Interdisciplinary Frontiers in Neurodegenerative Disease Research: Improving Translation of Cognitive and Imaging Biomarkers

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Lewy Body dementia remain difficult to understand and treat, in part due to challenges in faithfully replicating the early molecular and synaptic events driving cognitive decline in vivo. While animal models provide a valuable tool to investigate disease mechanisms, many first-generation mouse models—often based on overexpression of human transgenes—fail to reproduce the subtle, region-specific pathology observed in patients.

Next-generation mouse models, incorporating humanized genes and more physiologically relevant risk factors, enable more precise investigation of how neurochemical signaling, protein misfolding, and risk factors contribute to cognitive dysfunction. When combined with translational platforms, including advanced touchscreen-based cognitive testing aligned with human paradigms, and imaging approaches adapted from clinical practice, these models provide a robust framework linking molecular changes to functional outcomes.

In this webinar hosted by StressMarq Biosciences, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Marco A. M. Prado, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neurochemistry of Dementia at the University of Western Ontario and Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute. A leader in translational neurochemistry, Dr. Prado will discuss integrated experimental platforms to study neurodegeneration across molecular systems and behavioral levels.

Furthermore, he will highlight how genes and neurochemical changes regulate protein misfolding in synucleinopathies, such as Lewy Body dementia, and in Alzheimer’s disease, to impact cognition. He will also discuss how standardized, automated data collection and open science initiatives such as MouseBytes are improving reproducibility and enabling cross-species comparisons.

StressMarq Biosciences is proud to support this work through ongoing collaborations with global experts. By bringing together scientists and innovators, this webinar aims to foster knowledge exchange and advance therapeutic development for neurodegenerative disease. As the field advances toward mechanism-based therapies, these next-generation models offer a roadmap to improve the predictive power of preclinical research and accelerate translation to clinical outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate the limitations of first generation transgenic mouse models and explain how next-generation, humanized models improve the study of early molecular pathology in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Understand how neurochemical signaling disruptions and protein misfolding contribute mechanistically to cognitive impairment.
• Identify the value of integrated translational platforms for linking pathological changes to functional cognitive outcomes.
• Assess the impact of standardized, automated data collection and open science initiatives on reproducibility, cross species comparisons, and the predictive validity of preclinical neurodegeneration research.