Congratulations to Eric Mallack, M.D., Director of the Leukodystrophy Center and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, on being awarded a K23 award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health entitled, “Leveraging myelin-sensitive imaging to predict early lesion pathogenesis in cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.”
Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) is a neurologically devastating, inflammatory demyelinating disease of childhood that leads to a vegetative state or death in months to years. Treatments are most effective when initiated in the narrow window prior to the onset of neurological symptoms, however early identification of CALD is a significant challenge. In this project, Dr. Mallack and his collaborators at Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School will study the transition from normal brain development to cerebral demyelination using advanced imaging techniques in order to widen the treatment window, provide lead-time for possible preventative strategies, and thereby help maximize neurological outcomes.
Dr. Mallack will work in collaboration with Thanh Nguyen, PhD, Associate Professor of Physics in Radiology and Elizabeth Sweeney, PhD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, and Patricia Musolino, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital. The study will be directed under the joint mentorship of Sumit Niogi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian and Florian Eichler, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology, at Harvard Medical School