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Saginaw Valley State University

April 16, 2025

SVSU to host Alzheimer’s researcher for public lecture

Nicholas Kanaan, Ph.D., internationally recognized expert, to speak April 22

Photo of man in dark medical jacket leaning on railing

Saginaw Valley State University will host internationally recognized Alzheimer’s disease expert Nicholas Kanaan, Ph.D., for a public lecture on Tuesday, April 22. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts in SVSU’s Curtiss Hall. It is free and open to the public.

In his lecture, “Breakthroughs and Innovations: Recent Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease Research,” Kanaan will touch on advances in Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics, studies on Alzheimer’s disease risk modification, and resources available to the community.

A professor of translational neuroscience and the inaugural Maibach Smiley Professor Alzheimer’s Research at Michigan State University, Kanaan is at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research. His lab at MSU focuses on studying the molecular mechanisms underlying degenerative diseases and therapeutic strategies through a combination of experimental approaches. His group discovered a novel mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease that has opened opportunities for development of novel therapeutics.

Kanaan received a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience, psychology and sociology from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in neurological sciences from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He completed postdoctoral training in Chicago at Northwestern University, working with Lester “Skip” Binder, “the godfather of tau.” Tau is a protein found in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, neuron function is disrupted by the accumulation of an abnormal form of tau.

The lecture is made possible by the Field/Spicer Endowment in Science and Engineering. This endowment was established by E. Malcolm Field, M.D., and his wife, Lois, to promote interdisciplinary work that bridges health sciences, biology, engineering and technology, with an emphasis on neuroscience. The endowment supports research, fellowships and programming to promote research and education on the SVSU campus and in the community.