معرفی
Katharina Quinlan is an Associate Professor at the University of Rhode Island's College of Pharmacy, leading the Quinlan Lab focused on understanding early mechanisms of motor dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, spinal muscular atrophy, and cerebral palsy. Her work emphasizes identifying electrophysiological and morphological changes in spinal neurons that precede clinical symptoms, aiming to develop biomarkers and pharmaceutical treatments.
Education: Ph.D. from Marquette University (2004), followed by postdoctoral training at the Karolinska Institute (2004–2007) and Northwestern University (2007–2017). Research interests include motor neuron excitability, spinal circuit dysfunction, and translational therapies. Current projects explore blood-spinal barrier breakdown in ALS, developmental spinal changes in cerebral palsy, and biomarkers for early disease detection.
Publications highlight discoveries in motor neuron hyperexcitability, spinal interneuron dysfunction, and therapeutic interventions. Her research is supported by grants from the NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Target ALS. The lab collaborates with URI kinesiologists and institutions like Johns Hopkins University on neurodegenerative disease links and biomarker identification.
Lab members include postdoctoral fellows (Elvia Mena Avila, Emily Reedich), graduate students (Landon Genry, Brendan Moline), and technical staff (Lisa Dowaliby). Ongoing work investigates sex-based differences in motor neuron development and environmental factors influencing neurodegeneration risks.
