Anna Pfalzer, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Neurology
VKC Member
Overview of Interests
Dr. Pfalzer's current work focuses on understanding the earliest molecular and cognitive changes in Huntington disease (HD) in a cohort of youth (7-18 years of age) at-risk for HD. Her lab's overall goal is to examine the intersection between neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration in this novel cohort. To do so, they are conducting a battery of validated neurodevelopmental, psychiatric and motor assessments in youth. Dr. Pfalzer has recently started a blood biorepository in these youth to quantify known as well as novel biomarkers of disease. Her lab aims to conduct a proteomic screen of plasma samples of HD+ youth compared to HD- youth. To do this work, they developed a protocol to conduct triple-blinded genetic testing in these minors which will also allow us to transition this cross-sectional study into a longitudinal cohort examining the effects of mutant Huntingtin in adolescents.
VKC Notables, April 2022: Leading the Vanguard: Anna Pfalzer