Omar
Peña-Ramos

Dr. Peña-Ramos is a postdoctoral associate at Baylor College of Medicine with a background in biochemistry and molecular biology. During his PhD training, he discovered that a phagocytic receptor-mediated signaling pathway in C. elegans promotes autophagosome-lysosome fusion around apoptotic cells—an essential step in clearing cell corpses and preventing inflammation. This work was recognized with the prestigious Ruth McLean Bowman Bowers Excellence in Research Award.

Fascinated by the power of cell surface receptors to regulate key biological processes, he joined Dr. Hui Zheng’s lab to explore their roles in the context of neurodegeneration. Dr. Peña-Ramos’ work focuses on investigating how astrocyte cell surface proteins (CSPs) change during Aß accumulation in Alzheimer’s disease. Leveraging a cutting-edge in situ proteomics approach, he has mapped the dynamic astrocytic surface proteome in intact mouse brains and identified CD44 as a key receptor of interest. His research focuses on unraveling how CD44 mediates lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses through its interaction with microglia-derived osteopontin (OPN), offering new insight into glial crosstalk in Alzheimer’s disease.