Cure Alzheimer's Fund Cure Alzheimer's Fund

Gopal Thinakaran, Ph.D.

Professor, University of South Florida

For over twenty-five years, Dr. Thinakaran has directed an active and highly collaborative research group investigating mechanisms regulating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis and neuronal dysfunction. After twenty years at the University of Chicago, he moved to the University of South Florida in 2019 to become the Associate Dean of Neuroscience Research and the CEO of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute. His research lab aims to gain insights from cutting-edge cell biology investigations and translate their discoveries to advance therapeutic strategies that can reduce the cerebral amyloid burden and mitigate cognitive deficits in AD. The Thinakaran lab has made outstanding contributions to our understanding of amyloid precursor protein (APP) trafficking and the biology of BACE1 and gamma-secretase, the two enzymes that sequentially cleave APP to generate amyloid beta. In the past several years, they have characterized late-onset AD risk factors identified by GWAS efforts using cell-type-specific conditional knock-out and transgenic mice. They published key findings on the characterization of BIN1 as a risk factor in AD pathophysiology and microglial BIN1 function in neuroinflammation. Their study describing BIN1 regulation of region-specific tau pathogenesis and neurodegeneration in the PS19 model highlights BIN1’s role in promoting hippocampal tau pathophysiology. His lab uses an integrated approach that combines molecular neuropathology analyses, biochemical characterization, detailed subcellular localization, advanced microscopy and live-cell imaging, RNAseq and spatial transcriptomics, electrophysiology, and behavioral tests to accomplish their goals. Dr. Thinakaran has mentored over 25 post-doctoral fellows and students. Many have moved on to establish successful careers in academic research and medicine. Over the years, he has gained substantial administrative and leadership experience by serving on key committees within the University of Chicago and USF Morsani College of Medicine and participating in several federal, private, and public advisory committees.

To learn more, visit the Thinakaran Lab website and the Byrd Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute.

Related Research:

BIN1 in Microglial Heterogeneity Along Alzheimer’s Disease Progression and Microglial Function Gopal Thinakaran 2025-11-24 BIN1 in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology Gopal Thinakaran 2015-09-24 BACE1 transcytosis in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis Gopal Thinakaran 2012-12-06

Funded Research

These projects were made possible from Cure Alzheimer's Fund support.

Project Description Researchers Funding
BIN1 in Microglial Heterogeneity Along Alzheimer’s Disease Progression and Microglial Function 2025

$201,250

BIN1 in Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology 2015, 2016

$300,000
BACE1 transcytosis in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis 2012, 2013

$200,000

Selected Publications

These published papers resulted from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund support.

Andrew, R. J., Fernandez, C. G., Stanley, M., Jiang, H., Nguyen, P., Rice, R. C., Buggia-Prévot, V., De Rossi, P., Vetrivel, K. S., Lamb, R., Argemi, A., Allaert, E. S., Rathbun, E. M., Krause, S. V., Wagner, S. L., Parent, A. T., Holtzman, D. M., & Thinakaran, G. Lack of BACE1 S-palmitoylation reduces amyloid burden and mitigates memory deficits in transgenic mouse models of Alzhiemer’s disease, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, October 23, 2017, Read More

Sadleir, K. R., Kandalepas, P. C., Buggia-Prévot, V., Nicholson, D. A., Thinakaran, G., & Vassar, R. Presynaptic dystrophic neurites surrounding amyloid plaques are sites of microtubule disruption, BACE1 elevation, and increased amyloid beta generation in Alzheimer’s disease, Acta Neuropathologica, March 18, 2016, Read More

Buggia-Prévot, V., Fernandez, C. G., Riordan, S., Vetrivel, K. S., Roseman, J., Waters, J., Bindokas, V. P., Vassar, R., & Thinakaran, G. Axonal BACE1 dynamics and targeting in hippocampal neurons: a role for Rab11 GTPase, Molecular Neurodegeneration, January 4, 2014, Read More

Buggia-Prévot, V., Fernandez, C. G., Udayar, V., Vetrivel, K. S., Elie, A., Roseman, J., Sasse, V. A., Lefkow, M., Meckler, X., Bhattacharyya, S., George, M., Kar, S., Bindokas, V. P., Parent, A. T., Rajendran, L., Band, H., Vassar, R., & Thinakaran, G. A function for EHD family proteins in unidirectional retrograde dendritic transprt of BACE1 and Alzheimer’s disease Ab production, Cell Reports, December 26, 2013, Read More

Deyts, C., Clutter, M., Pierce, N., Chakrabarty, P., Ladd, T. B., Goddi, A., Rosario, A. M., Cruz, P., Vetrivel, K., Wagner, S. L., Thinakaran, G., Golde, T. E., & Parent, A. T. APP-Mediated signaling prevents memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease mouse model, Cell Reports, April 30, 2019, Read More

Buggia-Prévot, V., & Thinakaran, G. Significance of transcytosis in Alzheimer’s disease: BACE1 takes the scenic route to axons, BioEssays, June 30, 2015, Read More

De Rossi, P., Andrew, R. J., Musial, T. F., Buggia-Prevot, V., Xu, G., Ponnusamy, M., Ly, H., Krause, S. V., Rice, R. C., de l'Estoile, V., Valin, T., Salem, S., Despa, F., Borchelt, D. R., Bindokas, V. P., Nicholson, D. A., & Thinakaran, G. Aberrant accrual of BIN1 near Alzheimer’s disease amyloid deposits in trasngenic models, Brain Pathology, December 27, 2018, Read More

Udayar, V., Buggia-Prévot, V., Guerreiro, R. L., Siegel, G., Rambabu, N., Soohoo, A. L., Ponnusamy, M., Siegenthaler, B., Bali, J., AESG, Simons, M., Ries, J., Puthenveedu, M. A., Hardy, J., Thinakaran, G., & Rajendran, L. A paired RNAi and RabGAP Overexpression screen identifies Rab11 as a regulator of beta-amyloid production, Cell Reports, December 26, 2013, Read More

De Rossi, P., Buggia-Prévot, V., Clayton, B. L., Vasquez, J. B., van Sanford, C., Andrew, R. J., Lesnick, R., Botté, A., Deyts, C., Salem, S., Rao, E., Rice, R. C., Parent, A., Kar, S., Popko, B., Pytel, P., Estus, S., & Thinakaran, G. Predominant expression of Alzheimer’s disease-associated BIN1 in mature oligodendrocytes and locatlization to white matter tracts, Molecular Neurodegeneration, August 3, 2016, Read More

Deyts, C., Thinakaran, G., & Parent, A. T. APP Receptor? To be or not to be, Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, January 31, 2016, Read More

De Rossi, P., Nomura, T., Andrew, R. J., Masse, N. Y., Sampathkumar, V., Musial, T. F., Sudwarts, A., Recupero, A. J., Le Metayer, T., Hansen, M. T., Shim, H. N., Krause, S. V., Freedman, D. J., Bindokas, V. P., Kasthuri, N., Nicholson, D. A., Contractor, A., & Thinakaran, G. Neuronal BIN1 Regulates Presynaptic Neurotransmitter Release and Memory Consolidation, Cell Reports, March 10, 2020, Read More

Rynearson, K. D., Ponnusamy, M., Prikhodko, O., … Mobley, W. C., Thinakaran, G., Tanzi, R. E., Wagner, S. L. Preclinical validation of a potent γ-secretase modulator for Alzheimer’s disease prevention, Journal of Experimental Medicine, March 2, 2021, Read More

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