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Laura M. Cox, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Neurology, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Laura M. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Harvard Medical School and BWH Hospital. Her lab is currently investigating the role of the microbiome in neurologic diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Cox was originally trained as a clinical microbiologist, identifying infectious agents. She then obtained her PhD in the lab of Dr. Martin Blaser, where she found that early-life antibiotics lead to lasting metabolic consequences. To gain experience with models of neurologic disease, she then pursued postdoctoral training in the lab of Dr. Howard Weiner. Dr. Cox established her lab in the fall of 2021 and, through work supported by the CureAlz Foundation, has begun to identify age-related changes in the gut microbiota that may affect AD by modulating peripheral and central immunity.

To learn more, visit the Cox Lab website.

Follow Dr. Cox on X (formerly Twitter): @Lauriemcox

Related Research:

Microbiome Consortium: Harnessing Diet-Microbe Interactions to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis Laura Cox 2023-11-02 Targeting the Microbiome and Innate Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease Howard L. Weiner Laura Cox 2022-06-23 Targeting the Microbiome and Microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease Howard L. Weiner Laura Cox 2020-01-09

Funded Research

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

Project Description Researchers Funding
Microbiome Consortium: Harnessing Diet-Microbe Interactions to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis 2023

$287,500
Targeting the Microbiome and Innate Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease 2022, 2023

$402,500
Targeting the Microbiome and Microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease 2019, 2021

$345,000

Selected Publications

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

Wasén, C., Beauchamp, L. C., Vincentini, J., Li, S., LeServe, D. S., Gauthier, C., Lopes, J. R., Moreira, T. G., Ekwudo, M. N., Yin, Z., da Silva, P., Krishnan, R. K., Butovsky, O., Cox, L. M., & Weiner, H. L. Bacteroidota inhibit microglia clearance of amyloid-beta and promote plaque deposition in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models, Nature Communications, May 8, 2024, Read More

Boehme, M., Guzzetta, K. E., Wasén, C., & Cox, L. M. The gut microbiota is an emerging target for improving brain health during ageing, Gut Microbiome, December 12, 2022, Read More

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