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CLINICAL EXPERTISE:
- Surgical neuropathology
- Autopsy neuropathology
- Ophthalmic pathology
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Neuropathology core director of the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's disease research center (ADRC)
- Neuropathologist for the University of Pittsburgh ALS center
- CJD autopsy cases, in collaboration with the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center
RESEARCH EXPERTISE:
My research focuses on the role of microglial cells in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. I am particular interested in investigating different pathways of microglial polarization including classical and alternative activation paradigms. In addition, my lab recently started to study the impact of polymorphisms in inflammation-associated genes on pathology patterns in Alzheimer's disease. Experiments are performed in primary microglial cell cultures derived from human postmortem brain tissue, primary human macrophages, also macrophage and microglial cell lines, and tissue samples from the ADRC brain bank. The goal of my research is to arrive at a better understanding of distinct microglial functions and activation patterns in order to selectively modulate the innate immune response in the brain as a means to prevent pathological aging and/or modify the course of AD.
PUBLICATIONS
Kofler J, Lopresti B, Janssen C, Trichel AM, Masliah E, Finn OJ, Salter RD, Murdoch GH, Mathis CA, Wiley CA. Preventive immunization of aged and juvenile non-human primates to beta-amyloid. J Neuroinflammation 2012 (in print)
Kofler J, Wiley CA. Microglia: Key innate immune cells of the brain. Toxicologic Pathology 2011;39:103-14.
Bonneh-Barkay D, Bissel SJ, Kofler J, Starkey A, Wang G, Wiley CA. Astrocyte and macrophage regulation of YKL-40 expression and cellular response in neuroinflammation. Brain Pathol 2011, Nov 11 [Epub ahead of print]
Kofler J, Bartynski WS, Reynolds TQ, Lieberman FS, Murdoch GH, Hamilton RL. PRES with immune system activation, VEGF upregulation and amyloid angiopathy. J Comp Assist Tomography 2011;35:39-42
Horbinski C*; Kofler J*, Yeaney G, Camelo-Piragua S, Venneti S, Louis DN, Perry A, Murdoch G, Nikiforova M. Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 analysis differentiates gangliogliomas from infiltrative gliomas. Brain Pathology 2011;21:564-74, *these authors contributed equally to this work
Venneti S, Wiley CA, Kofler J. Imaging microglial activation during neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2009;4:227-43.
Flannery T, Kano H, Niranjan A, Monaco EA 3rd, Flickinger JC, Kofler J, Lunsford LD, Kondziolka D. Gamma Knife Radiosurgery as a therapeutic strategy for intracranial sarcomatous metastases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2010;76:513-9
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