The Ryan Institute was pleased to welcome four new faculty affiliates in Spring 2026 from the College of Health Sciences and College of Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering. Specializing in research areas that complement the institute’s focus on pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, our URI network of affiliated faculty are valuable partners in advancing the […]

Her inspiration, the biggest challenges in her work, and what makes her feel hopeful. Assistant Professor Jessica Alber investigates the potential to use retinal imaging as a screening tool for early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Performed during a routine eye exam, the screening technique could help provide a low-cost, minimally invasive way to detect Alzheimer’s disease before […]

Ryan Institute Co-Executive Director William Van Nostrand answers questions about the potential risk of brain bleeds associated with newly-approved lecanemab and similar treatments. This summer, the FDA granted full approval to lecanemab, an antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.  The antibody—a protein that works by clearing amyloid-beta protein “plaques” in the brain, a signature of Alzheimer’s disease—has […]

Using his unique in vivo approach, Assistant Professor Marin Manuel investigates electrical activity in the spinal motor neurons in a disease model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a mysterious and fatal disorder where nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord break down, rapidly progressing […]