Longo Lab Members
Frank M. Longo, MD, PhD
George E. and Lucy Becker Professor in Medicine
Professor of Neurology & Neurological Sciences
Dr. Longo is the George E. and Lucy Becker Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. He received his MD and PhD from the University of California, San Diego. Following an internship in medicine at New York University, he trained as a resident in neurology at UC San Francisco where he also completed a fellowship in neurobiology. He joined the UCSF faculty and eventually served as Professor and Vice Chair of UCSF’s Department of Neurology. Before joining Stanford in 2006, Dr. Longo was the H. Houston Merritt Professor and Chair of Neurology at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. At Stanford, he served as the Chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences from 2006 to 2023. He is also a faculty member of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford.
His research interests include elucidation of mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and translational research targeting such mechanisms. Dr. Longo is the 2015 recipient of the inaugural Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, and he currently serves on the National Advisory Council on Aging for the NIH. He is Founder and Board Chair for PharmatrophiX, a clinical-stage company focused on small molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.
Instructors
Amira Latif-Hernandez, PhD
Instructor, Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Amira obtained her PhD in Neuroscience from the KU Leuven, Belgium, in the summer of 2017. One of the most gratifying contributions of her doctoral studies was the development of a new electrophysiology tool to assess synaptopathies and the establishment of long-term synaptic plasticity from prefrontal cortex slices to characterize the pathophysiology of novel mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. In autumn of 2017, she moved to the Longo Laboratory at the Stanford School of Medicine. During three years of postdoctoral work, she independently established a multi-electrode array system that allows high-throughput analyses of multiple long-lasting forms of synaptic plasticity. Her projects involve neuronal plasticity, RNA sequencing, molecular biochemistry, signaling mechanisms, target validation, and drug development strategies for Alzheimer’s disease, with the objective of investigating neurotrophin receptor signaling pathways that contribute to synaptic degeneration and preservation. In October 2020, Amira was appointed Instructor of Neurodegenerative Disease Research at Stanford Neurology to help develop improved and more powerful approaches that will better reveal key synaptic mechanisms and candidate modules associated with neuroplasticity and affected in AD mouse models, by identifying activity-dependent gene expression signatures that will ultimately serve as a platform for potential therapeutics and animal to human translation. When Amira is not dedicated to science, she truly enjoys running, hiking, dancing, cycling, boxing, cooking, reading books, writing journals, and, when possible, camping, surfing, and climbing.
Research Scientists
Tao Yang, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Tao Yang received her PhD from Beijing Medical University, now Peking University Health Science Center. She has spent a significant portion of her career in Dr. Frank Longo's lab, making pivotal contributions to pioneering research to find cures for neurological diseases. She screened and characterized small-molecule ligands for neurotrophin receptors which include TrkB and TrkC partial agonists, as well as p75NTR modulators. She discovered that these small molecules promote neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth, and differentiation of human stem cells into neurons in vitro. She also showed that the small molecule neurotrophin receptor ligands prevented neuronal degeneration, dendritic dystrophy, and spine loss in cellular and animal models of these diseases. Her current research concentrates on understanding the roles and mechanisms of small molecule neurotrophin receptor ligands in neuronal networks, synaptic functions, neural stem cells and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseases. Her ultimate goal is to develop improved small molecules to treat or prevent these diseases.
Danielle Simmons, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Danielle Simmons received her Bachelor’s degrees in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine, where she also conducted her post-doctoral studies. Her post-graduate work focused on the role of neurotrophin receptor signaling and neuroinflammation in Huntington’s Disease (HD). She joined Dr. Frank Longo’s laboratory as a Senior Scientist in the Stanford School of Medicine in 2008, where her research has focused on identifying mechanisms underlying HD and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and developing small-molecule therapeutic strategies to target these mechanisms. Danielle has been assessing the therapeutic effects of small-molecule neurotrophin receptor ligands, including LM11A-31, LM22A-4, and LM22B-10, that were developed in the Longo laboratory against neurodegeneration in multiple mouse models of HD. Through this work, she has identified HD-related deficits in signaling via the neurotrophin receptors, p75, TrkB, and TrkC and found that normalizing this signaling with LM11A-31, LM22A-4, or LM22B-10 and its derivatives ameliorates HD phenotypes. Regarding AD, Danielle is investigating the therapeutic effects of small molecule modulation of signaling via p75NTR or simultaneous modulation of TrkB and TrkC on vulnerable cell populations, including basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and parvalbuminergic interneurons in amyloid mouse models of AD. Her current projects also involve identifying neuroimaging, urinary, and blood biomarkers to assess the treatment response of the lab’s neurotrophin receptor ligands and other putative therapeutics for HD and AD. Danielle’s ultimate goal is to develop effective strategies for preventing HD- and AD-associated neurodegeneration and monitoring the efficacy of potential therapeutics for these diseases by identifying mouse-to-human translatable biomarkers. In her leisure time, Danielle enjoys reading about and viewing art, reading fiction (especially mystery/thriller novels), hiking, pickleball, wine tasting, watching football, and travel.
Robert Butler III, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Robert Butler received his Bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and his Master’s and PhD degrees from Illinois Institute of Technology, specializing in comparative genomics and bioinformatics. His pre-doctoral and doctoral work examined developmental genetics and evolutionary adaptation of microorganisms in a range of pathogenic and commensal roles, exploring horizontal and vertical inheritance of novel traits. His postgraduate research in psychiatric genomics integrated large-scale patient cohorts, animal models, and iPSC in vitro analysis to understand heritability in multiple psychiatric phenotypes, including smoking behaviors, Alzheimer’s, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Since joining the Longo Lab in 2020, Robert has compared mouse and human multi-omic datasets to better define their shared heritability in neurodegenerative disorders and identify early biomarkers of, and cell types implicated in, disease progression. Focusing on neurotrophin-associated signaling, he is examining altered single-cell & spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and cellular communication in models of tau and amyloid pathology to inform new gene targets and novel drug compounds with increased likelihood of translation to human therapies.
Lab Manager
Sukhneet Kaur, BS
Life Science Research Professional - Lab Manager
Sukhneet graduated from Mount Holyoke College in May 2021, where she pursued a major in Neuroscience and a Psychology minor, with a concentration in Data Science. There, she worked on analyzing event-related potential (ERP) data to filter noise and artifacts using MATLAB for multiple projects in the Couperus Lab. Sukhneet also worked as an undergraduate student researcher in the Visual Cognition and Attention (VCA) lab at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. While at the VCA Lab, she worked with human eye-tracking data to study different search strategies used while performing visual search tasks. Her undergraduate thesis emphasized that when a visual search task is easy, people tend to use less efficient visual search strategies, and that a visual search task must meet a ‘hardship threshold’ to encourage more efficient search strategies. Sukhneet joined the Longo Lab at Stanford University in August 2021 where her research focus is studying the therapeutic effects of small molecule ligands that bind to neurotrophic receptors in mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases, primarily Alzheimer’s. Her future goal is to pursue a PhD that focuses on the intersection of Psychology and Neuroscience, with an emphasis on studying consciousness. In her free time, Sukhneet likes to take leisure walks full of introspection and good music, paint abstract art (using acrylics and digital art tools), read Leo Tolstoy or Aldous Huxley, study philosophy and perception, and write Urdu poetry.
Science Writer
Vanessa Langness, PhD
Science Writer
Vanessa holds a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Diego and a Bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her thesis work focused on genetically engineering human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons and using them to evaluate the effects of small molecules on Alzheimer's disease pathways. After graduate school, Vanessa worked as a scientist in the biotech industry where she used a variety of genetic and molecular biology approaches to support cell therapy and drug development projects. Vanessa enjoys the challenge of communicating complex scientific ideas both visually and in writing. She has published her research in peer-reviewed journals and has authored abstracts and slide decks that have been selected for presentation at international scientific conferences. Vanessa served on the outreach committee with the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) where she developed hands-on scientific demonstrations for lay audiences, crafted educational material, authored newsletter articles, and photographed outreach events. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys making and viewing art, taking dance classes, reading, and spending time with her family and pets. Vanessa aspires to merge her love of science, art, and writing to help researchers communicate their findings to both scientific and general audiences.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Audrey Weber, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Audrey received her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Agnes Scott College and her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her thesis work examined how synaptic tau seeds contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression and identified proteomic pathways that link tau seeds to cognitive decline. During this time, she was awarded a NIH F99/K00 fellowship from the National Institute on Aging to support her transition to postdoctoral training at Stanford University. In the Longo Lab, she is interested in identifying conserved proteomic biomarkers of neurotrophin receptor ligand treatment across mouse models and human subjects to advance predictive models of therapeutic response in Alzheimer’s disease. In her free time, Audrey enjoys running, reading, and cooking.
Life Science Research Professionals
Rosa Robbins
Life Science Research Professional
Rosa Robbins received her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Western Washington University in 2025. As an undergraduate researcher at Western Washington University she was awarded an independent research grant allowing her to conduct a project exploring the behavioral and molecular effects of Cannabidiol therapy in a murine model of autism spectrum disorder. Rosa joined the Longo lab in July of 2025 and is investigating whether small-molecule neurotrophin receptor ligands can provide neuroprotection in mouse models of Huntington's (HD) and Alzheimer’s disease. Her current project is examining the role of a small-molecule neurotrophin receptor ligand in modulating astrocyte reactivity and astrogliosis in HD. Her future plans are to continue her research career in developing novel therapeutics in a neurodegenerative disease model by completing a doctoral degree. Outside of research she enjoys running, creating graphite art, playing guitar, reading, and all things houseplant-related.
Nidhi Shettigar
Life Science Research Professional
Nidhi Shettigar received her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Saint Louis University in 2024. As a researcher at Washington University at the St. Louis School of Medicine, she studied the anatomical organization and behaviors associated with the superior colliculus, a rapid sensorimotor region of the brain. Nidhi joined the Longo lab in July of 2024 and is now attending medical school at the University of Missouri–Columbia School of Medicine while continuing to work on projects for the Longo Lab. Her project examines the role of microglia in the pathological removal of synapses in HD and AD. She aspires to continue research throughout her career. Outside of research, she enjoys walking with her dog, reading, and trying new restaurants.
Undergraduate Student Researchers
Jenna Kang
Stanford Undergraduate Independent Study
Jenna Kang is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and is also pursuing a Music Performance minor. She joined the Longo Lab in the fall of 2024 and is investigating if LM11A-31 can reduce microglia engulfment of synapses in Huntington’s (HD) disease mice. Through the Bio-X fellowship, Jenna will work on a project to identify how p75 and microglia contribute to synapse loss using immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, microscopy, and bioinformatics. Jenna is also involved in campus organizations such as Stanford’s Synapse: Brain Injury Support Group and Alzheimer’s Alliance, where she provides care and plays music for Alzheimer’s patients. She is also interested in studying the intersections of music and neuroscience. Outside of research, Jenna serves as the Concertmaster of the Stanford Philharmonic Orchestra and enjoys traveling, acting, and loves horseback riding.
Jillian Quach
NeURO-CC Fellow
Jillian is an undergraduate Biology major at Mission College and joined Longo Lab through the NeURO-CC Fellowship in summer 2025. Her research examined p75 neurotrophin receptor modulation via LM11A-31 to prevent proBDNF-induced neurodegeneration in hippocampal neurons, with emphasis on synaptic spine loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Jillian is interested in the intersection of neuroscience and medicine and plans to pursue a career in healthcare.
Grace Wolf
Stanford Undergraduate Independent Study
Grace Wolf is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in Human Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience and minoring in American Sign Language. She joined the Longo Lab in the spring of 2025 and is working on the T41BC31 snRNA sequencing project, which investigates how cortical cells respond to the C31 drug. Her research focuses on understanding cellular-level responses through single-nucleus RNA sequencing and related computational analyses. Outside of the lab, Grace is an active member of the Cardinal Ballet Company and volunteers with the Cardinal Free Clinics, where she values gaining direct patient interaction and contributing to accessible healthcare. Her academic and extracurricular interests reflect a commitment to bridging neuroscience, patient care, and inclusive communication.
Janele Ting
Undergraduate Student Researcher
Janele Ting is an incoming freshman at University of California San Diego, majoring in Biology with a specialization in Bioinformatics. During the summer of 2025, she joined the Longo Lab, where she investigated the efficacy of small molecule neurotrophins in mitigating potassium channel loss associated with neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease mouse models, using immunohistochemistry, confocal imaging and analysis, and bioinformatics. Concurrently, she also conducted hierarchical clustering of mouse-drug models to help determine the therapeutic effects of neurotrophins on Alzheimer's transcriptomic profiles. She is interested in exploring the intersection of bioinformatics, oncology, and business. Outside of research, she enjoys watching films, running, reading, and trying new dishes.
Vivi Sun
Undergraduate Student Researcher
Vivi is an undergraduate student at Harvard University and plans to concentrate in Human Evolutionary Biology with a secondary focus in Neuroscience. She joined Longo Lab in the summer of 2025 and studied the role of small molecule neurotrophin receptor ligands in reducing astrocyte dystrophy in Huntington’s Disease. Vivi is interested in pursuing a career in medicine and public health policy. Outside of lab, Vivi is an active member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Women’s Rowing team and enjoys cooking and hiking.
Taylor Chan
Undergraduate Student Researcher
Taylor Chan is currently a junior at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology with a concentration in Cell Development and Progression. She joined the Longo Lab in the fall of 2025, where she investigates the role that p75 receptor modulation plays in regulating neuronal survival, synaptic stability, and neuroinflammatory signaling in models of Alzheimer’s disease. Taylor is interested in pursuing medicine while continuing her commitment to therapeutic research. Outside of the lab, Taylor spends her time working as an advocate for the Alzheimer's Association and is a head chair for Berkeley's Model United Nations. She also enjoys tennis, baking, and running. Her academic and personal pursuits express her commitment to advancing medicine through advocacy and patient care.
Ben Gulbranson
Undergraduate Student Researcher
Ben Gulbranson received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Health from Oregon State University. He joined the Longo Lab in the fall of 2025, where his research focuses on pathological tau proteins. Using mouse models, he works to quantify tau levels and evaluate the effects of the C31 therapeutic drug. Ben aspires to pursue a career in medicine, where he hopes to combine his passion for science with a commitment to service. Outside the lab, he enjoys hiking, golfing, and bass fishing.