Celeste Karch, PhD

Celeste Karch, PhD is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St Louis. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Florida, where she worked with David Borchelt, PhD, to study the mechanisms by which mutant SOD1 protein aggregates in cell and mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Karch joined Alison Goate, PhD, at Washington University, as a postdoctoral fellow to examine the mechanisms by which cells release tau and how genetic variability associated with tauopathies influences tau release. Dr. Karch’s laboratory is now focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies by studying genetic risk variants and disease-causing mutations using novel genomic approaches and stem cell and mouse models.  In addition to the BrightFocus award, Dr. Karch is funded by the National Institutes of Health.