Erhard Bieberich, PhD
Connect
859-323-8079Erhard.Bieberich@uky.edu
Positions
- Professor
College Unit(s)
Biography and Education
Education
1986: MS in Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Germany 1990: PhD in Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Germany 1990-1996: Post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Physiol. Chemistry, University of Bonn, Germany 1996-2000: Instructor and then Assistant Professor (1999) at the Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 2000-2017: Assistant, Associate (2004), and then full Professor (2011, tenured) at the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA 2017: Full Professor at the Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, GA
Research
Our lab is interested in understanding the function of lipids, particularly the sphingolipid ceramide, in neural development and neurodegeneration. We have discovered that ceramide is enriched in membranes and compartments (ceramide-enriched compartments) that are critical for the function of primary and motile cilia in neural progenitor cells in brain development and exosomes in Alzheimer's disease. Current and future research is focused on understanding specific ceramide-protein interactions that regulate cell signaling in stem and neuroprogenitor cells, glial cells, and neurons.