Oscar Harari, PhD

Helen C. Kurtz Associate Professor of Neurology
Director of the Division of Neurogenetics Director of the Neurobiology of Aging & Resilience Center

395 W. 12th Ave., 7th Floor
Columbus, OH 43210
Oscar.Harari@osumc.edu

Dr. Harari's research bridges the fields of data science, bioinformatics, and human genomics. He leads a multidisciplinary team that leverages high-dimensional genomic data, including single-cell and spatially resolved transcriptomics, to study neurodegeneration and improve the understanding of complex disease biology.

His research focuses on genetic and functional genomic studies of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. His group combines omics approaches from postmortem human brains with the latest experimental models to provide better insights into the mechanisms by which coding and non-coding variants associated with the disease mediate risk. Specifically, he examines the impact of the neurovascular unit in Alzheimer's, studies autosomal dominant forms of the disease (with mutations in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2), investigates sex differences, and explores Alzheimer's molecular heterogeneity. All these efforts aim to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic treatments to enable precision medicine approaches for neurodegeneration.

Research Interests

• Neurogenetics
• Neurobiology of Aging and Resilience
• Alzheimer’s

Education

• Graduate Program: PhD, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence University of Granada, Spain
• Postdoctoral Fellowship: Genetics of Neurodegenerative Disease, Washington University in St. Louis, MO

Editorial Boards

• Alzheimer’s & Dementia
• Alzheimer's Research & Therapy
• Bio- and Medical Informatics and Cybernetics
• Acta Neuropathologica
• BMC Bioinformatics
• Neurocomputing
• Brain Communications
• Frontiers Neuroscience
• Molecular Neurodegeneration
• Neurobiology of Disease
• Nature Communications
• PLoS ONE
• Progress in Neurobiology
• PLoS Biology
• Acta Neuropathologica Communications
• Molecular Psychiatry
• Journal of Neuroscience
• Theoretical Chemistry Accounts
• BMC Neurology
• BMC Medicine
• Brain
• Human molecular genetics
• Genome Medicine
• Neurobiology of Aging
• Nature Aging
• NPJ Genomic Medicine
• Frontiers in Genetics
• Science Translational Medicine
• IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
• Genome Biology 

Professional Activities

• American Society of Human Genetics
• Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences
• Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
• Hope Center for Neurological Disorders Investigator
• Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's
• Research and Treatment
• Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium

Honors and Awards

• 2006-2008
  Becas MAE-AECI
  Scholarship for Graduate Studies of foreigners in Spanish Universities.
  Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, España
• 2007
  IEEE FUZZ-IEEE 2007 Conference, Travel fellowship
  Summer Computer Simulation Conference 2007, Best contribution award.
• 2010-2012
  WU Statistical Training in Addiction Genetics Methodology
  Washington University Research education grant for statistical training in the generics of addictions (R25), National Institute on Drug Abuse. DA027995.
• 2013
  Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), Travel Fellowship
• 2016-2018
  Junior Faculty fellowship “Research Education Program on Computational and Statistical tool development for Addiction Genetics (R25)”
• 2017
  International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease Travel Fellowship
  DIAD Family Conference, Young Investigator Award
  NIH Early Career Reviewer Program
• 2018-2022
  Alzheimer’s Association International Conference Scientific program committee reviewer
  Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network investigator
  Translation Psychiatry first in the editor’s picks for the manuscript “Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP”
• 2019
  Alzheimer’s Association International Conference Student & Postdoc Poster Judge
• 2020
  Archer Foundation Research Scientist

Advisory and Consulting

• Founder and Scientific Advisory Board, MedGenesis Therapeutics
• Scientific Advisory Board, Biomedical Research and Regenerative Medicine (INBIOMED), San Sebastian, Span
• Medical and Scientific Advisor, The AADC Research Trust Board of Directors, UK
• Member of the Pediatric Neurotransmitter Disease (PND) Association Medical & Scientific (M&S) Advisory Board
• Founder and Scientific Advisor, Voyager Therapeutics
• Scientific Advisor, Pfizer

Grants and Projects

Research 

Governmental 

•  2015
  Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen, Research Foundation
  Flanders, Belgium
• 2017-18
  Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (FONCYT) de
  Argentina
• 2018
  The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
• 2018-19
  Alzheimer's Research UK
• 2019
  Funding Opportunities Parkinson's Research Program, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, US Dept. of Defense
  Gene Environment Interaction (GEI) panel Early Detection (MED) panel
• 2019-2020
  NIH Study Section Special Emphasis Panel “Small Business:Neuroscience Assay, Diagnostics and Animal Model Development” - (SEP) ETTN (13)
• 2020
  NIH Study Section Neurological, Aging and Musculoskeletal
  Epidemiology – (NAME)
  NIH “Neurodifferentiation, Plasticity, Regeneration and Rhythmicity” (NDPR)
• 2021 NIH
  Study Section Early Independence Award (DP5) - ZRG1 PSE-H (70) R
• 2022 NIH
  Study Section Special emphasis panel “Bioengineering, Cellular and Circuit Neuroscience”- ZRG1 ETTN-J(02)
• 2023
  Chan Zuckerberg Initiative - Neurodegeneration Computational Fellows Program
  NIH - Special Emphasis Panel [ZRG1 MBBC -R (55) R] “Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) (R35) “
  Belgian Alzheimer Foundation
  NIH - Neurological, Mental and Behavioral Health (NMBH)
• 2024
  Reviewer of the New Zealand’s Neurological Foundation
  Standing member of the NIH Neurological, Mental and Behavioral Health (NMBH) Study Section

Non-governmental 

• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  Title: Novel CSF biomarkers for Neurodegeneration/Cognitive Decline
  Funding Period: 12/1/2018-11/30/2021
• Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation GDAPB-201807-2015632
  Role: Co-Investigator
  Title: Plasma Cell-Free RNA as Alzheimer's Disease Non-Invasive Biomarker
  Funding Period: 11/15/2019-11/15/2021
• Archer Found
  Role: Principal Investigator
  Title: Novel CSF biomarkers for Neurodegeneration/Cognitive Decline
  Funding Period: 1/1/2020-12/31/2022
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative - NDCN Collaboration Supplement Application Form
  Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  Title: Reading out changes in cell composition using deconvolution of CSF EV RNA
  Funding Period: 9/15/2021-8/14/2021

Completed 

Governmental

• NIH-NIA P50 AG05681 - Knight ADRC Pilot Project
  Role: Principal Investigator
  Title: Cell-free DNA and RNA as Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Tools
  Funding Period: 5/1/2017-4/30/2018
• NIH-NIA 3R01AG057777-02S1
  Role: Principal Investigator
  Administrative supplement to determine molecular signatures of Alzheimer Disease brains using
  metabolomic, lipidomic and epigenetic approaches
  Funding Period: 9/1/2019 – 05/31/2020

Non-governmental

• The McDonnell Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
  Role: Principal Investigator
  Title: Characterization of the brain cellular population structure altered in AD
  Funding Period: 7/1/2018-6/30/2019
• Hope Center Pilot Project
  Role: Principal Investigator
  Title: Novel CSF biomarkers for Neurodegeneration/Cognitive Decline
  Funding Period: 1/1/2020-12/31/2020