Alison M Goate, DPhil
img_Alison M Goate
PROFESSOR & CHAIR | Genetics and Genomic Sciences
PROFESSOR | Neuroscience
PROFESSOR | Neurology
Research Topics
Alzheimer's Disease, Gene editing, Genomics, Neurobiology, Neuroscience
Multi-Disciplinary Training Area
Genetics and Genomic Sciences [GGS], Immunology [IMM], Neuroscience [NEU]
Research in our laboratory focuses on dementia (Alzheimer's disease & frontotemporal dementia) and addiction (alcohol dependence). In each of these projects our goal is to understand the molecular basis of disease in order to identify novel targets for therapeutic development. We use genetic and genomic approaches to identify susceptibility alleles, this work includes integration of multiple levels of OMICs data with genetic data from genome wide association studies and whole genome/exome sequencing in families multiply affected by disease and in case control cohorts. Through these studies we have demonstrated an enrichment of AD risk variants in microglial enhancers. Interestingly variants within the SPI1 (PU.1) locus, a gene which regulates myeloid cell differentiation, influence risk for AD and for alcoholism, demonstrating the importance of neuroimmune communication in both disorders. We are currently pursuing these observations in cell and animal models with the goal of developing PU.1 inhibitors for treatment of AD. In combination with our genetic studies we use induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and in vivo to study the mechanisms of risk underlying the AD risk genes. To date we have performed functional studies of APOE, SPI1 and MS4A4A/6A in induced microglia. We also have an extensive program studying the functional consequences of MAPT mutations and haplotypes in tauopathies such as PSP and FTD, using iPSC-derived neurons and organoids.

BSc, Hons, University of Bristol

DPhil, Linacre College, University of Oxford

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer Research

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Neurology, University College London

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College

2023

Piepenbrock-DZNE Prize for Neurodegenerative disease research

Piepenbrock-DZNE

2022

Rainwater Prize for Innovation in Neurodegeneration

Rainwater Charitable Foundation

2022

Best Female Scientists in the World

Research.com

2020

Keynote Address, Tau 2020, Washington D.C

2019

Methusalem Lecture, VIB-KU, Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven

2019

Plenary Lecture, 6th Venusberg Meeting on Neuroinflammation (5/9/19)

2019

DeArmond Lecture American Association of Neuropathologists, Atlanta

2019

F.E. Bennett Memorial Lectureship, American Neurological Association, St. Louis

2018

Affiliated Faculty, New York Genome Center (NYGC)

2016

Elected member of the National Academy of Medicine

2015

Willard T.C. Johnson Research Professor of Neurogenetics (ISMMS)

2015

Khalid Iqbal Lifetime Acheivement Award, Alzheimer’s Association

2015

Blas Frangione Foundation Lecture

NYU

2015

Willard T.C. Johnson Research Professor of Neurogenetics, Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Neurology, Professor of Genetics & Genomic Sciences

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2015

Director, Ronald Loeb Center for Alzhemier’s Disease

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2015

Associate Director, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

2012

Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science

2005

Carl & Gerty Cori Faculty Achievement Award

1994

Senior Investigator Award, Metropolitan Life Foundation

1994

St. Louis Academy of Science Innovation Award

1993

Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer's disease research

1993

Zenith Award, Alzheimer's Association

1989-

Royal Society University Research Fellow

Publications

Selected Publications

BHLHE40/41 regulate microglia and peripheral macrophage responses associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders of lipid-rich tissues. Anna Podleśny-Drabiniok, Gloriia Novikova, Yiyuan Liu, Josefine Dunst, Rose Temizer, Chiara Giannarelli, Samuele Marro, Taras Kreslavsky, Edoardo Marcora, Alison Mary Goate. Nature Communications

Genetic, transcriptomic, histological, and biochemical analysis of progressive supranuclear palsy implicates glial activation and novel risk genes. Kurt Farrell, Jack Humphrey, Timothy Chang, Yi Zhao, Yuk Yee Leung, Pavel P. Kuksa, Vishakha Patil, Wan Ping Lee, Amanda B. Kuzma, Otto Valladares, Laura B. Cantwell, Hui Wang, Ashvin Ravi, Claudia De Sanctis, Natalia Han, Thomas D. Christie, Robina Afzal, Shrishtee Kandoi, Kristen Whitney, Margaret M. Krassner, Hadley Ressler, Soong Ho Kim, Diana Dangoor, Megan A. Iida, Alicia Casella, Ruth H. Walker, Melissa J. Nirenberg, Alan E. Renton, Bergan Babrowicz, Giovanni Coppola, Towfique Raj, Günter U. Höglinger, Ulrich Müller, Lawrence I. Golbe, Huw R. Morris, John Hardy, Tamas Revesz, Tom T. Warner, Zane Jaunmuktane, Kin Y. Mok, Rosa Rademakers, Dennis W. Dickson, Owen A. Ross, Li San Wang, Alison Goate, Gerard Schellenberg, Daniel H. Geschwind, Justo García de Yebenes, Fairlie Hinton, John F. Crary. Nature Communications

Human whole-exome genotype data for Alzheimer’s disease. Yuk Yee Leung, Adam C. Naj, Yi Fan Chou, Otto Valladares, Michael Schmidt, Kara Hamilton-Nelson, Nicholas Wheeler, Honghuang Lin, Prabhakaran Gangadharan, Liming Qu, Kaylyn Clark, Amanda B. Kuzma, Wan Ping Lee, Laura Cantwell, Heather Nicaretta, Sven van der Lee, Adam English, Divya Kalra, Donna Muzny, Evette Skinner, Harsha Doddapeneni, Huyen Dinh, Jianhong Hu, Jireh Santibanez, Joy Jayaseelan, Kim Worley, Richard A. Gibbs, Sandra Lee, Shannon Dugan-Perez, Viktoriya Korchina, Waleed Nasser, Xiuping Liu, Yi Han, Yiming Zhu, Yue Liu, Ziad Khan, Congcong Zhu, Fangui Jenny Sun, Gyungah R. Jun, Jaeyoon Chung, John Farrell, Xiaoling Zhang, Eric Banks, Namrata Gupta, Stacey Gabriel, Mariusz Butkiewicz, Penelope Benchek, Sandra Smieszek, Yeunjoo Song, Badri Vardarajan, Christiane Reitz, Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer, Giuseppe Tosto, Phillip L. De Jager, Sandra Barral, Yiyi Ma, Alexa Beiser, Ching Ti Liu, Josee Dupuis, Kathy Lunetta, L. Adrienne Cupples, Seung Hoan Choi, Yuning Chen, Jesse Mez, Ashley Vanderspek, M. Arfan Ikram, Shahzad Ahmad, Kelley Faber, Tatiana Foroud, Elisabeth Mlynarski, Helena Schmidt, Reinhold Schmidt, Brian Kunkle, Farid Rajabli, Gary Beecham, Jeffrey M. Vance, Larry D. Adams, Michael Cuccaro, Pedro Mena, Briana M. Booth, Alan Renton, Alison Goate, Edoardo Marcora, Adam Stine, Michael Feolo, Lenore J. Launer, Daniel C. Koboldt, Richard K. Wilson, Cornelia van Duijn, Najaf Amin, Manav Kapoor, William Salerno, David A. Bennett, Li Charlie Xia, John Malamon, Thomas H. Mosley, Claudia Satizabal, Bressler Jan Bressler, Xueqiu Jian, Alejandro Q. Nato, Andrea R. Horimoto, Bowen Wang, Bruce Psaty, Daniela Witten, Debby Tsuang, Elizabeth Blue, Ellen Wijsman, Harkirat Sohi, Hiep Nguyen, Joshua C. Bis, Kenneth Rice, Lisa Brown, Michael Dorschner, Mohamad Saad, Pat Navas, Rafael Nafikov, Timothy Thornton, Tyler Day, Jacob Haut, Jin Sha, Nancy Zhang, Taha Iqbal, Yi Zhao, Jennifer E. Below, David E. Larson, Elizabeth Appelbaum, Jason Waligorski, Lucinda Antonacci-Fulton, Robert S. Fulton, Jonathan Haines, Lindsay Farrer, Sudha Seshadri, Zoran Brkanac, Carlos Cruchaga, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Richard P. Mayeux, William S. Bush, Anita Destefano, Eden Martin, Gerard D. Schellenberg, Li San Wang. Nature Communications

View All Publications

Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology companies, and other outside entities to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their outside financial relationships.

Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Goate during 2023 and/or 2024. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.

Consulting or Other Professional Services Examples include, but are not limited to, committee participation, data safety monitoring board (DSMB) membership

  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.