We are pleased to invite you to the scientific colloquium by Prof. Jason Cannon, PhD (Head of the School of Health Sciences and Professor of Toxicology, Purdue University, USA).
The lecture will take place on Friday, 3 July 2026, at 11:00 AM, in the 3rd Wing Hall of the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, Zagreb.
Lecture title: “Interactions between inherent neurobiology and environmental exposures in Parkinson’s disease”
The lecture is organized by the Division of Molecular Medicine at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), with the Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (HDBMB) as co-organizer.
Abstract
Dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra are heavily lesioned in Parkinson’s disease. Broad use classes of environmental toxicants with diverse chemical structures have been identified as Parkinson’s disease risk factors. Moreover, mechanistic studies have determined that these neurons are especially sensitive to environmental exposures due to their inherent biology.
Prof. Cannon’s research focuses on how neurotoxic mechanisms of action interact with inherent neurobiology to cause a neurotoxic cascade leading to Parkinson’s disease-relevant neurotoxicity and neuropathology.
About the Speaker
Jason Cannon is Head of the School of Health Sciences and Professor of Toxicology at Purdue University in the USA. He received a B.S. in Physiology from Michigan State University, a Ph.D. in Toxicology from the University of Michigan, and conducted postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh.
His research group has a longstanding interest in the discovery of mechanisms of neurotoxic action. They have developed, implemented and advanced novel animal models and mechanistic approaches to study how environmental exposures influence the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
