Preclinical Parkinson's Research Program
Marina Emborg

Our Research Publications

Check out our publications in PubMed!

Our collaborative efforts studying PD have led to cutting-edge discoveries. In order to continue our groundbreaking research and find solutions for PD, we are dependent on primate and animal research. If you would like to learn more, read this article by Emborg, Bailoo, and Doudet in Speaking of Research:

Progress in Parkinson’s disease depends on Primate and other #AnimalResearch

Here are some examples of our work:

  1.  Finds new ways to visualize and evaluate disease and therapies, from PET imaging to gait analyses

    • Zammit M, Tao Y, Olsen ME, Metzger J, Vermilyea SC, Bjornson K, Slesarev M, Block WF, Fuchs K, Phillips S, Bondarenko V, Zhang SC, Emborg ME, Christian BT. [18F]FEPPA PET imaging for monitoring CD68-positive microglia/macrophage neuroinflammation in nonhuman primates. EJNMMI Res. 2020 Aug 6;10(1):93. doi: 10.1186/s13550-020-00683-5. PMID: 32761399; PMCID: PMC7410886.  PubMed Link to Research Article
    • Pickett KA, Schultz-Darken N, Bradfield AF, Malicki K, Pape B, Ausderau KK, Emborg ME. Spatiotemporal quantification of gait in common marmosets. J Neurosci Methods. 2020 Jan 15;330:108517. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108517. Epub 2019 Nov 12. PMID: 31730871; PMCID: PMC7012682.  PubMed Link to Research Article

  2.  Tests strategies to improve delivery of therapies to neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system

    • Vermilyea SC, Lu J, Olsen M, Guthrie S, Tao Y, Fekete EM, Riedel MK, Brunner K, Boettcher C, Bondarenko V, Brodsky E, Block WF, Alexander A, Zhang SC, Emborg ME. Real-Time Intraoperative MRI Intracerebral Delivery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons. Cell Transplant. 2017 Apr 13;26(4):613-624. doi: 10.3727/096368916X692979. Epub 2016 Sep 14. PMID: 27633706; PMCID: PMC5539906  PubMed Link to Research Article

  3.  Studies cell- and gene- based therapies

    • Tao Y, Vermilyea SC, Zammit M, Lu J, Olsen M, Metzger JM, Yao L, Chen Y, Phillips S, Holden JE, Bondarenko V, Block WF, Barnhart TE, Schultz-Darken N, Brunner K, Simmons H, Christian BT, Emborg ME, Zhang SC. Autologous transplant therapy alleviates motor and depressive behaviors in parkinsonian monkeys. Nat Med. 2021 Mar 1. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01257-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33649496.  PubMed Link to Research Article
    • Emborg ME, Carbon M, Holden JE, During MJ, Ma Y, Tang C, Moirano J, Fitzsimons H, Roitberg BZ, Tuccar E, Roberts A, Kaplitt MG, Eidelberg D. Subthalamic glutamic acid decarboxylase gene therapy: changes in motor function and cortical metabolism. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2007 Mar;27(3):501-9. doi: 10.1038/sj.jcbfm.9600364. Epub 2006 Jul 12. PMID: 16835631.  PubMed Link to Research Article

  4.  Strives to support ethical clinical translation of the most promising candidate treatments

    • London AJ, Kimmelman J, Emborg ME. Research ethics. Beyond access vs. protection in trials of innovative therapies. Science. 2010 May 14;328(5980):829-30. doi: 10.1126/science.1189369. PMID: 20466907; PMCID: PMC4516403.  PubMed Link to Research Article
    • Ohshima-Hosoyama S, Simmons HA, Goecks N, Joers V, Swanson CR, Bondarenko V, Velotta R, Brunner K, Wood LD, Hruban RH, Emborg ME. A monoclonal antibody-GDNF fusion protein is not neuroprotective and is associated with proliferative pancreatic lesions in parkinsonian monkeys. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39036. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039036. Epub 2012 Jun 20. PMID: 22745701; PMCID: PMC3380056.  PubMed Article