Current investigations focus on the following three areas of research.
First, we are interested in understanding the roles of Presenilin 1 and Notch 1 in neural development. AD is the most common form of dementia, and is associated with neuronal loss and beta-amyloid deposition in the cerebral cortex. Previously, we generated mice with a targeted germline disruption of the PS1 gene, which exhibit perinatal lethality associated with severe malformation of the axial skeleton. Notch 1 is a homolog of Notch in Drosophila, which is important for cell-fate determination, including the decision between the neuroblast and epidermoblast. PS1 interacts functionally with the Notch signalling pathway based on studies of their homologs in C. elegans.