GALVAN LAB
Personnel
Stacy Hussong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research
Dr. Hussong earned her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota studying the role of immunoproteasome in the retina in the laboratory of Dr. Deborah Ferrington. She joined the Galvan Lab as a postdoctoral fellow where her research focus was on the neurobiology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
In particular, Dr. Hussong’s research has focused on the role of neuronal mTOR signaling and how it functions in brain and peripheral metabolism, and cognitive function including age-related and Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive dysfunction. In transitioning to an Assistant Professor of Research, she has explored the role of mTOR signaling in brain and peripheral vasculature. Her data demonstrates that mTOR is a critical signaling pathway for driving endothelial cell dysfunction both with age as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, in collaboration with Dr. Galvan, Dr. Hussong discovered that soluble pathogenic tau enters brain microvascular endothelial cells and triggers cellular senescence and brain microvascular dysfunction.
Haneen Makhlouf, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Haneen is a Graduate Student in the University if Oklahoma's Neuroscience Program. She holds a master's degree in medical Biochemistry from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Haneen joined the Galvan Lab in 2022 and investigates the impact of tau-induced astrocyte senescence on brain homeostasis and its contribution to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Her work seeks to advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease to identify novel therapeutic targets and interventions.
Beatriz Ferran Perez, Ph.D.
Staff Scientist
Dr. Ferran Perez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Havana, and earned her MSc and PhD degrees in Biomedicine from the University of Barcelona. During her postdoctoral training in Boston University, Dr. Ferran Perez’s research was focused on the redox regulation of ischemic vascularization associated with aging and type 2 diabetes.
At present, Dr. Ferran Perez’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms that link brain aging to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with a special emphasis on the contributions of alterations in neurovascular coupling. Dr. Ferran Perez designs, constructs and uses viral vectors to study the physiology of neurons and brain vasculature using advanced optical imaging tools. Dr. Ferran Perez also utilizes vivotechniques like Laser Doppler Flowmetry to measure cerebral blood flow and vasodilatory capacity during aging in mice and in mouse models of AD.
Kylie M. Williams, B.S.
Research Assistant
Kylie obtained her Bachelor of Science at Delaware Valley University in PA and will be graduating with her Master’s Degree in Business Administration in December 2023. Kylie has substantial experience in veterinary sciences and joined the Galvan Lab in 2021, where she oversees and manages the experimental animal colony, including but not limited to the use of complex genetic tools in experimental design and the measurement of cognitive and non-cognitive components of behavior. Kylie is also key personnel in the Geroscience COBRE MACI Core at OUHSC, where she works with Research Project Leaders and other investigators on single-cell transcriptomic (RNAseq) studies.
