University of Illinois Chicago · ChemistryAlzheimer's Autophagy Research Lab
Swetha Gowrishankar · Chicago, Illinois
Research Focus
Dr. Swetha Gowrishankar's lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago focuses on understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease through a process called autophagy, which helps cells recycle and maintain their health. The lab's goal is to develop small molecules that can improve autophagy and potentially halt disease progression by restoring balance in neuronal environments. This research aims to create innovative therapeutic options that go beyond current treatments, targeting the root causes of cell damage instead of just the symptoms of Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's diseaseautophagyneuroprotectionsmall-molecule activatorstherapeutic development
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the role of autophagy in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.
AIM 02Develop small-molecule activators to enhance autophagy in neuronal models.
AIM 03Evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of autophagy modulation in vivo.
AIM 04Identify unique targets and mechanisms of novel autophagy activators.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemouse modelsbiological assaysdrug kinetics analysisproteomicsin vitro testingneuron modelingmicroscopyhigh-throughput screening
Output against the department
Publications23bottom 4% of dept.207th of 216
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations914bottom 6% of dept.203rd of 216
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.