Sonal Kumar

Research/Areas of Interest

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex genetic disease spanning various pathophysiological manifestations in human populations. Using the laboratory mouse as a preclinical model for studying AD has been challenging due to a combination of factors, including a lack of adequate genetic diversity, an inability to map all aspects of disease pathology simultaneously and accurately, and the absence of a reliable representation of late onset AD in currently studied strains. My research contributes to the work done by the MARMO-AD consortium, which aims to develop the common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus, as a near-clinical model of AD through a longitudinal approach that will ideally better represent not just early, but also late onset AD. As an outbred non-human primate model, the marmoset more faithfully recapitulates the aging-related cognitive decline seen in the human population, accounting for heterogeneity in genetic backgrounds that the mouse model fails to capture. Using a multiomics approach across marmoset and human datasets, I hope to connect the underlying genetics driving specific molecular, functional, and behavioral phenotypes to further our understanding of the etiology and progression of AD in humans.