Kostas Vekrellis received his BSc and PhD in neuroscience from University College London, UK. Dr. Vekrellis is a professor in neurobiology in the Division of Basic Research at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA). He has extensive experience in cellular and animal models of neurodegeneration, particularly related to Parkinson’s disease (PD). He has provided evidence that alpha-synuclein also acts extracellularly, via active release from neurons, raising the possibility that these aggregates can exert effects on otherwise healthy cells. His lab uses a variety of models to investigate mechanisms of secretion and clearance of extracellular alpha-synuclein, which might be targets for therapy. His work also focuses on exploring the role of secreted alpha-synuclein in the spread of pathology between neurons and glia in the PD brain.