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Kassandra Kisler, PhD

Assistant Professor of Research Physiology & Neuroscience

Assistant Director of the Optical Imaging Core and Research Operations for The Center for Neurodegeneration and Regeneration

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Phone +1 323 442 2565
Email [email protected]
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Overview

Dr. Kisler is the Assistant Director of the Optical Imaging Core at the Center for Neurodegeneration and Regeneration at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. She received her PhD in applied physics from Cornell University where she used a combination of microscopy and electrophysiology techniques to study cell biology. Her interests lie in understanding the contribution of neurovascular dysfunction to dementia and related conditions, and developing therapeutic and preventative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. She focuses on the application of in vivo imaging techniques to study vascular dynamics and the cells that regulate vascular function in the living brain. Vascular dysfunction and loss of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity occurs during Alzheimer’s disease progression and in several other neurological diseases, but the causes and consequences are not well understood. Dr. Kisler’s current work builds upon her experience to tackle important questions related to blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, vascular regulation and function, its relation to brain electrical activity, and the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s using transgenic model animals and in vitro approaches. In this role, she also investigates the effects of highly validated Alzheimer’s disease risk genes APOE4 and PICALM on neurovascular and brain function using microscopy, traditional biochemical techniques and next-generation omics technologies.

Publications

  • Multi-omic profiling reveals pericyte and smooth muscle cell contributions to CADASIL pathology in cell-specific Notch3 mutant mice. Cell Rep. 2026 Apr 16; 45(4):117285.. View in PubMed
  • APOE-Targeted Therapeutics for Alzheimer’s Disease. J Neurosci. 2025 11 12; 45(46).. View in PubMed
  • Brain pericytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells retain vascular and phagocytic functions under hypoxia. Stem Cells. 2025 10 16; 43(11).. View in PubMed
  • Neural xenografts contribute to long-term recovery in stroke via molecular graft-host crosstalk. Nat Commun. 2025 Sep 16; 16(1):8224.. View in PubMed
  • A Bivalent Protease-Activated Receptor-Derived Peptide Mimics Neuronal Anti-Apoptotic Activity of Activated Protein C. Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Aug 22; 12(9).. View in PubMed
  • The blood-brain barrier: a help and a hindrance. Brain. 2025 Jul 07; 148(7):2262-2282.. View in PubMed
  • The blood-brain barrier as a treatment target for neurodegenerative disorders. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2025 May; 22(5):673-692.. View in PubMed
  • Molecular signature and functional properties of human pluripotent stem cell-derived brain pericytes. bioRxiv. 2025 Apr 28.. View in PubMed
  • A molecular brain atlas reveals cellular shifts during the repair phase of stroke. J Neuroinflammation. 2025 Apr 18; 22(1):112.. View in PubMed
  • In vivo neuroprotection in ischemic stroke by activated protein C requires β-arrestin 2. Blood Vessel Thromb Hemost. 2025 Feb; 2(1).. View in PubMed
  • Anti-malaria drug artesunate prevents development of amyloid-β pathology in mice by upregulating PICALM at the blood-brain barrier. Mol Neurodegener. 2023 01 27; 18(1):7.. View in PubMed
  • A “multi-omics” analysis of blood-brain barrier and synaptic dysfunction in APOE4 mice. J Exp Med. 2022 11 07; 219(11).. View in PubMed
  • Imaging subtle leaks in the blood-brain barrier in the aging human brain: potential pitfalls, challenges, and possible solutions. Geroscience. 2022 06; 44(3):1339-1351.. View in PubMed
  • How the brain regulates its own immune system. Nat Neurosci. 2022 05; 25(5):532-534.. View in PubMed
  • Blood-brain barrier link to human cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2022 Feb; 1(2):108-115.. View in PubMed
  • Corrigendum: Acute ablation of cortical pericytes leads to rapid neurovascular uncoupling. Front Cell Neurosci. 2022; 16:1078919.. View in PubMed
  • Microglia have a grip on brain microvasculature. Nat Commun. 2021 09 06; 12(1):5290.. View in PubMed
  • On the intersection between systemic infection, brain vascular dysfunction and dementia. Brain. 2021 07 28; 144(6):1629-1631.. View in PubMed
  • Endothelial LRP1 protects against neurodegeneration by blocking cyclophilin A. J Exp Med. 2021 04 05; 218(4).. View in PubMed
  • Building vascular roadmaps: A novel toolset for visualizing and annotating whole mouse brain vasculature. Lab Anim (NY). 2020 06; 49(6):175-176.. View in PubMed
  • Channelrhodopsin Excitation Contracts Brain Pericytes and Reduces Blood Flow in the Aging Mouse Brain in vivo. Front Aging Neurosci. 2020; 12:108.. View in PubMed
  • Acute Ablation of Cortical Pericytes Leads to Rapid Neurovascular Uncoupling. Front Cell Neurosci. 2020; 14:27.. View in PubMed
  • Mitigating Antagonism between Transcription and Proliferation Allows Near-Deterministic Cellular Reprogramming. Cell Stem Cell. 2019 10 03; 25(4):486-500.e9.. View in PubMed
  • Pericyte loss leads to circulatory failure and pleiotrophin depletion causing neuron loss. Nat Neurosci. 2019 07; 22(7):1089-1098.. View in PubMed
  • The role of brain vasculature in neurodegenerative disorders. Nat Neurosci. 2018 10; 21(10):1318-1331.. View in PubMed
  • In vivo imaging and analysis of cerebrovascular hemodynamic responses and tissue oxygenation in the mouse brain. Nat Protoc. 2018 06; 13(6):1377-1402.. View in PubMed
  • Haploinsufficiency leads to neurodegeneration in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD human induced motor neurons. Nat Med. 2018 03; 24(3):313-325.. View in PubMed
  • Cerebral blood flow regulation and neurovascular dysfunction in Alzheimer disease. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2017 07; 18(7):419-434.. View in PubMed
  • Pericyte degeneration leads to neurovascular uncoupling and limits oxygen supply to brain. Nat Neurosci. 2017 Mar; 20(3):406-416.. View in PubMed
  • Live-Cell Imaging of the Estrogen Receptor by Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol. 2016; 1366:175-187.. View in PubMed
  • Central role for PICALM in amyloid-β blood-brain barrier transcytosis and clearance. Nat Neurosci. 2015 Jul; 18(7):978-87.. View in PubMed
  • Investigating contactless high frequency ultrasound microbeam stimulation for determination of invasion potential of breast cancer cells. Biotechnol Bioeng. 2013 Oct; 110(10):2697-705.. View in PubMed
  • Fluorescently-Labeled Estradiol Internalization and Membrane Trafficking in Live N-38 Neuronal Cells Visualized with Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy. J Steroids Horm Sci. 2013 Apr 20; Suppl 12.. View in PubMed
  • Influenza virus-membrane fusion triggered by proton uncaging for single particle studies of fusion kinetics. Anal Chem. 2012 Oct 16; 84(20):8480-9.. View in PubMed
  • Transparent Electrode Materials for Simultaneous Amperometric Detection of Exocytosis and Fluorescence Microscopy. J Biomater Nanobiotechnol. 2012; 3(2A):243-253.. View in PubMed
  • Role of the synaptobrevin C terminus in fusion pore formation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Oct 26; 107(43):18463-8.. View in PubMed
  • Improved surface-patterned platinum microelectrodes for the study of exocytotic events. Anal Chem. 2009 Nov 01; 81(21):8734-40.. View in PubMed
  • F-actin and myosin II accelerate catecholamine release from chromaffin granules. J Neurosci. 2009 Jan 21; 29(3):863-70.. View in PubMed
  • Electrochemical imaging of fusion pore openings by electrochemical detector arrays. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 27; 102(39):13879-84.. View in PubMed

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