Antoine Anfray, PhD

My scientific interests focus on better understanding the regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and how its dysfunction can be involved in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease (AD). My interest for the regulation of CBF started alongside my scientific debut as a PhD student in the laboratory of Prof. Denis Vivien (INSERM U1237, Caen, France) in 2014. My research projects were centered on tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and provided a better understanding of the role of tPA on brain functions as well as on neurovascular regulation. My interest about CBF regulation then brought me to join the laboratory of Prof. Costantino Iadecola (Weill Cornell Medicine, New York) in 2018 to start my postdoctoral training. His laboratory pioneered research on how neurovascular dysfunction affects the brain and contributes to the development of neurodegenerative disorders. I started my training here by participating in projects related to the role of neurovascular dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases using mouse models and highly specialized techniques to study CBF and microvascular function. My project addresses critical questions regarding how ApoE4, the leading genetic risk factor for AD, alters neurovascular function and increases the susceptibility of the brain to cognitive impairment. The present fellowship will allow me to continue my training in this new area of research and will help considerably in my effort to become an independent scientist.