David Butler

Dr. David Butler is a researcher focused on developing multifunctional intracellular antibodies (intrabodies/nanobodies) as immunotherapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and Tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). His work leverages human induced pluripotent stem cell (PSC) models to create 'disease in a dish' systems applicable to patient-specific therapies. He previously trained under Dr. Anne Messer, a pioneer in this field.

Research Focus

Dr. Butler’s research addresses the misfolding and aggregation of proteins like α-synuclein, huntingtin, and tau, which are central to neurodegenerative disease pathology. His lab has demonstrated that engineered intrabodies can bind and degrade these toxic proteins, reducing aggregation and cellular toxicity. Current efforts aim to translate these strategies into clinical gene therapies for PD and HD, targeting delivery to affected brain regions.

Scientific Contributions

• Optimization of nanobodies for α-synuclein degradation in PD models
• Development of bifunctional intrabodies against huntingtin in HD
• Investigation of tau-targeting immunotherapies for Alzheimer’s and related dementias