Quinnipiac University
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Alexandre de Lencastre, PhD, was born and raised in Portugal. He is currently a Professor of Biology, the Director of the Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Masters Program and the co-chair of the QUIP-RS (QU Interdisciplinary Program for Research and Scholarship) at Quinnipiac University. He completed his BS in Biochemistry from Georgetown University, his PhD in the lab of Dr. Anna Pyle at Columbia University and his post-doctoral training in the lab of Dr. Frank Slack at Yale University. His teaching includes Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and he has an active research lab that utilizes the model organism C. elegans to study aging and neurodegeneration.

The de Lencastre lab is interested in the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs in biology – with emphasis on roles in stress resistance during adulthood. His lab has identified miRNAs that dramatically affect animal lifespan and stress resistance. Currently, the lab is testing the molecular targets of these miRNAs and possible functions in models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. Given the high conservation of miRNAs across species, insights from this research may inform on diseases of aging in humans.
For more information see the lab website:
http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/adelencastre/index.html

Education

  • PHD, Columbia University

Areas of Expertise

  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Aging
  • Neurodegenerative diseases - Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease

Organization

  • Biological Sciences

Office Location

  • Buckman Center BC121A

Mail Drop

  • BC-SCI

Experience

Quinnipiac University

Professor of Biology

Hamden, CT, USA

2022 - Present

Quinnipiac University

Associate Professor of Biology

Hamden, CT, USA

2018 - 2022

Quinnipiac University

Assistant Professor of Biology

Hamden, CT, USA

2013 - 2018

Yale University

Post-doctoral fellow

New Haven, CT, USA

2006 - 2013

Columbia University

Doctoral Student

New York, NY, USA

1998 - 2005

Selected Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Article Review

Parkinson’s Disease and MicroRNAs - Lessons from Model Organisms and Human Studies

Evans B, Furlong H, and de Lencastre A

155 Experimental Gerontology 111585 November (2021)