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Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Angela Olson Dorigatti

Ph.D. Student

Angela Olson is a graduate student in  where she is working on research related to Alzheimer’s Disease at The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies. As an aging researcher, she is interested to test whether some of these aging interventions could slow or halt the progression of AD. Her research has put a spotlight on tau, a protein involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, and how tau may exacerbate brain inflammation. She has found that tau can enter astrocytes (specialized glial cells that are important in neuronal homeostasis) which then induces senescence, causing cells to stop dividing and release pro-inflammatory proteins. This pro-inflammatory environment, in turn, damages neurons and leads to neurodegeneration in AD.

She is currently treating mice with senolytics which selectively remove senescent cells to determine whether the removal of these cells can ameliorate cognitive deficits in AD.

Education

B.S, Biology, Texas Tech University 

Associate Degree in Art and Sciences, University of Wisconsin

Awards

2019- Outstanding Scientific Poster Presentation Award, Texas Alzheimer’s Research and Care Consortium

2019- ASPET Fellowship

2017 Steunebrink Scholarship

2017- T32 NIA Biology of Aging Training Grant

2017- UTHSCSA Endowed Students Scholarship

2017- Poster Award, Barshop Student Day

2016- Bennie W. Schreck Scholarship

2007- Graduated with High Honors and Highest Honors, University of Wisconsin-Washington County

2007-2009 Dean’s List, Texas Tech University

2007-2009 Washington County Campus Foundation Scholarship

2007-2009 Kenneth G. Marsden Scholarship

2007-2009 Texas Tech Phi Theta Kappa Alumnus Scholarship

Publications

Technical Acknowledgement. Schmidt, K., & Loeb Belinsky, K. (2013). Voices in the dark: Predation risk by owls influences dusk singing in a diurnal passerine. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67(11), 1837-1843.

Van Skike, C. E., J. B. Jahrling, A. B. Olson, N. L. Sayre, S. A. Hussong, Z. I. Ungvari, J. D. Lechleiter and V. Galvan (2017). "Inhibition of mTOR protects the blood-brain barrier in models of Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment." Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol.