Dr. Kampmann is an Associate Professor in the UCSF Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. He received his BA in Biochemistry from Cambridge University and his PhD in Biophysics/Cell Biology from Rockefeller University.
Dr. Kampmann co-invented the CRISPRi and CRISPRa screening technologies, and his lab has pioneered CRISPR-based screens in human brain cell types such as neurons, microglia and astrocytes. He leverages this unique technology to uncover mechanisms and new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Two central questions are:
- Why do proteins aggregate in these diseases, and what about protein aggregation is toxic to neurons?
- What controls disease states of other brain cells, such as microglia and astrocytes, and how can these cells be reprogrammed for therapeutic benefit?
Dr. Kampmann was named an NIH Director’s New Innovator, an Allen Distinguished Investigator, a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award, an Alzheimer’s Association Zenith fellow, and he received the Rainwater Prize for Innovative Early Career Scientists.