Yadong Huang and his team focus on the causes and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, they study a variant of apolipoprotein E, called apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4). Approximately 60–75 percent of Alzheimer’s patients carry the apoE4 variant, making it the most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The team uses mouse models and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells made from skin cells of patients carrying apoE4 or other mutations related to Alzheimer’s disease to study their effects on the development, survival, and degeneration of neurons. In addition, Huang’s lab is working to identify drug targets and develop therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.