Courtney Lane-Donovan, MD, PhD
Courtney Lane-Donovan, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist dedicated to improving the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal dementia. As an assistant professor in the Division of the Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging within the Department of Neurology at UCSF and a Weill Neurohub Investigator, she combines her clinical care for patients with cognitive impairment and dementia with cutting-edge research focused on the biology of aging brain cells.
Dr. Lane-Donovan’s research investigates how changes in the lysosome—a vital cell organelle responsible for processing and recycling proteins—may contribute to the accumulation of protein aggregates that are characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. Her work aims to investigate how lysosomal health and function decline with age, potentially rendering the brain more susceptible to these conditions. She is currently leading a two-part project focused on lysosomal changes in different brain cell types and regions, supported by the prestigious Irene Perstein Award. The award recognizes outstanding junior women scientists in the UCSF School of Medicine and will enable Dr. Lane-Donovan to advance her studies using innovative models to explore lysosomal function during aging.
Dr. Lane-Donovan’s path to neurology began during medical school, where she developed a deep interest in neuroscience and the link between aging and neurodegenerative diseases. While completing her MD/PhD at UT Southwestern, she conducted research on ApoE receptor signaling in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease and identified the protective role of reelin, a key protein in brain development, against amyloid beta accumulation. She went on to complete her neurology residency at UCSF and continued as a postdoctoral researcher under the R25 program. She is hopeful her research will uncover new pathways to address the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and pave the way for improved treatments.
