Aaron D. Thome

Aaron D. Thome, PhD

Assistant Research Professor of Neurology, Academic Institute
Houston Methodist
Weill Cornell Medical College


athome@houstonmethodist.org
Biography

Aaron D. Thome, Ph.D. grew up in Houston, Texas and completed his bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Following this, he completed his doctorate work at the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics (CNET) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  Dr. Thome's research here focused on microglial and neuroinflammatory mechanisms attributed to alpha-synuclein in models of Parkinson's disease. He then completed his Edwards Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute under Stanley H. Appel, M.D., the Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair for ALS and Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology Chair. Dr. Thome is currently primary faculty in the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology, and Assistant Research Member for the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

Description of Research

Current research interest involves elucidating the underlying neuroinflammatory mechanisms in neurodegenerative disease, specifically in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. His research utilizes human clinical samples and mouse pre-clinical models of disease to identify stage-specific immune changes in neurodegeneration and to develop translational therapeutics for immune modulation to target disease progression.

Areas Of Expertise

Neurodegenerative diseases Parkinson’s disease Microglia Neuroinflammation Immunomodulation Alzheimer's disease
Education & Training

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Baylor College of Medicine
BS, Texas A&M University
PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Publications

A phase 1 proof-of-concept study evaluating safety, tolerability, and biological marker responses with combination therapy of CTLA4-Ig and interleukin-2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Thonhoff, JR, Beers, DR, Zhao, W, Faridar, A, Thome, A, Wen, S, Zhang, A, Wang, J & Appel, SH 2024, , Frontiers in Neurology, vol. 15, 1415106, pp. 1415106. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1415106

A phase 1 open-label pilot study of low-dose interleukine-2 immunotherapy in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Faridar, A, Eid, AM, Thome, AD, Zhao, W, Beers, DR, Pascual, MB, Nakawah, MO, Roman, GC, Davis, CS, Grundman, M, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2023, , Translational Neurodegeneration, vol. 12, no. 1, 54, pp. 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-023-00387-5

A phase 1 open-label pilot study of low-dose interleukine-2 immunotherapy in patients with Alzheimer's disease
Faridar, A, Eid, AM, Thome, AD, Zhao, W, Beers, DR, Pascual, MB, Nakawah, MO, Roman, GC, Davis, CS, Grundman, M, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2023, , Translational Neurodegeneration, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-023-00387-5

Combined Regulatory T-Lymphocyte and IL-2 Treatment Is Safe, Tolerable, and Biologically Active for 1 Year in Persons With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Thonhoff, JR, Berry, JD, Macklin, EA, Beers, DR, Mendoza, PA, Zhao, W, Thome, AD, Triolo, F, Moon, JJ, Paganoni, S, Cudkowicz, M & Appel, SH 2022, , Neurology: Neuroimmunology and NeuroInflammation, vol. 9, no. 6, e200019. https://doi.org/10.1212/NXI.0000000000200019

Ex vivo expanded human regulatory T cells modify neuroinflammation in a preclinical model of Alzheimer’s disease
Faridar, A, Vasquez, M, Thome, AD, Yin, Z, Xuan, H, Wang, JH, Wen, S, Li, X, Thonhoff, JR, Zhao, W, Zhao, H, Beers, DR, Wong, STC, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2022, , Acta Neuropathologica Communications, vol. 10, no. 1, 144. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-022-01447-z

Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Ex Vivo Expanded Regulatory T Cells Modulate In Vitro and In Vivo Inflammation
Thome, AD, Thonhoff, JR, Zhao, W, Faridar, A, Wang, J, Beers, DR & Appel, SH 2022, , Frontiers in immunology, vol. 13, 875825, pp. 875825. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.875825

Tregs Attenuate Peripheral Oxidative Stress and Acute Phase Proteins in ALS
Beers, DR, Thonhoff, JR, Faridar, A, Thome, AD, Zhao, W, Wen, S & Appel, SH 2022, , Annals of Neurology, vol. 92, no. 2, pp. 195-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26375

Ex vivo expansion of dysfunctional regulatory T lymphocytes restores suppressive function in Parkinson’s disease
Thome, AD, Atassi, F, Wang, J, Faridar, A, Zhao, W, Thonhoff, JR, Beers, DR, Lai, EC & Appel, SH 2021, , npj Parkinsons Disease, vol. 7, no. 1, 41, pp. 41. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-021-00188-5

Serum programmed cell death proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Beers, DR, Zhao, W, Thonhoff, JR, Faridar, A, Thome, AD, Wen, S, Wang, J & Appel, SH 2021, , Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health, vol. 12, 100209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100209

Serum programmed cell death proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Beers, DR, Zhao, W, Thonhoff, JR, Faridar, A, Thome, AD, Wen, S, Wang, J & Appel, SH 2021, , Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, vol. 12, 100209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100209

Elevated acute phase proteins reflect peripheral inflammation and disease severity in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Beers, DR, Zhao, W, Neal, DW, Thonhoff, JR, Thome, AD, Faridar, A, Wen, S, Wang, J & Appel, SH 2020, , Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, 15295, pp. 15295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72247-5

Elevated acute phase proteins reflect peripheral inflammation and disease severity in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Beers, D, Zhao, W, Neal, D, Thonhoff, JR, Thome, AD, Faridar, A & Appel, SH 2020, , Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, 32943739.

Immunosuppressive Functions of M2 Macrophages Derived from iPSCs of Patients with ALS and Healthy Controls
Zhao, W, Beers, DR, Thonhoff, JR, Thome, AD, Faridar, A, Wang, J, Wen, S, Ornelas, L, Sareen, D, Goodridge, HS, Svendsen, CN & Appel, SH 2020, , iScience, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 101192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101192

Immunosuppressive Functions of M2 Macrophages Derived from iPSCs of Patients with ALS and Healthy Controls
Zhao, W, Beers, DR, Thonhoff, JR, Thome, AD, Faridar, A, Wang, J, Wen, S, Ornelas, L, Sareen, D, Goodridge, HS, Svendsen, CN & Appel, SH 2020, , iScience, vol. 23, no. 6, 101192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101192

Restoring regulatory T-cell dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease through ex vivo expansion
Faridar, A, Thome, AD, Zhao, W, Thonhoff, JR, Beers, DR, Pascual, B, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2020, , Brain Communications, vol. 2, no. 2, fcaa112. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaa112

Restoring regulatory T-cell dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease through ex vivo expansion
Faridar, A, Thome, AD, Zhao, W, Thonhoff, JR, Beers, DR, Pascual, B, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2020, , Brain communications, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. fcaa112. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaa112

Functional alterations of myeloid cells during the course of Alzheimer's disease
Thome, AD, Faridar, A, Beers, DR, Thonhoff, JR, Zhao, W, Wen, S, Pascual, B, Masdeu, JC & Appel, SH 2018, , Molecular Neurodegeneration, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-018-0293-1

Targeting of the class II transactivator attenuates inflammation and neurodegeneration in an alpha-synuclein model of Parkinson's disease
Williams, GP, Schonhoff, AM, Jurkuvenaite, A, Thome, AD, Standaert, DG & Harms, AS 2018, , Journal of Neuroinflammation, vol. 15, no. 1, 244. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-018-1286-2

Peripheral monocyte entry is required for alpha-Synuclein induced inflammation and Neurodegeneration in a model of Parkinson disease
Harms, AS, Thome, AD, Yan, Z, Schonhoff, AM, Williams, GP, Li, X, Liu, Y, Qin, H, Benveniste, EN & Standaert, DG 2018, , Experimental Neurology, vol. 300, pp. 179-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.11.010

a-Synuclein fibrils recruit peripheral immune cells in the rat brain prior to neurodegeneration
Harms, AS, Delic, V, Thome, AD, Bryant, N, Liu, Z, Chandra, S, Jurkuvenaite, A & West, AB 2017, , Acta Neuropathologica Communications, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-017-0494-9

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