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The next breakthrough in primary tauopathy research may come not from a single experiment, but from AI's ability to uncover patterns and connections hidden within vast amounts of scientific data. 🌐Through the Tau Consortium Learning Research Network (LRN), researchers have the opportunity to explore ambitious scientific questions while contributing to a more connected, AI-enabled research environment. With the October 30 Letter of Intent (LOI) deadline approaching, now is the time to join a growing effort to advance primary tauopathy research through AI-enabled science.

Some discoveries change a project. Others redefine a field. The Tau Consortium Learning Research Network (LRN) supports scientists who are ready to contribute to what’s next. 🔬The LRN is our AI-enabled approach advancing biological and translational science in primary tauopathies, helping researchers generate insights, build on prior learnings, and accelerate discovery.

For more than a decade, Dr. Dan Lee, a 2026 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop grantee, has pursued a question many researchers initially dismissed: could an overlooked modification of tau hold clues to neurodegenerative disease? His research focuses on citrullination, an underexplored and irreversible modification of tau that may influence how the protein folds, functions, and contributes to disease. By investigating how citrullination interacts with phosphorylation, his team hopes to uncover new insights that could inform future diagnostics and therapies. This work is supported through the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop in partnership with the Aging Mind Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association®, and CurePSP.

Meet Dr. Carlo Condello, a 2026 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop grantee. His research explores how different brain cell types may harbor distinct tau conformations and contribute to disease-specific pathology in 4R tauopathies, including progressive supranuclear palsy. Using a novel technique called EMBER imaging, his team has identified distinct tau signature folding patterns across multiple cell types, yielding insights that could pave the way for more precise diagnostics and targeted therapies. This work is supported through the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop in partnership with the Aging Mind Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association®, and CurePSP.

Every disease-associated tau structure begins with a set of molecular instructions. Dr. Sue-Ann Mok, a 2026 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop grantee, is working to decode those instructions and identify the signals that could interrupt tau aggregation before it progresses. By studying the molecular "blueprints" that guide tau proteins into disease-associated structures, her team is helping reveal how pathological tau takes shape, offering new understanding of the earliest stages of aggregation and disease progression. Her lab is also adapting and scaling innovative fingerprinting approaches to analyze tau structures more efficiently, creating new tools that could help researchers better understand disease mechanisms and evaluate future therapeutic strategies. This work is supported through the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop in partnership with the Aging Mind Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association®, and CurePSP.

What if tau doesn’t look the same in every cell it affects? Dr. Eddie Lee, a 2026 Tauopathy Challenge Workshop grantee, is investigating whether neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes each harbor distinct tau structures in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Using advanced cell isolation techniques and cryo-electron tomography, his team aims to visualize tau aggregates at unprecedented resolution and uncover how different cellular environments may shape disease pathology. By revealing cell-specific tau conformations, this work could deepen our understanding of PSP and open new avenues for diagnostics and therapeutic development. This work is supported through the Tauopathy Challenge Workshop in partnership with the Aging Mind Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association®, and CurePSP.