Pinar Coskun

Pinar Coskun, MD, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Kentucky. She is affiliated with the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, focusing on neurodegenerative diseases, mitochondrial dysfunction, and aging-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Down Syndrome. Her research bridges mitochondrial biology with neurological disorders, investigating metabolic pathways and genetic factors influencing disease progression.

• Awarded the 2013 Alzheimer’s Association Research Scientist Award for work on mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegeneration.
• Conducts studies on Down Syndrome dementia, Alzheimer’s pathophysiology, and mitochondrial biomarkers.
• Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to explore therapeutic targets in genetic and metabolic disorders.

Her research emphasizes mitochondrial dysfunction as a critical factor in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent work includes examining the role of Nrf2 in Down Syndrome cells (2018), metabolic distinctions between Alzheimer’s and Down Syndrome (2016), and mitochondrial transporters in myogenesis (2022).

• Awards: 2020 MCI Symposium Travel Scholarship, 2005 Al Nichols Young Investigator Award, and multiple travel fellowships from the Alzheimer’s Association and UMDF.
• Labs/Teams: Active in the Sanders-Brown Center’s Aging and Neurodegeneration research groups.