Dr. Lisa McConlogue is a visiting investigator at the Gladstone Institutes and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at The University of California, San Francisco, where she leads translational efforts targeting alpha-synuclein, a key target for Parkinson's disease. Prior to her transition to academia, Dr. McConlogue led discovery efforts in the biopharmaceutical industry, most recently as a distinguished research fellow at Elan Pharmaceuticals. She made pioneering discoveries in neurodegenerative diseases, including establishing the first Alzheimer's pre-clinical model and identifying and validating therapeutic targets including beta-secretase (BACE), the rate-limiting enzyme in the production Abeta, a central player in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. McConlogue established the key role of BACE in plaque and synaptic pathology and demonstrated a pathogenic role for soluble Abeta assemblies. She went on to lead the Elan Parkinson's disease discovery efforts, including alpha-synuclein antibody vaccine-based approaches and the development of pharmacological chaperones for alpha-synuclein. At UCSF, she leads mechanistic and translational efforts targeting alpha-synuclein.