United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Rehabilitation Research & Development Service

Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Tshaka Cunningham, PhD

Photo of Dr. Cunningham

Dr. Cunningham is the Scientific Program Manager for Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases. He is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a BA degree in molecular biology. He then worked as a research scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc, where he developed biological screening assays to identify drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. His desire to understand human retroviruses led him back into academia and a PhD in virology. His doctoral thesis was on species-specific restriction, integration, and nuclear import of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) at Rockefeller University in New York. Dr. Cunningham has served as a technology development consultant to small biotechnology companies and has been an invited columnist on scientific and social issues for Nature magazine and The Scientist. In addition, he is an adjunct assistant professor in the Microbiology Department at Howard University School of Medicine where he lectures in the medical virology course for medical and dental students. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, and at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.

Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are devastating and currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases that plague Veterans and civilians alike. Notably, the increased incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among returning service members from operations OIF/OEF may lead higher numbers of Veterans developing these and other insidious neurological disorders over time. Accordingly, one of the primary goals within the Rehabilitation Research and Development (RR&D) service is to sponsor cutting-edge basic and clinical research on neurodegenerative diseases and aging in order to facilitate the rapid development of effective new treatments and rehabilitative strategies for Veterans suffering from these conditions. During the last four decades, major advances in biotechnology, such as recombinant DNA technology, DNA microarrays, virus-based gene delivery vectors, and proteomics platforms, have made possible a new age of molecular medicine. In addition, the emerging field of stem cell biology provides yet another avenue for scientists to explore when pioneering new therapeutic interventions. Several of our RR&D sponsored researchers are using these new molecular tools and cellular technologies to develop more effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases afflicting Veterans.

The Neurodegenerative Diseases and Aging program will in, the future, seek to:

  • Elucidate the underlying molecular and genetic factors that may influence a Veteran’s rehabilitation from neurodegenerative and age-related degenerative diseases
  • Promote the discovery of novel chemical or biological therapies for neurodegenerative and age-related degenerative diseases and facilitate the rapid translation of such therapies into clinical use for maximum benefit to Veterans
  • Foster the creation of new physical rehabilitation strategies for Veterans suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions
  • Understand the combined effects of aging and TBI on rehabilitation outcomes amongst TBI-afflicted Veterans (especially those from operations OIF/OEF)

For inquiries regarding the RR&D Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases program, please contact: Tshaka Cunningham, PhD email: tshaka.cunningham@va.gov or (202) 443-5758.