Biography
- Division:
- Division of Neuroscience, Development and Aging – DNDA
- Review Branch:
- Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience – ICN
Dr. Nesar Akanda received his M.D. and Ph.D. in neuroscience. After completing his Ph.D. at Karolinska and Linkoping University, Sweden, he joined the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he was an associate professor (research track). One of his research projects at UCF focused on the investigation of neuronal cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for the development of in vitro human models to study neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and aging. He utilized advanced technologies, including electrophysiology (e.g., patch-clamp, MEA) for the investigation of a variety of diseases through human models. Dr. Akanda mentored many postdoctoral fellows, Ph.D. students, and technicians at UCF. Prior to joining CSR, he was a health scientist administrator/scientific review officer at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Dr. Akanda has published over 15 research papers in reputed journals, including several in Nature Publishing Group, and received awards for his contribution to the advancement of science. He has discovered an ion channel named “voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) in the plasma membrane of apoptotic neurons.”
