Institute for Neurological Therapeutics
Mission
The mission of the Institute is to promote translational research for the objective of elucidating the pathogenesis of chronic incurable neurodegenerative disorders and developing novel therapies. Current emphasis by Institute investigators include Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other alpha-synucleinopathies, as well as Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Specific goals in PD include the conduct of basic research in the molecular pathogenesis of the disease with a focus on genetic contributions and protein misfolding in neuronal cell death, the identification of targets for therapeutic interventions, discovery of small molecules and biologics, and testing them in animal models of disease. In addition to disease modification, investigations in the discovery and development of improved therapies for complications of chronic L-dopa therapy are also ongoing. Knowledge gained from these preclinical studies can be translated to clinical trials.
In MS, research projects focus on immunopathogenesis using animal models, mechanisms of action of MS therapies, and identification of biomarkers of treatment response. The role of the gut microbiome in disease pathogenesis is also actively being investigated.
The Institute also includes faculty investigators engaged in clinical research and trials in neurological disorders including movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke, epilepsy, and neuromuscular diseases.
The educational goals of the Institute are to provide an environment for training graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and physician scientists in translational research in neurological therapeutics. Undergraduates, medical students, and neurology residents or trainees from other departments who wish to explore research opportunities in neurologic diseases also rotate through Institute laboratories.
Training in Translating Neuroscience to Therapies (TTNT)
TTNT is an NIH T32 grant funded program based at Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and spans multiple schools and departments across the University on the New Brunswick/Piscataway campus.
Click the link below for additional information and to apply.
Faculty
M. Maral Mouradian, MD
Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD
Hilary Grosso Jasutkar, MD, PhD
Kouichi Ito, PhD
Eunsung Junn, PhD
Eleanna Kara, MD, PhD
Yoon-Seong Kim, MD, PhD
Trainees
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- Priya Bisht, PhD
- VishnuPriya Badipatla, PhD
- Kambiz Hassanzadeh, PhD
- Inhye Jeong, PhD
- Woomyee Bae, PhD
- Woohyun Jo, PhD
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- Santhosh Chandar Maddila, PhD
- Azeez Ishola, PhD
- Mohadeseh Abouhosseinitabari, DVM, PhD
- MinKyung Song, PhD
- Hyun Huh, PhD
- Sridhar Boppana, PhD
- Levi Adams, PhD
- Faheem Ullah, PhD
- Heaji Lee, PhD
- Jie Zhang, MD, PhD
- Prashant Tarale, PhD
- Run Yan, PhD
- Xiaopei Zhang, PhD
- Yoon-Jee Chae, PhD
- Tae-ho Chung, PhD
- Vera Dias, PhD
- Liqiang He, PhD
- Hui Huang, PhD
- Joo-Young Im, PhD
- Won-Hee Jang, PhD
- Byeong Seon Jeong, PhD
- Kang-Woo Lee, PhD
- Zeqian Mo, PhD
- Vinicius Pascoal, PhD
- Sebastian Rodriguez, PhD
- Reuben Valenzuela, MD
- Jong-Minn Woo, PhD
- Shuang Liu, MD
- Eunsu Park, PhD
- Hye-Jin Park, PhD
- Ikrak Jung, PhD
- Magda Grudniewska-Lawton, PhD
- Amrita Datta-Chaudhuri, PhD
- Doo-Chul Choi, PhD
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Jose Cevallos
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Advait Rajesh Iyer – Rotation student 2025
Samantha Feltri – 2025
Varshini Krishnan – 2025
Nishika Patel – 2025
Katelyn Vandersleen – 2025
John Gionco - Capstone Master Degree Program 2023
Anthony Colavito - 2023
Twinkle Brahmbhatt - 2023
Ratuja Kulkarni - 2022
Saad Ahmed – 2022
Mysra Youssef: - 2021
Shradha Suresh - 2021
Claire Chen - 2021
Deepika Bandarupalli - 2021
Vishwamber Talla – 2021
Harsh Patel - 2020
John Avendano - 2020
John Amato - Capstone Master Degree Program 2019
Tania Atanassova - Capstone Master Degree Program 2019
Christina Banat – 2019
Alexander Liu - Capstone Master Degree Program 2018
Ryksmyrn Mullen - 2018
Claire Stevens-Haas - Capstone Master Degree Program 2018
Mohamed Fotouh - Capstone Master Degree Program 2018
Johnlevi Lazaro - Capstone Master Degree Program 2017
Salman Ahmed - Capstone Master Degree Program 2017
Hyunwoo Kim - Capstone Master Degree Program 2017
Stephanie Oh, MD/PhD, PhD 2017
Sarah Bush - Capstone Master Degree Program 2016
Selinam Norgben - Capstone Master Degree Program 2016
Igor Ivanovski - 2016
Alan Tran - Capstone Master Degree Program 2016
Marielle Daclan - Capstone Master Degree Program 2016
Rahul Dev Rai - Capstone Master Degree Program 2015
Priam J. Sandiya - Capstone Master Degree Program 2014
Anuschka Bhatia - Capstone Master Degree Program 2013
William Walter McGinty - Capstone Master Degree Program 2013
Nicole Hartmann – 2012
Hilary Grosso, MD/PhD, PhD 2012
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- Naoko Ito, BS
- Elena Eubanks
- Alissa De Felice
- Nimat Gafar Badmus
- Diya Ghosh
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- Myung-Sik Yoo, PhD
- Robert Kimelman
- Daniel Golub
- Eva DeYoung
- Brigid McGovern
- Aleta Murphy
- Jin Chen
- Sumandeep Sumandeep
- John E. Mindur
- Martin T. Mathay
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- Jun Lui, PhD
- Sudhir Yadav, PhD
Clinical Research
Faculty investigators engage in clinical research and trials in neurological disorders including:
- movement disorders,
- Multiple Sclerosis,
- stroke,
- epilepsy,
- and neuromuscular diseases.
Faculty Conducting Clinical Research
Vikram Bhise, MD
Jennifer Chen, MD
Michelle Chen, PhD
Shan Chen, MD
Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD
William T. Hu, MD, PhD
Brad Kamitaki, MD
Ram Mani, MD
Deviyani Mehta, MD
Gian Pal, MD, MS
Marco Russo, MD, PhD
Igor Rybinnik, MD
American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Center for Advanced Research
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is home to an American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Center for Advanced Research. The Center is directed by M. Maral Mouradian, MD and includes a comprehensive team of experts.
APDA Centers for Advanced Research must meet the highest academic standards and be distinguished leaders in the field of Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. There are nine such Centers across the country.
APDA’s funding of this Center supports a large research program that encompasses a multidisciplinary team of scientists and expert clinicians conducting a range of studies spanning from genes, RNA, proteins, small molecules, cells, iPSCs, animal models and human studies including clinical trials. Over 25 faculty members in various departments engage in studies related to Parkinson’s disease.
Contact Us
Lauren Kelly
Program Manager
683 Hoes Lane West, Room 182
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone: 732-235-4772
Email: lk496@rwjms.rutgers.edu