Puneet Opal, MD, PhD
Professor, Neurology
Research Program
- Translational Research in Malignancy (TRIM)
Cancer-Focused Research
As a physician-scientist, I specialize in movement disorders. I established and currently direct Northwestern's Denning Ataxia Clinic, where my interactions with patients fuel my laboratory's research into the molecular and cellular basis of neurodegeneration. These pathways are also involved in the pathogenesis of developmental and cancer syndromes, and we have contributed to the study of cancer biology either alone or in collaboration with other groups. I am a member of the Clinical Research Consortium for Spinocerebellar Ataxias, which will facilitate the design and recruitment for clinical trials of promising therapies, and for the last 3 years, I have led the Ataxia Global Liquid Biomarker Working Group. My ultimate goal is to develop viable treatments for diseases that currently have none.