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Sandler Neurosciences Center
Sandler Neurosciences Center
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Prusiner Chem Lab
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Sandler Neurosciences Center
Sandler Neurosciences Center (middle) against the San Francisco skyline
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Prion protein plaque
Image of a plaque composed of the prion protein (shown in orange) in the brain of a mouse

Welcome to the IND

The United States is facing an epidemic of dementia. Currently, there is not a single effective medicine that halts or even slows any neurodegenerative disease. Founded in 1999, the IND is committed to creating therapeutics that will halt diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and dementia resulting from traumatic brain injuries. Located in the new, state-of-the-art Sandler Neurosciences Center at the University of California San Francisco, the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases is at the forefront of discovering diagnostics and therapeutics that will provide relief to those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases that, in the words of British novelist and Alzheimer’s patient Terry Pratchett, can “strip away your living self a bit at a time.” If we are hopeful about the long-term prospects of the battle against dementia, it is because our laboratories have an edge. For decades we have led the field in basic research on prions and other protein abnormalities and are now applying our time-tested approach to the wave of dementia that threatens our nation.

News

Proteins fold into amyloid structures with distinct conformations (strains) in neurodegenerative disease.

In a new paper published today in Nature Communications, the IND’s Condello lab found that tau-mediated neurodegeneration is driven by disease-activated microglia and suppressed by their pharmacological block

The IND’s Kampmann lab conducted the first genome-wide CRISPR-based screens in human neurons and uncovered a new pathway that protects neurons from oxidative stress. The findings were published in Nature Neuroscience in May.

 

Our Mission

The overarching goal of the IND is to develop drugs that stop prion accumulation and, thus, halt neurodegeneration. We aim to put an end to the day when a neurologist gives a patient a diagnosis of one of these dreaded neurodegenerative diseases but can offer no hope.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The IND Postdoctoral Fellows Program is recruiting promising PhD scientists to join the dynamic IND community, which is largely focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration and using this knowledge to develop effective therapies. Fellows will design a research program under faculty guidance, working with one or more advisers to develop and pursue interdisciplinary work that can launch an innovative, independent career.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Vision: 

To establish, nurture and sustain a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment at UCSF’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND).

Mission:

We strive to create a platform to identify, communicate and address any concerns regarding inequities at the IND. Our goal remains to foster equity and inclusivity in all aspects at the institute.

Most Recent Publications

Click the title of each publication listed to read more about the IND's research. You will be redirected to the article's listing on PubMed.