The Rissman Lab
The Rissman Lab’s core mission is to support the advancement of novel therapeutics by providing a consolidated infrastructure of resources and collaborations.

Robert Rissman, PhD
Dr. Rissman is Professor Physiology and Neuroscience and the W.M. Keck Endowed Chair in Medicine.
He is the founding Director of the Neuroscience Translational Research Division and the ATRI Biomarker Laboratory and Biorepository. He is the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) Biorepository Unit Lead.
The ATRI facility is comprised by a wet laboratory and a large biorepository of -80 freezers to store specimens from clinical trials and longitudinal cohort studies.
Using single analyte and multiplex bioassays, the goal of the lab is to identify biomarkers for preclinical AD and better understand how treatment parameters may impact these biomarkers.
Concurrently with work at ATRI, Dr. Rissman is a PI at the VA San Diego, Professor of Neurosciences at UC San Diego and leads the ADCS Biomarker Core and ADRC Neuropathology Core.
Using single analyte and multiplex bioassays, the goal of the lab is to identify biomarkers for preclinical AD and better understand how treatment parameters may impact these biomarkers.
Concurrently with work at ATRI, Dr. Rissman is a PI at the VA San Diego, Professor of Neurosciences at UC San Diego and leads the ADCS Biomarker Core and ADRC Neuropathology Core.
Research
The goal of Dr. Rissman’s basic science research is on novel biomarker discovery in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and preclinical studies in experimental.
A major focus of his lab in AD biomarkers is on the utility and mechanistic underpinnings of neuronal exosomes and his group has published manuscripts demonstrating the ability of tau and abeta in neuronal exosomes to predict conversion from MCI to AD.
The lab also investigates the contribution of stress and changes in stress signaling intermediates in Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. Using transgenic mice and in vivo pharmacology, experiments are focused on identifying the role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in beta-amyloid deposition, tau phosphorylation and behavioral and synaptic changes.
The lab also investigates the contribution of stress and changes in stress signaling intermediates in Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. Using transgenic mice and in vivo pharmacology, experiments are focused on identifying the role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors in beta-amyloid deposition, tau phosphorylation and behavioral and synaptic changes.

PUBLICATIONS
November 6 2024
Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 and phospho-tau217 concentration ratios increase the accuracy of amyloid PET classification in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.
Rissman RA, Langford O, Raman R, Donohue MC, Abdel-Latif S, Meyer MR, Wente-Roth T, Kirmess KM, Ngolab J, Winston CN, Jimenez-Maggiora G, Rafii MS, Sachdev P, West T, Yarasheski KE, Braunstein JB, Irizarry M, Johnson KA, Aisen PS, Sperling RA.
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Robert Rissman, PhD
Director of the Neuroscience Translational Research Division and the ATRI Biomarker Laboratory and Biorepository.
Neuroscience Translational Research Division (NTRD)
Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI)
Keck School of Medicine at USC
9800 Mesa Rim Rd, San Diego, CA 92121
Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI)
Keck School of Medicine at USC
9800 Mesa Rim Rd, San Diego, CA 92121
The Rissman Lab is expanding! If you’re interested in joining our growing team or learning more about the exciting opportunities available, please contact me for more information.
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