Ashley Webb is the Richard and Edna Salomon Assistant Professor of Biology at Brown University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and did her postdoctoral work in the Genetics Department at Stanford University. The Webb lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of brain aging and neurodegeneration. Webb is also a scientific co-founder of Bolden Therapeutics, a company founded to develop strategies to replenish neurons in the diseased brain. Her work has advanced understanding of the cellular mechanisms that accelerate brain aging, and has the potential to reveal new approaches to promote healthy aging and treat age-associated disease.

Overview

Aging is the greatest risk factor for a number of diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Ashley Webb’s lab investigates the mechanisms responsible for brain aging, with the goal of identifying targets to improve healthy aging and treat neurodegeneration. In this talk, Webb will highlight her work on hippocampal neurogenesis — the process of new neuron formation in the adult brain — and efforts to develop an RNA therapeutic to replenish neurons in aging and disease.