Principal Investigator
Fernanda G. De Felice
Fernanda De Felice is an Associate Professor at the Center for Neurosciences Studies & Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences and Psychiatry at Queen’s University, Canada. De Felice obtained her B.Sc. Degree in Biology at UFRJ in 1994. She obtained her M.Sc. (1997) and her Ph.D. (2002) degrees in Biological Chemistry in the Institute of Medical Biochemistry at UFRJ. Dr. De Felice performed her postdoctoral training on Neurobiology of Alzheimer’s Disease under the supervision of Prof. William Klein at the Department of neurobiology & Physiology at Northwestern University, USA, from 2005 to 2008.
Research Interest
Dr. De Felice’s research sits at the interface between AD and metabolism and her group made pioneering contributions on the links between AD, diabetes and inflammation. Dr. De Felice led innovative studies on the actions of hormones in Alzheimer’s disease. She conducted seminal work on the mechanisms leading to defective insulin signaling in Alzheimer’s disease. Her recent study showing that irisin, an exercise-linked hormone, has protective actions in AD has received widespread interest from the scientific community and media all over the World. Her studies, along with clinical observations, have contribute to understand how neuronal dysfunction occurs in the brains of AD patients and are contributing to comprehend how lifestyle interventions, in particular physical exercise, have the potential to preserve brain health and prevent or delay AD.
