Research Overview —

Our lab is focused on discovering the underlying mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease in relation to the chemistry and biology of gamma-secretase. Mutations in the catalytic component of gamma-secretase, Presenilin, and mutations in the gamma-secretase substrate Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) lead to Familial Alzhiemer’s disease. My projects will be focused specifically on developing cell models to investigate the role of APP cleavage product C99 and full-length APP with the addition of FAD mutations, as well as working on the development of an animal model. Our current animal model is Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode which allows us to investigate the underlying neurodegenerative mechanisms related to FAD mutations.