Credit: Gabriel Luna

Using molecular, cellular tools and disease models, we would like to better understand and treat neurodegenerative diseases. Protein tau has been a long time interest, is a common neuronal protein that, under circumstances and conditions not well understood to date, self-assembles into intracellular aggregates in several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's. The mechanism by which this critical transition from a soluble protein to insoluble fibrous material occurs is unknown. We are currently tackling the problem combining several approaches. 1) transgenic mouse models. 2) patient fibroblast-derived IPS neurons. 3) in vitro biochemistry and CRISPRi screening. 4) RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis.

Affiliated Researchers

Principal Investigator
Exploration of fundamental biological processes, particularly those related to the brain and its evolution.
Assistant Project Scientist

Neurodegeneration, RNA biology, lncRNA, tau protein, LLPS.

Collaborators

Songi Han (Northwestern University), Yann Fichou (UCSB), Martin Kampmann (UCSF)