Celeste Karch

Celeste Karch

Professor of Psychiatry

Education & Training


  • PhD: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2009
  • BA: Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI, 2005

Major Awards


  • Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Investigator, 2019
  • Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Disease Young Investigator Award, 2017
  • Charleston Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease Early Career Investigator, 2015
  • NIH Early Career Reviewer, 2014
  • Butler-Williams Scholar, 2013

Research Interests


neurodegeneration, neurogenetics, functional genomics, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, tau, amyloid precursor protein, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), cell and molecular biology, molecular mechanisms

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Key Publications


    • Jiang Shan,Wen Natalie,Li Zeran,Dube Umber,Del Aguila Jorge,Budde John,Martinez Rita,Hsu Simon,Fernandez Maria V.,Cairns Nigel J.,Harari Oscar,Cruchaga Carlos,Karch Celeste M.,;Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP;;
      Read publication »Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP
    • Broce IJ, Tan CH, Fan CC, Jansen I, Savage JE, Witoelar A, Wen N, Hess CP, Dillon WP, Glastonbury CM, Glymour M, Yokoyama JS, Elahi FM, Rabinovici GD, Miller BL, Mormino EC, Sperling RA, Bennett DA, McEvoy LK, Brewer JB, Feldman HH, Hyman BT, Pericak-Vance M, Haines JL, Farrer LA, Mayeux R, Schellenberg GD, Yaffe K, Sugrue LP, Dale AM, Posthuma D, Andreassen OA, Karch CM, Desikan RS, (2019 Feb). Dissecting the genetic relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease. Acta Neuropathol.. 137(2): 209-226.
      Read publication »Dissecting the genetic relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease.
    • Karch Celeste M.,Hernández Damián,Wang Jen-Chyong,Marsh Jacob,Hewitt Alex W.,Hsu Simon,Norton Joanne,Levitch Denise,Donahue Tamara,Sigurdson Wendy,Ghetti Bernardino,Farlow Martin,Chhatwal Jasmeer,Berman Sarah,Cruchaga Carlos,Morris John C.,Bateman Randall J.,Pébay Alice,Goate Alison M.,;Human fibroblast and stem cell resource from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network;;
      Read publication »Human fibroblast and stem cell resource from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network
    • Karch Celeste M.,Wen Natalie,Fan Chun C.,Yokoyama Jennifer S.,Kouri Naomi,Ross Owen A.,Höglinger Gunter,Müller Ulrich,Ferrari Raffaele,Hardy John,Schellenberg Gerard D.,Sleiman Patrick M.,Momeni Parastoo,Hess Christopher P.,Miller Bruce L.,Sharma Manu,Van Deerlin Vivianna,Smeland Olav B.,Andreassen Ole A.,Dale Anders M.,Desikan Rahul S.,;Selective Genetic Overlap Between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Diseases of the Frontotemporal Dementia Spectrum;July 2018;;
      Read publication »Selective Genetic Overlap Between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Diseases of the Frontotemporal Dementia Spectrum
    • Sato Chihiro,Barthélemy Nicolas R.,Mawuenyega Kwasi G.,Patterson Bruce W.,Gordon Brian A.,Jockel-Balsarotti Jennifer,Sullivan Melissa,Crisp Matthew J.,Kasten Tom,Kirmess Kristopher M.,Kanaan Nicholas M.,Yarasheski Kevin E.,Baker-Nigh Alaina,Benzinger Tammie L.S.,Miller Timothy M.,Karch Celeste M.,Bateman Randall J.,;Tau Kinetics in Neurons and the Human Central Nervous System;;
      Read publication »Tau Kinetics in Neurons and the Human Central Nervous System
    • Cruchaga C, Karch CM, Jin SC, Benitez BA, Cai Y, Guerreiro R, Harari O, Norton J, Budde J, Bertelsen S, Jeng AT, Cooper B, Skorupa T, Carrell D, Levitch D, Hsu S, Choi J, Ryten M, UK Brain Expression Consortium, Hardy J, Ryten M, Trabzuni D, Weale ME, Ramasamy A, Smith C, Sassi C, Bras J, Gibbs JR, Hernandez DG, Lupton MK, Powell J, Forabosco P, Ridge PG, Corcoran CD, Tschanz JT, Norton MC, Munger RG, Schmutz C, Leary M, Demirci FY, Bamne MN, Wang X, Lopez OL, Ganguli M, Medway C, Turton J, Lord J, Braae A, Barber I, Brown K, Alzheimer’s Research UK Consortium, Passmore P, Craig D, Johnston J, McGuinness B, Todd S, Heun R, Kölsch H, Kehoe PG, Hooper NM, Vardy ER, Mann DM, Pickering-Brown S, Brown K, Kalsheker N, Lowe J, Morgan K, David Smith A, Wilcock G, Warden D, Holmes C, Pastor P, Lorenzo-Betancor O, Brkanac Z, Scott E, Topol E, Morgan K, Rogaeva E, Singleton AB, Hardy J, Kamboh MI, St George-Hyslop P, Cairns N, Morris JC, Kauwe JS, Goate AM (2014 Jan 23). Rare coding variants in the phospholipase D3 gene confer risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Nature. 505(7484): 550-4.
      Read publication »Rare coding variants in the phospholipase D3 gene confer risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

    See more publications

    Funded Research Projects


    BrightFocus Karch (PI) 7/1/18-6/30/20
    CXCR4 as a modifier of tau aggregation in Alzheimer’s disease
    Role: PI

    Knight ADRC Pilot (Washington University) Karch (PI) 5/1/18-4/30/19
    Defining the Role of CXCR4 in Alzheimer’s Disease
    Role: PI

    Rainwater Charitable Foundation Karch (PI) 9/1/17-8/31/19
    Accelerating of Disease Phenotypes in a Stem Cell Model of Tauopathy?
    Role: PI

    Alzheimer’s Association Karch (PI) 9/1/17-8/30/20
    A role for PLD3 in the autophagy-lysosome pathway and Aß clearance
    Role: PI

    Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funding Period: 1/1/19-12/31/22
    Molecular mechanisms of the central regulator of TREM2 dysfunction
    Role: PI

    NIH-NIA R01AG058501 Funding Period: 7/15/2018 – 3/31/2023
    Genetic Modifiers of Cerebrospinal Fluid TREM2 in Alzheimer’s Disease
    Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Cruchaga, Piccio)

    NIH-NIA U01 AG052411 Cruchaga, Goate, Zhang (PI) 5/1/16-4/30/20
    Identification and characterization of AD risk networks using multi-dimensional “omics” data
    Role: Co-Investigator

    NIH-NIA R01 AG056293 Temple (PI) 8/1/17-4/30/22
    Impact of Aging in Human Cell Models of Alzheimer’s Disease
    Role: Co-Investigator

    NIH R01 MH116999 Dougherty (PI) 7/1/18-6/30/23
    Highly parallel analysis of 5′ and 3′ UTR variants in Autism Spectrum Disorders
    Role: Co-Investigator

    NIH-NIA R01AG062359 Kampmann (PI) 9/30/18-5/31/23
    Systematic Elucidation of Endosomal Trafficking as a Therapeutic Opportunity in AD using CRISPR-based Functional Genomics
    Role: Co-Investigator