Courtney is a Neurobiology PhD student at the University of Utah in the laboratory of Dr. Josh Bonkowsky. Her commitment to leukodystrophy research is driven by unyielding curiosity and a strong desire to develop regenerative myelin therapies. As the parent of a child with leukodystrophy, she contributes to the rare disease space not only as a researcher, but also as a caregiver and advocate.
Main Area of Research: Effective treatment of adrenoleukodystrophy — and leukodystrophies in general — requires a mechanistic understanding of the lipid economy that underlies myelin development, maintenance, and regeneration. As such, my research focuses on defining additional roles of ABCD1 in cellular lipid homeostasis, particularly in lipid trafficking at membrane contact sites. Does ABCD1-associated dysfunction in these processes contribute to disease pathology, and can their investigation reveal novel therapeutic targets for adrenoleukodystrophy?