Every generation aspires to surpass the last. For the University of Florida Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease (CTRND) this means that we, as the center’s new co-directors, have the extraordinary challenge of building upon the renowned legacies of scientific innovation, spirit of generosity and mentorship of founding director Dr. Todd Golde and recent past director Dr. David Borchelt. We thank them for their vision and stewardship of the CTRND for a combined 10 years of research excellence.
We pledge to work collaboratively to leverage new knowledge about genetic and environmental influences related to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. We will work to identify partnerships across the CTRND and the greater research communities that will help us to translate discoveries and innovative interventions from the laboratory into effective therapies in the clinic to eradicate these devastating diseases. If your research is aligned with these interests, we welcome your inquiry to join us in our endeavor to advance our academic research mission.
The CTRND is a proud home to talented investigators from diverse countries, disciplines and training backgrounds. We share common goals and work together in open-lab environments. Together, we foster productive collaborations to enhance the exchange of different perspectives, ideas and approaches in a stimulating manner. This ethos is the cornerstone of our uniquely productive, cooperative and collegial community.
As the third generation of CTRND leadership, we are grateful for the opportunity to blaze new trails and lead the center in exciting new directions. While we ourselves have been particularly focused on pathogenic mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, we are eager to expedite the growing impact of the CTRND in other areas, including traumatic brain injury, ALS, Huntington’s disease, the human genetics of neurologic disease and other important areas of emerging discovery in neurodegenerative diseases.