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The major research
goal of our lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie
neurodegenerative disorders associated with protein misfolding,
focusing on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington’s disease (HD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). We utilize
a broad array of tools and methods in our studies, including structural
analyses of misfolded proteins and their
assembly into aggregates, yeast genetic and chemical-genetic screens to
identify proteins and small molecules that modulate aggregation and
toxicity of disease-causing proteins, and molecular genetic and
pharmacological approaches in cellular and animal models of protein misfolding and neurodegeneration.
Our long-term goal is to use information gained from basic science,
mechanism-based approaches to identify novel therapeutic targets for
small molecules that could prevent neurodegeneration
in humans. Our lab has a special focus on studying the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation, which
we believe plays a critical role in health, aging and disease. Our lab is
also actively investigating the possibility that targeting critical
signaling pathways in peripheral immune cells might be a novel and
attractive approach to suppress neurodegeneration.
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