Jared M. Fine, PhD, serves as a Research Investigator at the HealthPartners Institute Neuroscience Research Center. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Dr. Fine is a pre-clinical scientist focusing on the development of therapeutics for neurological conditions, specializing in intranasal drug delivery methods and repurposing existing medications. For the past 20 years, Dr. Fine has led the preclinical research program at HealthPartners Institute Neuroscience Research Center and has made countless contributions to the advancement of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma.

Research interests:

• Advancing Repurposed Medications for Neurological Conditions. Many neurological disorders currently lack effective treatments, but medications originally developed for other uses may offer new therapeutic options. A central focus of Dr. Fine’s research is exploring how drugs like insulin and deferoxamine, which are already approved for different indications, might benefit conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Traumatic Brain Injury, and Spinal Cord Injury. Since many neurological diseases share common underlying etiological mechanisms, one repurposed treatment can often address multiple neurological conditions.
• Developing Novel Medications for Neurodegenerative Diseases. In addition to work with repurposed drugs, Dr. Fine often partners with industry and academic institutions to conduct preclinical studies on novel therapeutic candidates to treat neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma.
• Investigating Intranasal Administration to Deliver Therapeutics to the Central Nervous System. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Fine has played a pivotal role in establishing intranasal administration as a noninvasive approach for delivering peptides, proteins, and small molecules directly to the brain. His research has provided foundational mechanistic insights, demonstrated direct nose-to-brain transport pathways, and advanced several therapeutic candidates towards clinical translation.

Conducting Institute research since: 2006

Education and training: 

• BS, Biology, Colby College (1998)
• PhD, Physiology, University of Minnesota (2006)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Alzheimer’s Research Center, HealthPartners Institute (2006–2008)

Affiliations/other offices held:

• Member, Radiation Safety Committee, Regions Hospital
• Member, HealthPartners Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
• Member, Society for Neuroscience
• Member, National Neurotrauma Society
• Former Director, HealthPartners Neuroscience Internship Program

Current research activities and funding:

• Principal Investigator – Efficacy of intranasal deferoxamine in a model of traumatic brain injury (Minnesota Office of Higher Education, 2023-2026)
• Site Principal Investigator – Determining dosing regimen of intranasal insulin for the treatment of traumatic brain injury (Department of Defense, 2022-2026)
• Principal Investigator – Determining the role of lysosomes in mechanistic actions of deferoxamine in neuroprotection (Regions Hospital Foundation, 2024-2026)
• Principal Investigator – Intranasal insulin as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Regions Hospital Foundation, 2026-2027)
• Principal Investigator – Investigating neurogenesis in the brain after intranasal administration of deferoxamine (Regions Hospital Foundation, 2024-2026)
• Principal Investigator – Intranasal irisin as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (Regions Hospital Foundation, 2026-2027)