WashU chemists reveal new insights into ALS-linked protein
Using advanced biophysical and imaging techniques, Meredith Jackrel and her team have isolated Matrin-3 to better understand its role in neurodegenerative diseases
Using advanced techniques in biophysical chemistry, a team led by Meredith Jackrel, an associate professor of chemistry, has achieved unprecedented views of a protein that may play a pivotal role in some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the related disorder frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Their work could open doors to new approaches for treatment and prevention.
Jackrel and her team described the advance in the journal Molecular Cell. Macy Sprunger, PhD ’23, a staff scientist in the Department of Chemistry and former graduate student in Jackrel’s lab, is the study’s lead author. Other co-authors include chemistry graduate student Sabrina Talir; former undergraduate Ken Lee, AB ’24; Min Kyung Shinn, a postdoctoral researcher at the McKelvey School of Engineering; and Rohit Pappu, the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering.
The work was supported in part by the nearly $430,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant Jackrel was awarded in 2023, as well as funds from the ALS Association and Target ALS.
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