Carlo Condello

Dr. Carlo Condello is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), affiliated with the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND) and the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern University and completed postdoctoral training at Yale University and UCSF under Dr. Stanley Prusiner. His research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s and prion-related disorders, emphasizing microglial biology, protein misfolding, and advanced optical imaging techniques. Dr. Condello leads a lab developing novel mouse models and human cell assays to study neurodegeneration mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.

• Education: PhD in Neuroscience (Northwestern, 2011), Postdoc (Yale Neurology, 2012), Postdoc (UCSF IND, 2015)
• Affiliations: IND, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
• Grants: NIH R01AG082141, RF1AG061874, and others totaling over $10M in funding

Research Interests: Dr. Condello investigates molecular pathways in microglia governing protein aggregation and neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on how genetic risk factors influence amyloid conformational heterogeneity. His lab employs interdisciplinary approaches including advanced optical imaging, CRISPR screens, and chemical biology to study tauopathies, Aβ prions, and neuroinflammation. Recent breakthroughs include identifying sex-specific microglial responses to tauopathy and discovering shared prion mechanisms in Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s.

Recent Article Trends: His work bridges basic science and translational research, focusing on prion-like propagation of amyloids, strain-specific therapeutics, and microglial modulation. Recent studies highlight sex differences in tauopathy treatment responses and the role of interferon signaling in cortical development.

• Major Awards: John Watson Faculty Scholar (2021), Thome Alzheimer’s Award (2022)
• Labs/Teams: Condello Lab (IND), collaborations with UCSF IND drug discovery teams