Sophia Schedin Weiss

I am docent in medical biochemistry and neurobiology and research group leader for projects focusing on elucidating the roles of glycans in neurodegeneration. I obtained my PhD in biochemistry on mechanisms involved in the neurological disorder Niemann-Pick type C disease at Stockholm University in 1998. I received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences, 1999-2002, where I studied protein-glycan and protein-protein interactions involved in the regulation of serine proteases. I was subsequently awarded a fellowship as Assistant Professor at Uppsala University, where I studied the role of protein glycosylation for proteins involved in blood coagulation. I moved to Karolinska Institutet in 2010, where my research goal is to elucidate early pathophysiological alterations on Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. This research is crucial for finding novel early biomarkers and understanding early disease mechanisms. My main research topics are to identify and validate glycan biomarkers, study subcellular mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases and elucidate the link between protein glycosylation and pathophysiological mechanisms in Alzheimer disease to guide to novel treatment strategies.   

I am highly interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind and finding novel early biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. I have studied molecular interactions important for the regulation of gamma-secretase, the last one of two enzymes that processes the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to generate the amyloid β-peptide (Aβ), which is known as a toxic agent in AD, and the component of amyloid plaques in the brains of AD patients. One of my main interests is to study the subcellular localization of the Aβ processing machinery in neurons. To this end I have set up super-resolution microscopy techniques to resolve fine subcellular details. By using these techniques, we have determined the synaptic localization of gamma-secretase, APP and Aβ in neurons at the nano-scale level. I also have a great interest in studying how alterations in protein glycosylation are related to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. We have shown that protein glycosylation is altered in brain, cerebrospinal fluid and blood in AD and that these alterations can predict future cognitive decline. These studies are important for developing new diagnostic assays and treatment strategies.