Terrence C. Town, PhD
Faculty Research Scientist II, Department of Biomedical Science and the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute
Terrence Town, PhD is a research scientist at the Department of Biomedical Science and the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Town was an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Immunology at Yale University/Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Connecticut.
Dr. Town's research focuses on molecular genetics, cellular and molecular biology, and pathology and imaging. His work has shown that key immune molecules play central roles in the pathoetiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, encephalitis, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Town uses genetically-modified mice (transgenics and knock-outs) programmed to develop these diseases. The mice are used as pre-clinical models to conduct laboratory studies aimed at targeting neuroimmune molecules for eventual therapeutic intervention. Dr. Town's work relies heavily on cutting-edge imaging analysis of brain pathology and cellular/molecular biological techniques to accomplish this goal.
He is the inventor of methods and compounds for disruption of CD40/CD40L signaling in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease; method and assay for diagnosing substance dependency; CD45 isoform alteration in CD4+ T cells as a potential diagnostic marker of Alzheimer's disease; modulation of the phospholipase A2 pathway as a therapeutic; inhibition of Alzheimer's beta-amyloid-induced vasoactivity and pro-inflammatory response in microglia by a cGMP-dependent mechanism; and methods and compositions for stimulating CD45 and thereby suppressing microglial activation associated with
Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Town's work, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association, has led to numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, such as Journal of Immunology, Journal of Neuroscience, Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Of the more than 70 research papers Dr. Town has published, 35 of them have been related to his Alzheimer's disease research. He has also participated in the writing of seven book chapters and 70 scientific communications.
Dr. Town received both his bachelor of arts degree in psychology and his doctoral degree in medical sciences/neuroscience with distinction from the University of South Florida in Tampa.
For post-doctoral researchers interested in working with Dr. Town, please click here to review his CV and here to e-mail Dr. Town.
