BrightFocus Foundation
Scientific Affairs
Sharyn Rossi received her Ph.D. in anatomy and neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied stem cell replacement therapies for the treatment of spinal cord injury. She continued her post-doctoral work at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children studying spinal muscular atrophy, and Johns Hopkins University, using optogenetics to investigate how transplanted stem cells integrate into brain circuitry after traumatic brain injury. Prior to coming to BrightFocus Foundation, Sharyn was a senior research scientist at the National Institute on Aging, using neuroimaging, light-sheet microscopy, and novel interventions to investigate changes in the brain during normal cognitive aging. At BrightFocus, she uses her multidisciplinary background in central nervous system injury and mechanisms of aging to implement research initiatives, initiate and maintain institutional collaborations, and foster relationships with scientists and key stakeholders, while overseeing an active portfolio of $41 million consisting of nearly 150 grants spanning 14 countries.

Moderator of 1 Session

Session Time
08:00 - 15:30
Session Type
PRE CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM
Date
Tue, 05.03.2024
Room
Auditorium VI+VII
Session Description
Additional 2024 Common Features Committee Members: Catherine Bowes Rickman, Guojun Bu, Todd Golde, Malu Tansey, Cheryl Wellington, Adriana Di Polo

Symposium Working Summary: This day-long, CME credit-eligible workshop will provide participants with an understanding of the common and distinct features of neurological and ocular degenerative disease. This session will address how to use analytic and computational tools to wrangle large datasets, spot patterns that may not be inherently obvious, and sort through thousands, if not millions, of health records to find and recruit eligible participants with health equity and population representation in mind. This fifth pre-conference workshop will begin with a look at using big data to discover how disease begins and advances (Section 1. Mechanistic Insight from Multi-Omics and Imaging), then progress to probing increased or decreased risks in individuals or populations, as well as developing precision diagnoses (Section 2. Big Data in Biomarker Discovery and Diagnoses), and end with a more wholistic point of view of clinical studies (Section 3. Big Data in Clinical Studies). Some questions that will be addressed: Questions to consider: • What is ‘big data’? • Do I have to be an expert at ‘big data’ to use it in my research? • What are some open access (or easily accessible) ‘big data’ resources for researchers- especially with regards to neurological and ocular degenerative diseases? • How does the multi-etiology nature of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases complicate biomarker development and diagnoses? • How can I use ‘big data’ to design clinical studies that represent the general population and ensure health equity should a treatment make it to the market? • How can I use ‘big data’ to determine differences between sexes, racial/ethnic groups, and potential environmental or socio-economic differences between populations? • Are there common origins and/or elements across brain and eye neurodegenerative diseases that could give us a clue to future risk reductions, better and earlier detection of disease, and disease-modifying treatments?

Presenter of 1 Presentation

SESSION 2: BIG DATA IN BIOMARKER DISCOVERY AND DIAGNOSES MODERATED INTRODUCTION

Session Type
PRE CONFERENCE SYMPOSIUM
Date
Tue, 05.03.2024
Session Time
08:00 - 15:30
Room
Auditorium VI+VII
Lecture Time
10:05 - 10:10