I am an Assistant Professor of Research, Director of the Human Biorepository Core, and Co-Director of the Exosome Core at the CUACC in the Department of Neurology. My research and teaching experience have been extensive, resulting in publications focused on topics that pertain directly to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease in both the typical population and in people with Down syndrome. These topics include detailed examinations of the processes involved in protein mis-folding, the role of APP and its fragments in the development of Alzheimer’s, chemokines and their roles as neuronal migration cues, sialylation and its role in the posttranslational modification of neural cell adhesion molecule, as well as examining the role of these modifications in memory formation. My focus for the past many years has been investigating best practices for isolating exosomes as well as the role of exosomes in normal physiology and disease, especially viral infections, Alzheimer’s, cancer, fibrosis of lung tissue, and inflammation associated with adiposity. Also, I recently completed a Master’s in Clinical Science, which focused on translating benchside findings into clinical therapies. In my research, I have extensive experience isolating and examining the contents and functions of exosomes and in identifying Biomarkers for various pathologies ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s using plasma, exosomes, and the Quanterix single molecule array SIMOA® and MSD platforms. The results from recent analyses are being included in manuscripts in various stages of publication and preparation, including a sleep and cognition study, an examination of plasma biomarkers from people with Down syndrome, a mixed cohort study, and a clinical trial that examined the safety and efficacy of GM-CSF/sargramostim in participants with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

Daniel T. Chiu is currently the A. Bruce Montgomery Professor Chemistry, Endowed Professor of Analytical Chemistry, and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. He is a member of the University of Washington’s Center for Nanotechnology, Neurobiology and Behavior Program, and the Cancer Consortium of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has authored more than 180 publications and is the inventor on over 40 issued patents. Dr. Chiu obtained a B.A. in neurobiology and a B.S. in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University in 1998.

Matt Kremer has over 35 years of business development experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Since joining Univercells Technologies in 2018, he has played a key role in launching the scale-X platform in the U.S. market. Matt holds both a BA and an MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

Michael Graner received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois followed by post-doctoral and research faculty work at the University of Arizona, shifting gears from the Drosophila extracellular matrix to cancer immunotherapy. He then took at faculty position at Duke University’s Tisch Brain Tumor Center, followed by his current position as Professor in Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado Denver (Anschutz Medical Campus). He is also a member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the MAVRC Program, and holds a Visiting Professorship Appointment at the Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital (China) and an adjunct faculty appointment at Colorado State University. Graner has a long-standing interest in cell stress responses, which led to cancer vaccine development (including one in clinical trials), which somehow led to the world of extracellular vesicles (EVs). His lab currently concentrates on signaling mechanisms involving EVs, in particular the transfer of stressed phenotypes from stressed tumor cells to unstressed ones via EVs.

I am currently a Professor & Executive Vice Chair for Research and the Director of the Nebraska Center for Substance Abuse research at the University of Nebraska. I received my PhD in 1982 in Microbiology from Maharaja Sayajirao Univ in Baroda, India and moved to Canada for postdoctoral training. I began my independent research career as an Assistant Professor at the Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto, following which, I moved to Kansas University and embarked on a research area focused on understanding how addictive drugs co-operate with HIV-1 to exacerbate neurological complications. I rose through the ranks at Kansas and in 2007, made a move as a full Professor to University of Nebraska in Omaha. Research approaches used in my lab involve a multi-pronged approach comprising of a variety of complementary model systems ranging from cell cultures to rodent models to the higher more relevant macaque model of SIV pathogenesis. More recently, my research interest is centered on exploring how exosomes act as conduits to transport key signaling mediators (small noncoding RNAs/microRNAs) to distant recipient cells as a means to regulate gene expression and cellular cross talk. I lead an active research program involving collaborations both nationally and internationally, with over 225 peer-reviewed publications. I have consistently held NIH funding throughout my career and continue to serve on NIH study sections.
During my career, I have had the good fortune of being recognized by various national and International societies with the Wybran (2012) and the Distinguished service (2023; 2013) Awards, both of which hold a special meaning for me. I have also been awarded the UNMC Scientist laureate award (2016) in addition to the Kansas City scientist award. Aligning closely with my passion for mentoring, has enabled me to take an active leading role in the Women’s Mentoring Program at UNMC (2015-2017). I have also received the Women in Neuroscience award at the International Society of Neurovirology in 2016. I have played an active role as a Secretary of the Society on Neuroimmune Pharmacology and have been invited as a speaker & as a Chair at various meetings and have also organized several symposia. To further hone my leadership skills, I graduated from the Executive Leadership for Academic Medicine Program that fosters the growth and career trajectories of women leaders nationally.

Sven Kreutel studied biology at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After his graduation in biology, he received his PhD in microbiology and protein biochemistry at the University of Hohenheim under Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuhn and Dr. Dorothee Kiefer working on the light sensing and signal transduction in photosynthetic bacteria. Since then, he worked in different sales and sales manager positions within the life science industry from clinical research over biology to nanoparticle sciences.