The focus of the Kayed laboratory is on the mechanisms of protein aggregation and toxic oligomers formed by disease-associated proteins tau, α-synuclein, amyloid-β and others in neurodegenerative diseases.

Some of our seminal discoveries, as well as novel methods and reagents we developed, have allowed us and other researchers in the field to greatly advance the understanding of the mechanisms of neurodegenerative pathogenesis of Alzheimer`s disease (AD) and Parkinson`s disease (PD) and other tauopathies neurological disorders. We use biochemical and biophysical analyses, cell culture, primary neuronal culture, animal models and human tissue to investigate mechanisms with an emphasis on biophysical and cellular aspects of pathogenesis in tauopathies such as AD and tauopathies. We made important discoveries for the role oligomers in synaptic dysfunction, cell death and disease progression and developed novel amyloid, synuclein and tau oligomer-specific antibodies. Currently we are studying the formation, biochemically, biophysical, and immunologically characterization, toxicity and spreading of biologically active oligomeric polymorphs/strains and their potential role in the disease pathogenesis, co-morbidities and course and severity. Elucidating the relationship between protein aggregates and disease phenotypes facilitating our efforts toward developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies specifically tailored against toxic protein aggregate polymorphs.

The laboratory is diverse and offers the opportunity for postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and medical students, to learn and work on exciting basic and translational research projects.