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SUMMARY:A biophysical hypothesis for the initiation of spontaneous ALS - D
 r Liam Holt\; Institute for Systems Genetics\, New York University
DTSTART:20220517T140000Z
DTEND:20220517T150000Z
UID:TALK170528@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Bobbie Claxton
DESCRIPTION:The cause of sporadic ALS/FTD is unknown. A central\, yet poor
 ly explained neuropathological hallmark of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-F
 rontotemporal Dementia (ALS/FTD) is the aggregation and accumulation of di
 sease-associated RNA binding proteins such as TDP-43 or hnRNPA2. In a smal
 l minority of cases of familial disease\, mutations make these proteins pr
 one to aggregation. However\, the vast majority of cases are sporadic and 
 the cell biological events that initiate protein aggregation and neurodege
 neration are a mystery. We will look beyond mutations that only occur in a
  minority of cases and establish a new conceptual framework focusing on th
 e biophysical underpinnings of sporadic disease. We hypothesize that mecha
 nical changes to tissue and dysregulation of cellular metabolism together 
 shift the biophysical properties of the intracellular environment\, thereb
 y perturbing the balance of molecular motion and assembly. I will discuss 
 the evidence from the field pointing to this hypothesis and new technologi
 es that we have developed to test these ideas.\n\nLiam Holt attended the U
 niversity of Bath\, completed his Ph. D. at UCSF in 2009\, and was then a 
 Bowes Fellow at UC Berkeley. Liam is currently Associate Professor of Bioc
 hemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at New York University. His lab studie
 s how mechanical compression affects cells\, and how the physical properti
 es of the cell interior affect biochemistry in both normal biology and dis
 ease. He is passionate about outreach and community: He cofounded Science 
 Sketches (www.sciencesketches.org)\, an online dictionary of science video
 s now partnered with the Explorer’s Guide to Biology (www.explorebiology
 .org) and MBoC Journal\; and Inspire Science (www.inspiresci.org)\, a symp
 osium about maintaining happiness in a challenging career. \n\n\n\nClick h
 ere to join live - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85979341139 
LOCATION:Online via zoom
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