Aldrin Molero, M.D., Ph.D., has received a five-year, $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to investigate abnormalities that occur early in neural development in Huntington’s disease. This neurodegenerative disorder is caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene. In a previous study Dr. Molero found that disrupting huntingtin’s function impairs the development of interneurons—an important group of cells that modulate the activity of other neurons throughout life.

For his NIH research, Dr. Molero is studying the underlying mechanisms that alter interneurons during development and how those disrupted interneurons influence the maturation of developing brain circuits that are later affected in Huntington’s disease. Findings from this research may result in the engineering of therapies that can be used at an early stage to modify Huntington’s disease progression.

Dr. Molero is an assistant professor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology at Einstein. (1R01NS119255)