Research Interests
The West lab focuses on identifying critical pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological diseases like Parkinson’s disease with the goal of developing new therapeutics to block disease progression. The West lab is housed in the brand-new Duke Center for Neurodegeneration and Neurotherapeutics and works with clinicians in the discovery of biomarkers for disease progression and therapeutic responses together with basic neuroscientists in defining pathways in neurons and immune cells that drive disease.
Selected Grants
Neurobiology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029Role of enteroendocrine cells in the origin of Parkinson's pathology
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research · 2021 - 2026Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2026Mechanisms of LRRK2 Mediated Neurotoxicity
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2026Pharmacologically targeting LRRK2 for the amelioration of tau aggregation and neurotoxicity
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation · 2024 - 2026Mechanisms of mitochondrial genome integrity in familial and idiopathic Parkinson's disease
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2020 - 2025Genetic and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Parkinson Disease; Project 3: PD-linked Genetic Susceptibilities in Macrophage Responses
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Alabama at Birmingham · 2018 - 2024Urate-LLRK2 interactions in Parkinson's disease
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Massachusetts General Hospital · 2019 - 2024Role of Rab10 in Alzheimer's disease
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2023Medical Scientist Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1997 - 2022Characterization and functional analysis of PPMI LRRK2 variants
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research · 2018 - 2021Efficacies and Pharmacodynamic Assays for LRRk2 Small-Molecule Inhibitors
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2020Exosome LRRK2 in Predicting Parkinson Disease Phenotypes
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2019External Relationships
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.