Johann Valera-Vega

Johann earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences under the Neurobiology, Physiology, and
Behavior track from Arizona State University. As an undergraduate, he conducted research
assessing the efficacy of myriad neurotherapeutic modalities for neurodegenerative diseases,
such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He defended his honors thesis on the use of the
irisin myokine as a potential neurotherapeutic in a rodent tauopathy model, supporting previous
work observing that irisin increases autophagic flux to clear aggregated tau in vitro. He also
completed an internship as part of the NSF REU summer program at the Marine Biological
Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, where he investigated the impacts of an α-synuclein inhibitor,
NPT100-18A, on the giant synapses of larval stage Atlantic sea lamprey. Overall, Johann is
interested in researching the links between environmental toxins and neurodegenerative
disorders, as well as assessing the impacts of PFAS chemicals on the neurophysiology of
model organisms. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, DJing, making art, and exploring
nature.
PhD Program: Unafilliated
Faculty Advisor: N/A
2025-2026 Status: 1st year
Contact: johann.valera-vega@duke.edu
Pronouns: he / him / his