Using cells in culture to model disease
The McLean Lab uses cellular models to understand the biological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease.
Alpha-synuclein in disease pathogenesis
Research studies strongly support a role for alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple systems atrophy. These diseases are collectively referred to as alpha-synucleinopathies. Rare gene mutations in alpha-synuclein can result in familial forms of disease and alpha-synuclein deposits in aggregates in patients' brains, making it a neuropathological marker for disease.
The Neurobiology of Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders Lab investigates the link between alpha-synuclein, disease and the major cellular degradation pathways. The lab's past studies have implicated both the proteasomal and autophagy-lysosomal pathways as having an important role in the degradation of alpha-synuclein in specific circumstances.
As Mayo Clinic researchers discover how neurons clear the toxic forms of alpha-synuclein protein, target pathways can be determined for therapeutic interventions.