Marcia Gordon

Marcia N. Gordon, PhD, is a Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine, leading the Gordon Lab at the Grand Rapids Research Center. Her research focuses on preclinical biomedical studies using mouse models to investigate Alzheimer’s disease mechanisms, with an emphasis on glial cell dysfunction and tauopathy. Dr. Gordon earned her B.S. in Psychobiology (1978) and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology (1985) from the University of Southern California, followed by postdoctoral training at UCLA. She previously served as faculty at the University of South Florida for 25 years before joining MSU in 2017 as a Global Impact Initiative Professor.

• Education:
  • B.S. Psychobiology, University of Southern California (1978)
  • Ph.D. Molecular Biology, University of Southern California (1985)
• Research Interests:
  • Aging and longevity
  • Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis
  • Glial cell biology and dysfunction
  • Preclinical drug testing for neurodegenerative diseases

Her work combines molecular, behavioral, and histological approaches to identify therapies targeting amyloid-β and tau pathology. Over 129 publications highlight her contributions to immunotherapy, microglial activation, and mouse model development. The Gordon Lab actively investigates cellular senescence, gene therapy, and lifestyle interventions as potential treatments.

Dr. Gordon has mentored numerous students and advocates for women in science. Her research is supported by federal grants (e.g., NIH), private foundations, and industry partnerships. Current projects explore fractalkine signaling, CCL2 overexpression, and arginase modulation to mitigate neurodegeneration.

Lab personnel include graduate student Kaitlyn Gordon and research associates Lindsey Sime. The team collaborates on projects such as tau-directed immunotherapy and senescence-associated biomarker identification.