Dr. Holsingers’ research interests currently focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), specifically, the enzyme that initiates formation of Aβ amyloid plaques. Aβ amyloid deposition is the pathognomonic feature of AD and cytotoxic Aβ oligomers are considered to be responsible for neuronal degeneration. Aβ is proteolytically derived from the type 1 amyloid precursor protein (APP) by the sequential action of β- and γ-secretases. Since β-secretase (BACE1) initiates Aβ amyloid biogenesis, much emphasis has been placed on this enzyme as a probable target for therapeutic intervention.