The Cell Biology Behind Parkinson’s Disease presented by Shawn M. Ferguson, Ph.D. Professor of Cell Biology and of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder best known for its effects on movement, including tremor, rigidity, and slowed motion. Parkinson’s disease can run in families, and human geneticists have identified gene variants that influence disease risk. These discoveries immediately raise a deeper question: how do these gene variants alter key biochemical processes within the cell types that cause the disease?
In this talk, I will describe how cell biology provides the framework needed to translate genetic clues into a mechanistic understanding of Parkinson’s disease, with a focus on lysosomes, the cell’s recycling centers and stress-response hubs. By studying these processes at the level of cells rather than symptoms, we can begin to understand how genetic risk, together with exposure to detrimental environmental factors, is converted into disease vulnerability over time. This cell-centered perspective advances how we think about the origins of Parkinson’s disease and highlights why fundamental cell biology is essential for developing new strategies to prevent and treat neurodegeneration.
Sponsored by the Richard D. Church Lectureship Fund in Neuroscience
Questions: Contact the biology department at 315-229-5294