Thompson
Institution
University of California, Irvine, CA

Dr. Thompson's research focuses on understanding pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, including Huntington's disease (HD), which has no disease-modifying treatments available. For this project, she will focus on understanding the interaction of aberrant mutant Huntingtin gene accumulation, RNA biology, and epigenetic events in specific cell types in the brain. This basic biological investigation of how the mutant HD gene contributes to neuronal degeneration will leverage the integrated use of patient induced pluripotent stem cells and HD mouse models. By studying early mechanisms that contribute to pathogenesis in HD, this work aims to inform the development of therapeutic strategies for HD.