Ekaterina Rogaeva

Dr. Ekaterina Rogaeva obtained her PhD in Biochemistry at Moscow State University (Russia) in 1988. Since 1992, she has been conducting molecular genetics research on neurodegenerative diseases at the University of Toronto and the Tanz CRND. In 2002, Dr. Rogaeva became an Assistant Professor, and in 2016 she earned her current title of Professor in the Department of Neurology (Faculty of Medicine) at the University of Toronto. In 2013, Dr. Rogaeva obtained a Chair position in Research on Dementia with Lewy Bodies at the Tanz CRND.

For the past 20 years, Dr. Rogaeva has contributed substantially to the development of effective genetic testing of different forms of dementia and movement disorders in her clinical practice, with a strong focus on Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Dr. Rogaeva played a central role in the discovery and characterization of the two presenilin genes responsible for the most aggressive form of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as the SORL1 gene associated with common late-onset forms of Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr. Rogaeva's current focus is on genetic and epigenetic studies of C9orf72. Since DNA methylation (DNAm) is closely linked to aging (the strongest risk factor for all neurodegenerative disorders), Dr. Rogaeva is conducting investigation of DNAm-age acceleration in connection to the disease age at onset and severity.

Dr. Rogaeva is the author of 310 peer-reviewed publications.

Role(s): 

Chair in Research on Dementia with Lewy Bodies at Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease

Professor, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Department of Medicine