Our team
Research, education, and outreach collaborations currently include a broad range of stakeholders. Faculty and staff from several University of Minnesota schools and colleges, as well state, regional, and national university, laboratory, regulatory, and Tribal partners are involved in lines of neurodegenerative disease research.
Join us:
The University of Minnesota is uniquely prepared to address neurodegenerative diseases. As a comprehensive university with an expansive realm of expertise, the U of M has many of the necessary tools and facilities to safely and efficiently address these diseases.
Our science is grounded by our location at the intersection of three environmental biomes, making our results relevant to much of North America. This multidisciplinary think-tank atmosphere has emerged as a national hub for strategic partnerships in neurodegenerative disease study.
Interested in adding your expertise to the robust network of MNPRO collaborators?
MNPRO leadership
College of Veterinary Medicine
Co-director
Peter Larsen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Larsen leads a diverse research program that focuses on the discovery of emerging infectious diseases, field-based molecular diagnostics, and the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease. Peter has over 18 years of research experience in molecular biology and genomics. The Larsen laboratory focuses on the application of cutting-edge genomic technologies to critical issues facing Minnesota's food production, economy, and environment. Dr. Larsen is leading a team at the UMN that is focused on the development of advanced diagnostic tools for the detection of Chronic Wasting Disease and he has organized a number of CWD educational and outreach events throughout the state of Minnesota, all aimed at sharing the latest science surrounding CWD research.
Co-director
Tiffany Wolf is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine and an Associate Fellow of the Institute on the Environment. She is a wildlife epidemiologist with a strong background in ecosystem health as well as over 10 years of experience in zoo and wildlife medicine as a clinical veterinarian. Her research focuses on multi-host pathogen transmission systems and the adaptation and application of epidemiological methods to study disease and their impacts on wildlife populations in the context of ecosystem health.
Director of engineering
Sang-Hyun Oh is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Sanford P. Bordeau Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. For over 15 years, Dr. Oh has been leading a multi-disciplinary research team that focuses on developing microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems, nano-optical sensors, and field-portable diagnostic tools. The members of the Oh lab work at the interface between nanotechnology and life sciences toward harnessing cutting-edge fabrication techniques to develop better diagnostic sensors. He joined the MNPRO team at its inception and collaborated on the development of advanced diagnostic tools for the detection of infectious prions. Dr. Oh is a Fellow of Optica (formerly Optical Society of America) and received faculty awards from DARPA, ONR, NSF, ACS, and 3M.
Associate director
Marc Schwabenlander is the Associate Director at the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach. He is a wildlife disease specialist with a background in wildlife management, 15+ years of veterinary post-mortem investigation, public health administration and policy, and a life-long history of hunting and actively participating in conservation groups. Marc's research interests include zoonotic infectious diseases, translational research, One Health, and human dimensions of wildlife and disease management.
MNPRO staff
Environmental lab tech
Lab tech/manager
Environmental researcher
Lead lab tech
Lab tech/manager
Lab tech
Environmental Researcher
Administrative associate
MNPRO post-docs, residents, students
College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Science and Engineering
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
Rachel Shoemaker
College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
College of Science and Engineering
College of Science and Engineering
College of Biological Sciences
College of Biological Sciences
Research Associates
Creighton University
Research Partners
The Ohio State University
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences & U.S. Geological Survey
College of Biological Sciences
Minnesota Board of Animal Health
USDA - FSIS
CKWRI, Texas A&M Kingsville
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
South Dakota State University
Mississippi State University Deer Lab